Aquaponics - let the fish be your nutrient!

Okei! I have had this grow running for around a month now.
Have a journal running on another forum, with more Aquaponic growers but I thought I would share it with you lot.

For those of you who are not familiar with Aquaponics, think of it as regular hydroponics but instead of adding nuts you add fish / fishfood. No need to change water, just add water as it being either used by the plants or evaporated.

The only side thing is that you have to compensate the PH, since cannabis runs in the 5.5-5.8 region and fish enjoy around 6.5-7.5, keeping a PH of 6.2 have showed great results!
I am currently lowering the PH from 7.0, this takes some time, since the fish react to drastic change of PH, so a .2 drop each day is advised.
This way the plants are happy and the fish are happy (any lower PH and the fish stop eating, and stop producing the lovely nutrient waste =)


Running a Drip system to four 7 liter buckets with hydroton.
Plan is to go all SOG style.

Lights:
1 * ProGrow 400w LED
1 * 400 w HPS

Strain:
California Hash Plant

Fish:
2 * Comets
2 * Algea eaters (cant remember the name, small quick bastards)
2 * Algea eaters - Catfish (the bottomfeeders, suckers of glass)


Res: 90liter

PPM is sitting on 560 atm, had some issues with PPM rising to 1200 for a while, had to change lots of water.
Now it seems that the PPM is rising around 20-30 a day, maybe some of you here can give me a hint of why this is, or maybe it is completely normal.

Oh well, I just let some pictures speak for the rest!

Construction: http://imgur.com/a/daajX#0

The Clone Wars: http://imgur.com/a/bUrcz#0EnY478
- picked up some big Hash Plant clones from a friend

GermiNation: http://imgur.com/a/n4cG2#0
- tested out different germination methods

Over 9000!!: http://imgur.com/a/ko54s#0
- the plants did not enjoy the high PPM

After the Shitstorm: http://imgur.com/a/pbMXp#0
- lower PPM = happy plants
- also did some topping and fimmin on the big ones

So here is where we're at, let me know what you guys think.
Also, I am quite familiar with doubters of cannabis in aquaponic system, so I just gonna leave this here.. (from a friends AP setup)
http://i.imgur.com/224t2vK.jpg

That's funny.... I would never do this... But the Bud looks Da Kill

Fenian Brotherhood said:

That's funny.... I would never do this... But the Bud looks Da Kill

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Not many people grow cannabis in this environment, so there has not been any side by side grows.
It would be very interesting to see what kind of THC / CBD % and yield it can produce.

Some have said that the smell and taste is better than soil with organic nuts.

How do you keep the P and K levels high enough for flowering?

galgemeck said:

How do you keep the P and K levels high enough for flowering?

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Good question Galg, and the truth is, I don't have a good answer.
I am working on a connection with a partially government founded test laboratory in Barcelona, "Energy Control".
They do test of almost any kind of narcotic drug for private consumers.
Waiting to hear back from them if it is possible to do a mineral test of the aquarium water.

This is my first AP grow, and like I have said before, not much studies have been done on this.
I know that for the plant to take up certain minerals, like Baron, the PH needs to be pretty low. It is not that Baron is not in the water, but more that the PH either makes the component available. ( please correct me if this is wrong ).

I have now seen several grows where the flowering phase is running very smooth, with both dank, good smelly, tasty and big buds.
Hopefully I will be able to get some water tests, and perhaps experimenting with adding nutes directly to the plant.

aloe vera powder and coconut water may be what you need, see how they effect your aquaponics??

I have a friend who grows this way... not cannabis but still. It is a very effective means of filtering the water and providing nutes for the plants. It's cheap to do too. I've been very interested in it since seeing his setup.

This is the future of growing right here folks. Once it is perfected there will be no need to clean hydroponics nor put in nutes. And when you get the munchies just pull out a fish and eat!

This is insane.
But UTTERLY Brilliant.
The next logical step, a merger of Hydroponic and FULL organic.

1 question, though: Does the bud taste fishy? Heh.

Nizza said:

aloe vera powder and coconut water may be what you need, see how they effect your aquaponics??

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Rich in Nitrogen and Potassium ?
Will do some reading and maybe taking one of the fish to a secondary tank and test it. Always best to see how the fish react.

Sheesh420 said:

I have a friend who grows this way... not cannabis but still. It is a very effective means of filtering the water and providing nutes for the plants. It's cheap to do too. I've been very interested in it since seeing his setup.

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Very glad to hear the positivity surrounding AP.

Planted a Basil clone that was around 5-6cm. This is 3 weeks in AP setup.
Must also be noted that the AP system was had only been cycling for 1-2 weeks, a process that usually takes 3-6 weeks depending on different factors.
http://i.imgur.com/Asi4y1y.jpg

twistedwords said:

This is the future of growing right here folks. Once it is perfected there will be no need to clean hydroponics nor put in nutes. And when you get the munchies just pull out a fish and eat!

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Damn straight! I wouldn't go as far as eating my goldfish, but yeah.
My father is finely starting to get a interest in it. He lives on a farm in the northern part of Norway, so a outdoor system is pretty much impossible taking the -30 celsius it to consideration.
He lives next to a river, and I am going to try some indoor setup there with freshwater trout.

HeadieNugz said:

This is insane.
But UTTERLY Brilliant.
The next logical step, a merger of Hydroponic and FULL organic.

1 question, though: Does the bud taste fishy? Heh.

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If you calculate the water spoil, nuts cost to the only thing that you would provide for the AP, the fish food, I think you would think again when your at the store giving away several hundred dollars for fertilizers.
This paper states that a indoor HP grow would spend prox $300 per harvest in growing medium and nuts. Please let me hear your inputs on this amount since I have not used HP that much and am not familiar with the prices of a total component set.
http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/working_papers/2010/RAND_WR764.pdf

From what I understand you don't want to be adding a whole shit ton of extra's into your water, like peep's said- a large flux in ph can really mess with the fish. I can only imagine what other things could do.. but what do I know..

I have actually drawn out my aquaponics scheme, and with how things have fallen lately- it may be in the works sooner than later.

+rep to you P, Aquaponics is the future of growing, and Produce.

EDIT: nvm, have to spread the love

Scotch089 said:

Aquaponics is the future of growing

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I deffinatly wouldn't go that Far Lol!

Subbed. Stuff like this is good to see, very energy and cost efficient.

Scotch089 said:

From what I understand you don't want to be adding a whole shit ton of extra's into your water, like peep's said- a large flux in ph can really mess with the fish. I can only imagine what other things could do.. but what do I know..

I have actually drawn out my aquaponics scheme, and with how things have fallen lately- it may be in the works sooner than later.

+rep to you P, Aquaponics is the future of growing, and Produce.

EDIT: nvm, have to spread the love

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Thanks Scotch!
I would recommend you to just get it up and running.
What kind of fish are you planning ? The fish choice is very location depended in my view. If you have to space I would definitely go for tilapia, this way you'll have fish for diner in a couple of months as well

Fenian Brotherhood said:

I deffinatly wouldn't go that Far Lol!

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Why not, you could in reality put a small AP set on every roof top in the world (who not have minus degrees ) and feed the people there for pretty much nothing. Isn't that exactly what we need ?
...ooh, think I hear Big Monsanto knockin' on my door, gtg!

Fenian Brotherhood said:

I deffinatly wouldn't go that Far Lol!

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I definitely would, I starting growing my own to kill the ties to the black market and save myself some money and provide my own smoke.

Now... you mean to tell me you don't think it would be insanely cost effective, not only for an individual, but a family- to provide your own grown food. Mind you. PROPERLY grown, the freshest, and healthiest of food. No preservatives, no additives...

Just natural sugars and starches. Tell me that shit wont taste good either.

Your "nutrient concentration," lies in the fish/plant ratio. I don't know enough to go into what we would need to do to provide the extra P,K, and other nutes SAFELY- I am sure the larger/complex the plants the harder it would be..

But I can say, if more people were self sufficient, we could break an entire country away from "Made in China" and quit importing other's efficiency.

Good for you Peoples, been waiting for RIU to throw up a Aqua section

Scotch089 said:

I definitely would, I starting growing my own to kill the ties to the black market and save myself some money and provide my own smoke.

Now... you mean to tell me you don't think it would be insanely cost effective, not only for an individual, but a family- to provide your own grown food. Mind you. PROPERLY grown, the freshest, and healthiest of food. No preservatives, no additives...

Just natural sugars and starches. Tell me that shit wont taste good either.

Your "nutrient concentration," lies in the fish/plant ratio. I don't know enough to go into what we would need to do to provide the extra P,K, and other nutes SAFELY- I am sure the larger/complex the plants the harder it would be..

But I can say, if more people were self sufficient, we could break an entire country away from "Made in China" and quit importing other's efficiency.

Good for you Peoples, been waiting for RIU to throw up a Aqua section

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My point exactly!

The AP is starting to shoot up all around the world now, been rising fast and steady in the US, hell! ..even the Chinese used this traditional way of making food.
The fist known aquaponic-like culture goes all the way back 1000 AD by the Aztec people.
... somewhere along the road we forgot about it, and started feeding cattle none-nutrient-glyphosate-soybeans, which is not good for anyone.
New info coming out on this area as we speak, just to sad that it was sold to humans before the long term tests was done..

http://action.responsibletechnology.org/p/salsa/web/common/public/content?content_item_KEY=11129

I'm will go with tilapia brother P, I am lucky enough to have all four season's extremes where I am at.

Still a lot of things I have to clarify (slurry), but it's in the works.

Scotch089 said:

I'm will go with tilapia brother P, I am lucky enough to have all four season's extremes where I am at.

Still a lot of things I have to clarify (slurry), but it's in the works.

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Great! I wish tilapi was available in Spain - yes.. it is a banned species over here.
Think I still going to try to import it somehow, tho

I am also growing in AP and only on day 10 of vegetation, I am not messing with my ph level, and do a 16/8 light cycle and so far they are growing slowly but healthily although its to early to tell if the ph level will be a problem. Have no idea what's going to happen when they flower. Someone told me on another thread to put seaweed in the fish tank to increase p and k. Anyone know anything about this?

I actually busted out my maximum yield mag that had an article called "Not so Similar" comparing Hydro vs. Aqua and found that sea weed, "chelated iron," and a few minerals to adjust ph.

verbatim, I don't know what "minerals" they suggest to adjust though. I do know Sea weed/kelp has everything we need as a supp.

Peeps- I really enjoy what you're doing with LED and Aquaponics, thats just wicked. Keep us posted!