Aquaponics - let the fish be your nutrient!

peoples

Well-Known Member
By the way, I feel as if this should be eventually stickied. I'm pretty sure there isn't an Aquaponics sticky yet because I've extensively looked :P so yeah. Aquaponics is ON THE COME UP!
Ye, all the cannabis related forums I am on do not have a Aquaponics thread, they all post in hydro or organic, this should really change.
We should gather all the AP threads and make a thread in Hydro / Organic with all of them, to kind of push the Admins to administer a sticky, or even better, a own forum thread.
 

peoples

Well-Known Member
Led grow:
[video=youtube;iocHhR5stmk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iocHhR5stmk&feature=c4-overview&list=UUxvXihaay3ZE_f5nA_vQC6w[/video]
"for anybody that was wondering, I took the 3 nicest led plants and the 3 nicest hps plants. After 7 days drying there was 23.75 oz from the led's and 26.95 oz from the hps plants.Only a 3 oz difference,considering the led's are covering twice the area with only 400 more watts im pretty impressed with them."
 

peoples

Well-Known Member
Update time, ..sorry, no photos this time around.


Lets take the bad first..


I have Fungus Gnats, first time any bugs / pest have crept into my grow.
First I thought it was Thrips, but the flying bastards I see now, plus the small larvae I see on the growing medium it can't be anything else. Could be a combination, but I like to stay positive!


Looks like grow shops in Barcelona took out vacation at the same darn time, running around like a mad man trying to get hold of Mosquito Dunks or bacillus thuringiensis israelensis type.


I have heard that this is something that can be used with AP, as it will not damage the fish.
Anybody know if garlic, chili cayenne pepper, neem extract will harm the fish ?
Did a foliar spray with this and the plant did not seem to care, was thinking I could make a new batch, stop the waterflow and just spray a good portion of it right down in the medium, let it work for an hour and start the water again, any thought ?


I read on a cannabis forum that Ca, Mn and also P deficiencies signs could very well just be the Gnat larvae, while they eat on the roots, they also feast in the nutrients that are in the medium. Pretty pointless adding stuff, and feed the gnats more.


Flipped to 12/12 yesterday as well. As we need to move out of this apartment in around 48 days, it is going to be close.


Temp and RH is fine when lights are off, but when they start the RH raises up to the high 60, even pushing 70+, I do have a portable aircon, turned it to dehumid, let see how it works out.
 

Voidling

Well-Known Member
My outdoor ap seems to be getting filled with little flying gnats now. Sigh.

Just went around with a pump sprayer knocking off aphids.
 

Scotch089

Well-Known Member
Damn bruv, 8 weeks. Whats the strain again? Gonna be REAL close.

And honestly, I have no idea if any of those will affect the fish or not, definitely more of a learning experience on this endl. Good luck! haha
 

Highocaine

Well-Known Member
Make bibs so none (well, less..) of the spray goes into the medium. Tape the plastic to the stalk. I know a habanero tea spray will kill mites, probably be too hard on the roots though.. Maybe H2O2? Worth research at least.
 

UncleReemis

Well-Known Member
I've always had wonderful luck with neem oil. Make sure it's seriously diluted though. If it doesn't work, you can always strengthen the solution, but trust me... you don't wanna overdo it when it comes to pesticides, even if they ARE all organic and shit. Edit: Honestly, idk why I even bothered. Y'all know about neem oil by now :-P
 

peoples

Well-Known Member
Damn bruv, 8 weeks. Whats the strain again? Gonna be REAL close.

And honestly, I have no idea if any of those will affect the fish or not, definitely more of a learning experience on this endl. Good luck! haha
They are all California Hash Plant, flower from 45-55 days. I think they will be harvested a little early but sometimes these things just happen. As you said, learning curve indeed :D

Make bibs so none (well, less..) of the spray goes into the medium. Tape the plastic to the stalk. I know a habanero tea spray will kill mites, probably be too hard on the roots though.. Maybe H2O2? Worth research at least.
Bibs ?
Plastic to the stalk (stem?) ?

I already have put up some kind of barrier between the medium and the lights, to fix the algae buildup in the drip tubes.
Hydrogen Peroxide will kill fish in the right amount, so I will try not to touch it, have heard good things about it killing pests, tho.

Either I brought the pest in to the grow room on my clothes or they came from the only air-source that I have, the inner quart of the building, where it is very humid and warm.

I've always had wonderful luck with neem oil. Make sure it's seriously diluted though. If it doesn't work, you can always strengthen the solution, but trust me... you don't wanna overdo it when it comes to pesticides, even if they ARE all organic and shit. Edit: Honestly, idk why I even bothered. Y'all know about neem oil by now :-P
haha, you don't see cannabis and fish growing on Neem-trees do you ? :D
 

Highocaine

Well-Known Member
lol, sorry man, I think I was kinda out of it. What I mean is, take a rectangular piece of plastic (garbage bag, whatever), wrap it around the trunk so it forms an umbrella over the medium.
 

peoples

Well-Known Member
So I looked everywhere for Mosquito Dunks, with the type "bacillus thuringiensis israelensis", only thing to find in Spain seems to be this one: "bacillus thuringiensis var. Kurstaki" <- this is of course the main strain. Parent if you will of the israelensis. What I have been told in various grow shops that this only work on caterpillars, but it is supposed to kill larvae, so maybe I will give it a try.
I also ordered some predator Hypoaspis miles, should be arriving in a week. 36&#8364;, not that bad.
Anyone tested these before, how long can they live in the package ?
 

peoples

Well-Known Member
Update time, with fresh photos!

The most of the plants are doing better. Starting to build a fine canopy!
Only set back is that the one in the back left corner shows some deficiencies, most likely Boron, as this table seem to indicate:
http://www.weedfarmer.com/cannabis/tables_guide.php

Here you guys can take a look on what I'm talking about:
http://imgur.com/a/Pe8LC#0


Is it possible that if a plant had a bad "child hood", it shows later in maturity ?
I think this one was on the brink of death when I picked it up as a clone, but I nurtured it back to life.


Seems like the one in the back right corner, the one with rust issues is starting to look better:
http://imgur.com/Ar7FlRY


pH: 5.9
Ammonia: too low to measure
Nitrite: too low to measure
Nitrate: too low to measure

Temp is steady with around 24 degrees celcius at top pot size during "day time", and 23 at "night time".
RH is around 60 during night and 50 during day.

Not much of the flying bastard around, but I do see some new ones under the cover of the pots. Can't wait to get the predator mites and give the the feast of their life!

I'm rounding this update up with a montage of the scrog!
http://imgur.com/a/qLSSH#0
 

ricky6991

Well-Known Member
i had that leaf stuff happen like crazy when my water temps were in the 70s. went anway and growth too off when i got chiller an put temps at 64
 

peoples

Well-Known Member
i had that leaf stuff happen like crazy when my water temps were in the 70s. went anway and growth too off when i got chiller an put temps at 64
You are talking about the rust issues, right ?
But what are not all the plant feeling the same wrath ?
My temp is around 20 celcius, 65-67F, but it was up in the mid 70's a long time.
 

ricky6991

Well-Known Member
everything was just growing wrong lol... plain an simple, that pic on leafs though is an obvious sign to me now.
 

Voidling

Well-Known Member
I think I'm finally getting some vegetables and herbs to start growing in mine. PH is a bit high so I'm using system water + iron to mist the leaves. Still having insect issues. Fungus gnats are the obvious ones. Some spider mites still. And new issues I'd need photos to explain.
 

peoples

Well-Known Member
Bad news .. Obviously the neighbor have been kept awake by the ventilation and other stuff for several months now without even mention it when we have met in the hallway, and when our landlord came by to pick up the rent he told us about the situation. The land lord threaten to call the cops and stuff.


Even tho it is legal to grow for own use in Spain, I don't want the cops on my door. Especially when we are moving to big house in 10 days.


So tomorrow I will temporary move the aquaponic system to another flat for 10 day, quite a hussle, but seeing the buds starting to grow quite well, I do not have the heart to shut the system down.


Will hopefully get some pictures up and running after setting the system up at the temp. location.


When I am moving the system, how much water should I save from the fish tank and add to the tank after setting it back up ?
I recon as much as possible, but 30-50% would be ok ?
 
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