SnailPowered's Aquaponic Adventures

I got the 600w HPS and installed it today. It won't come on for the first cycle until tonight but I tested it and it works fine. The box looked like it had been used as the door mat for the trucks, but everything inside was basically free of damage. The reflector was slightly bent but not enough for me to want to wait for a new one. The plant is filling out so I wanted a picture where it looks less anemic than the first one I posted too.

Here are the clones as well, they aren't anything to look at right now, but they are something to share so here they are!

SnailPowered said:

Here are the clones as well, they aren't anything to look at right now, but they are something to share so here they are!

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looking good! did you inspect for mites/other-stuff?

I didn't when I got them, I have checked them out since then and they definitely appear healthy. They got a bit warm last night, up to 92 degrees, because I had the fan too low. It was really cold a week ago and the LEDs weren't heating the tent enough with it higher. I got the fan on max now with the HPS at 75% and I'm checking the temp regularly.

So, the HPS is too hot, but I REALLY like the added light...so I decided to move one of my 600w LEDs from my closet grow to the aquaponics tent. That plant is looking SO good I just can't help but baby it. I do look forward to being able to use the HPS though! Here is a shot of the tent open, LEDs on, all other lights in the garage off.

Kudos to you, @SnailPowered! A lot of people say that flowering plants can't be grown using AP due to the lack of phosphorus etc. Did you manage your grow without having to supplement nutrients?

IHalveKnownAim said:

Kudos to you, @SnailPowered! A lot of people say that flowering plants can't be grown using AP due to the lack of phosphorus etc. Did you manage your grow without having to supplement nutrients?

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I haven't added anything outside of fish food and the worms. I thought the fish would go for the worms but they didn't at all, I just watched them sink to the bottom then wriggle into the gravel. The API Pond food that I started using recently does say something about micronutrients because they don't use fish meal in the recipe or something. Mostly I was attempting to mimic Silverarm32, but I haven't used the exact food he showed and it is working well so far. The plant is progressing almost exactly like the plant that was in the hybrid system, so I believe it is getting all of the necessary nutrients. My mother-in-law said it looks good, she was the nutrient guru when they were managing a banana farm producing 1.5 million pounds of bananas a year. She was growing some legendary indica according to a guy that worked for them 20 years ago. First thing he asks after the initial pleasantries was, "you have any of that dumb weed?" Apparently it possessed strong couch lock hahahah.

So, I decided to make a lean-to grow cabinet in my garage since the closet upstairs was getting overly warm. The garage has a lot more space, more ventilation, and I'm using the 600w HPS instead of a 300w LED. Here are some pictures of it, because it makes me laugh and everyone deserves a chuckle.







You can't see it very well, but there is a fan on top of the dryer, blowing on the HPS. The leaves on the plant below the HPS are moving so I know the air movement is reaching the light. Also, the washer and dryer are just being stored, they aren't in use.

@IHalveKnownAim I mentioned Silverarm32 but I haven't posted anything in this thread from him I don't think. Here is the YouTube inspiration that I needed to get me going on this route. This is his latest upload, but I found him over a year ago.

IHalveKnownAim said:

Kudos to you, @SnailPowered! A lot of people say that flowering plants can't be grown using AP due to the lack of phosphorus etc. Did you manage your grow without having to supplement nutrients?

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Heh, starting to believe more and more that the plants don't need as much P as hyped up (in Hydro).

@SnailPowered looks great! Seems nice and cosy in the enclosure.

Yesdog said:

Heh, starting to believe more and more that the plants don't need as much P as hyped up (in Hydro).

@SnailPowered looks great! Seems nice and cosy in the enclosure.

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The P may be produced by the worms, according to this site, they produce a lot of Phosphates and Potash...of course, I defused explosives, not conducted soil nutrient tests so my opinion isn't scientific hahahah.

Yeah, I was a little concerned that the plants would be a bit smashed, but they have a decent amount of room on all sides for the lights to get to the bottom. After one night of operation it seems to be working really well.

Thanks for the reply, @SnailPowered. I'm aware of silverarm32 but I haven't looked too closely at his technique. I will now, though. Maybe the abundance of phosphorus that becomes available to the plants is due to it being one of the nutrients that's commonly added to fish food.

Yeah, I think that is just as likely, I presume that is where the potassium comes from. Running a large amount of water with a small amount of fish allows for there to be a lot of random things getting dissolved into the water without overloading it. My smaller systems were absolutely terrible to play with even though I got one to grow a plant to seed I would never try that again...ok, I probably will try another ten gallon system, but it will be two fish max. I have dreams of making a system that is just add gravel, fish, 10 gallon tank and water to have an aquaponic garden in the corner. The first one was an epic failure because I didn't properly mix the epoxy and didn't fully harden. The instructions were VERY clear, I just didn't read them fully.

The plants do seem to take a long time to start growing up, they tend to stay short and REALLY bushy until flowering in the aquaponics. I had the lights at the 18" that the manufacturer suggested, but I did decide to move them up for flowering just because I wasn't trying to grow a bud ball.

SnailPowered said:

The plants do seem to take a long time to start growing up, they tend to stay short and REALLY bushy until flowering in the aquaponics. I had the lights at the 18" that the manufacturer suggested, but I did decide to move them up for flowering just because I wasn't trying to grow a bud ball.

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That could be the phosphorus- deficiencies can result in less growth. Arguments about what else it effects, well pretty much talking about that here so far: https://www.rollitup.org/t/getting-sick-of-looking-at-nutrient-schedules.921410

Basically P might not be all its cracked up to be, but it's good to keep a constant low-ish amount available. Bet you could just add a dash of saltpeter to the tank here or there (targeting 30ppm or so. not sure what the does to fish).

@Yesdog that could have been because I threw plants in the aquaponics IMMEDIATELY after setting it up too I suppose. The gravel was used previously so I just trusted that the bacteria and stuff would transfer. My other hypothesis is that the plants are adapting to the lack of potassium and doing something different. I have no idea what the likelihood of that is, but these weeds DO seem to be surprisingly hardy. Their output may be low with bad conditions, but as I saw in Afghanistan, they are a very hardy plant!

SnailPowered said:

@Yesdog that could have been because I threw plants in the aquaponics IMMEDIATELY after setting it up too I suppose. The gravel was used previously so I just trusted that the bacteria and stuff would transfer. My other hypothesis is that the plants are adapting to the lack of potassium and doing something different. I have no idea what the likelihood of that is, but these weeds DO seem to be surprisingly hardy. Their output may be low with bad conditions, but as I saw in Afghanistan, they are a very hardy plant!

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Yep, they adapt pretty well to pretty much anything. The main point of the nutrient ratios is to just optimize the process- even if they have adequate trace amounts they'll get there eventually. Too much nutrients (toxicity) and then you have a hole you have to start climbing out of.

Heh, some quick searching around and I guess the amount of algae is a good indicator of adequate phosphorus (20-50ppm). Not sure what you're supposed to do about that...

I also changed the plants to 12/12 earlier than I would have liked just because the plants outside were getting to decreased light. All of the plants that I'm currently growing except the clones were actually seeds I was "throwing away" into a planter then decided to try to make survive once they started getting their second leaves. I have a lot of males, 6 of 9 ended up being male. The males in the soil were chopped down and I suppose they may be composting in the smart pots. The 4 males in the aquaponics are degrading pretty quickly. I pulled the stumps out and shoved them deep into the grow bed a while back. I thought one of them was female for a while longer than the others and its stump was almost entirely gone except what was sticking above the ground.

SnailPowered said:

I also changed the plants to 12/12 earlier than I would have liked just because the plants outside were getting to decreased light. All of the plants that I'm currently growing except the clones were actually seeds I was "throwing away" into a planter then decided to try to make survive once they started getting their second leaves. I have a lot of males, 6 of 9 ended up being male. The males in the soil were chopped down and I suppose they may be composting in the smart pots. The 4 males in the aquaponics are degrading pretty quickly. I pulled the stumps out and shoved them deep into the grow bed a while back. I thought one of them was female for a while longer than the others and its stump was almost entirely gone except what was sticking above the ground.

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Sounds like you got good bio-life going. If those can degrade without it smelling like rot- that's pretty good, plus its extra nutrients returned.

Yesdog said:

Yep, they adapt pretty well to pretty much anything. The main point of the nutrient ratios is to just optimize the process- even if they have adequate trace amounts they'll get there eventually. Too much nutrients (toxicity) and then you have a hole you have to start climbing out of.

Heh, some quick searching around and I guess the amount of algae is a good indicator of adequate phosphorus (20-50ppm). Not sure what you're supposed to do about that...

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That really makes me think that Molly fish would be the way to go. They eat algae (although I believe goldfish do as well) and are quite voracious. I think they also spawn like crazy and are kind of popular as aquarium fish. The only risk for me switching to them that I can think of right away is that I need a better heater. I have two heaters sized for a 10 gallon tank in my system hahahah