It's better to use natural material from earth rather than something made from oil. Media should be rocks. If you get gold panning mesh filters.. you can collect rocks a certain size.. Yeah it's a little cumbersome but does everything in 2 containers. Fish tank and filtering. My filter is big stone-med stone-small stone-tiny stone-rough filter-fine filter-sand-I put screen between fine filter and rough filter. Helps keep the sand from falling down and makes the sand easier to remove. I put screens on all my ins and out pvc just in case foreign material enters my system. My system is small but very well thought out. 3 tanks-fish tank- filter tank-aerator tank. I did put a waste port on the fish tank in case it got bad-upside down shower drain. In pipe 1" to fish tank to 5 way with pvc slots to create current-my trout love to go in and out of current. Lots of rocks and sand for them to reproduce-I lower the current during that time of the year to allow nests to be made and cover the fish bin which helps them with privacy for the season-they might not care but I thought it was a nice gesture. :) To all-keep rocking your aquaponics!
Rocks are more prone to clogging though. Plastic media is able to provide optimum flow for biofiltration and surface area for it to establish. The reason kaldness is used is because it doesn't clog as a result of its design. Rocks don't have that benefit, and having many more pores is more harmful.
Thanks for all the information and experience you are sharing it has and is very helpful. Can you make a video on the materials and the construction of your system. Let me elaborate... I have a 1000 sq. meters of area on which I am planing to build a thre level aquaponic system but I am atempting to make it modular Because I dont have the finance to build it at once. So I am looking for ideas to optimise the components and make them modular. For exsample I am planing to start with 10x1 m. Water beds with the idea to extend them to 20x1 m. Adding more aqua cultures like craw fish and malaysian tiger prones along with the fish...
I've looked through your video list to find a basic, beginner setup.. You cover parts, but not a "start to finish", at least I didn't see one. So.. My question is... Could you do a Basic.. simple beginner.. small scale (275 - 550 gal) system?
Great content! I’m learning Aquaponics is hard to get started, looking forward to having it all dialed in though! With the help from your videos I’m sure I’ll get there soon.
Compliments for your videos!!! But I do not agree with some points (do not want to offend you - just have different experience). Helix is by far the best media for biological filtration and in professional systems - it is worth the money - not to say without alternative. I have done more than 40 commercial systems - all over 20.000 kg fish production per year - without helix this is impossible. Growbeds are nice, but can never bring the nitrification levels you need in a bigger system. The second point - nitrification will occur on ph levels of 6.4 nearly on the same level as with an ph of 7.5 (around 91%)- the only big difference is, that with a new system it will take much longer to get the right nitrification levels, if you run on a low ph. But the big advantage of lower ph - beside that it is better for plants - is, that you have nearly no ammonia in the system. Looking forward to further videos from you. Kind regards.
Excellent points and thanks for sharing. Most of my content is geared toward systems the size of mine and smaller. Sounds like you have experience on way bigger ones which is good to know!
@@NewAgrarian I really enjoy your videos. Yes - biggest system I build is 200t fish production per year. But in Europe Aquaponics differes a littel bit. Profit is made with the fish (app 85%) and not so much with vegetabels (app 15% on average). I am doing aquaponics for more than 15 years now. Maybe you would be interested to have a talk to exchange our experiences - it is always interesting to talk to other people with deeper experience in this field. Kind regards, Peter
Can you suggest a good A to Z learning process/platform/course or book for someone wanting to start a small enterprise supplying hotels in the Carribbean. I am retiring from the UK and want to start a hobby business... Thanks
just use an aerator... your fish will love you for it and it helps keep nitrates in check. Put one in the fish tank and one in the storage tank (clean water before entering fish tank).
@@NewAgrarian how does one message you? Im a MS. In Environmental science, and I would like to do my thesis in aquaponic-related subject. Hope you have time to chat
