SentencedToBurn's crayfish aquaponics

capsidadburn · Feb 22, 2015

Really cool idea and glog! Love the fabrication and research energy put into it. I've always wanted to do something with native sunfish. Someday maybe when I have better living space/ land.

I, too, am very interested in the crayfish experiement!

Best of luck to you!
Mike

SentencedToBurn · Feb 22, 2015

Have just scored this 400w halide off my neighbour (rush35) to extend daylight hours in the greenhouse. Plus it should help with heating a bit too.

I also got this 425W panelheater hooked up to my STC-1000 that so far has only controlled cooling - normally those fans just move the air around, so when the heater is off it's only to promote air circulation. But when the heater switches on the fans should hopefully help distribute warm air around the greenhouse a bit quicker.

I am going to get a USB temp logger to keep track of temperatures to work out how efficient (or not) the heater is. The idea is to keep power consumption to a minimum - the greenhouse is double glazed plus i have polystyrene sheets under the floor cover to try and insulate everything as much as I can.

SentencedToBurn · Feb 24, 2015

Final items on the list still to obtain:
- USB temp logger: being shipped, from China, so will probably take about 3 weeks but that's ok
- Air pump/air stone
- Gravel/pavers for crayfish habitat
- Water test kit - I found a test kit that measures 5 critical levels so hoping that'll be enough for what I need
- Crayfish itself: just need to give the guy 1 week notice
- Power meter
- Aquarium heater
- Make mount for the light

So the list is pretty small compare to what it was originally, I reckon I'll have it all sorted in the next 3 weeks by the time the water gets to the right level.

Also I've decided that I'll be monitoring and logging:
- power consumption
- air temperature
- water temperature
- all 5 water parameters
- crayfish food

This way I'll be able to overlay each parameter and draw some conclusions on power consumption of this rig at certain temperatures, see how much extra heat comes from the light and what impact it makes on the air temp, how much difference certain crayfish food makes i.e. if I wanted to alter NPK - which food makes the most difference, how long does it take to change, etc. I was struggling to find some clear data on some of this while trying to research this so I'll be definitely posting all my findings here.

As far as the plants go, most of my seeds I put down have germinated, so by the time this is all ready to go (hopefully late April now) they should be the right size:
- 8 out of 8 Devil's Heart (pepperlovers.com)
- 6 out of 6 Peach 7 Pod (pepperlovers.com)
- 4 out of 5 White Naga (rush35)
- 4 out of 4 Aji Pineapple (rush35)
- 2 out of 4 White Fatalii (rush35)
- 1 out of 3 Choc Reaper (rush35)
Plus I have 2 Pink Tigers now (thanks again to rush35)

I'll be selecting 4 pairs of identical plants for this with each pair being split between aquaponics and soil, hoping for another choc reaper to pop through but so far I'm thinking Devil's Heart, Peach 7 Pod, Pink Tiger and will see if I get another Choc Reaper come up. Otherwise I have a few alternatives there.

SentencedToBurn · Feb 28, 2015

Have mounted up the light this morning, it just covers both growbeds and the same area on the floor where my growbags will be with the same plants as in growbeds.

Will be good for a comparison between identical plants in soil vs aquaponics.

moruga welder · Feb 28, 2015

D3monic said:
Looking good, Place a state over from me was just advertising juvenile fw shrimp for aquaponics. They posted this adult pic. Pretty darn big mudbug.

damn we seine them for catfish bait and get the big red ones , but nothing that big ! but this dude out at work eats them like candy ! never thought to use their waste for fert. i got tons of them in the creek / river right next to me . cool ! :onfire:

great setup ! best of luck to you ! happy growing ! :onfire:

PaulS · Mar 1, 2015

Looks like things are coming together nicely! You should be up and running soon?

SentencedToBurn · Mar 1, 2015

PaulS said:
Looks like things are coming together nicely! You should be up and running soon?

Yup hoping to have the crayfish in there by the end of March, and the plants won't be too far away after that. Maybe 2 weeks or so.

Still a bunch of things left to do but it'll all be done in the next month.

SentencedToBurn · Mar 4, 2015

The crayfish tank is now full, has 20L worth of river stones at the bottom, a few bricks down there covered with a couple of pieces of pavers to make for some hiding spots. It's about 160L worth of water, the depth is around 420mm all round, I've also added a twin pipe air pump with a couple of air stones.

One last thing I need before I get the crayfish is the proper fresh water kit to ensure all levels are spot on - hoping to get it next weekend. Then just need to top up the clayballs and wait for the plants to get big enough to put into growbeds.

Will drop my GoPro in there later today but for now here are some pics from the top.

SentencedToBurn · Mar 4, 2015

The water should get clearer over the next couple of days I suspect since the stones were only just added about 20 hours ago. But here is what it looks like now. I think I need to add a couple more bricks on the other side where the pump is to make for another small habitat.

Pinhigh · Mar 4, 2015

Looking good! PVC pipe is another possibility for a habitat.

Can't wait to see the soil vs Aqua difference.

SentencedToBurn · Mar 9, 2015

It took a while for water to clear up, but now it's pretty good.

I've also added a few more bricks and an old pot that I've taken a grinder to and cut the bottom out. I think this should be sufficient for 4 of them.

The only thing that's left is to get the 5 parameter water test kit to ensure the water is right, and then I can place my order for crayfish.

Elvis Has Left The Forum · Mar 10, 2015

Looking good!
Can't wait to see how the peppers like it.

Rairdog · Mar 10, 2015

Hey STB, I thought I might give you a few pointers to help with your AP.

1) As a general rule there are no metal allowed in AP. They will leach bad stuff. Stainless steel is sometimes used but it should be low in nickel.
2) The water level should be 1 - 2 inches below the media. This will keep it from floating.
3) You don't want water splashing on the top of the media. This will grow algae which rob nutrients and clog it up.
4) A gravel guard is used around the siphon. Roots will grow into the siphon and clog it up. With a GG you can get you hand in there and clean them out.
5) Generally no gravel is used in the bottom of the FT. It traps the poop and can go anaerobic. Pvc pipes can be used which doesn't trap solids as bad and it is easy to stir up. You can leave the gravel in the bottom and vacuum it out as you would in your other FT's. The waste water is great for the dirt garden and pots.
5) If you have to much flow or pressure you can add a bypass spray bar. Then you can regulate how fast the water enters the GB's and give the yabbies some extra oxygenated water.

The yabbies/fish will supply the nitrates/nitrogen for the plants. A quality feed is need that is fortified with the P&K. Iron is usually supplemented. A good kelp based seeweed extract can be used to give the plants a boost. They can be found with iron added to them. Here in the states we use Maxicrop with iron. Look for seasol in your area. I would recommend adding some greens such as lettuce and herbs. They will suck up nitrates and produce well in a new system. Think of the media as soil. They hydroton will absorb nutrients and mature. Most systems produce much better after the first year. Vinning/fruiting veggies take of well with the nitrates. They tend to stall when the fruiting starts and is one of the main reasons people get frustrated and give up. Peppers are one of the hardest to grow and always give me a challenge. They don't like wet feet and are fussy about ph. My water is high in ph which is a constant battle. Other supplements can be foliar sprays such as MKP (Monopotassium Phosphate) and potassium bicarbonate. Some can be added to the water but it will affect ph.

Here is a shot of mine in full gear last year

Here are some pics of my peppers. You can see the yellowing and curled up leaves. I get lots of bloom drops. In all honesty they do much better in SWC but don't give up. I have not tried hots and plan to this year. You can see the GG and bell siphon in the first pic

I put pots over my GG's so the space is not wasted

Here is another shot of the GG. Mine are 6 in pvc. I can pull the ss screw out and rotate it to cut the root or get my hand in there to pull them out. When you get the bigger diameter pvc some are foam core which will float. That is why I use a screw so it doesn't lift allowing media under it.

I went through all the growing pains and will try to help you as best I can.

SentencedToBurn · Mar 10, 2015

Far out thanks Rairdog for your advise mate. That's great help!

I'm not actually using a siphon - i made two for both growbeds but then after reading up I decided to go with the constant drip feed.

I do however have water dripping from the top so I'll definitely move it underneath to avoid growing algae.
And yup I was planning to do regular FT maintenance to keep ammonia and nitrate at acceptable levels.

Thanks for the advise on feed and adding extra veggies to reduce nitrates - will definitely do that.

Edit: have just put a bunch of lettuce seeds in some seedraising mix. I think by the time I have crayfish in the tank and have made all the necessary adjustments the lettuce will be ready to go into the growbed.

Rairdog · Mar 10, 2015

You can start any veggies before the fish go in. Greens also give you some confidence when the big veggies don't produce well at first. They don't need much P&K. Basil and spinach are easy also. Chard is king and will keep on giving.

When you use 1/2 barrels it is hard to get siphons to work properly due to the convex bottom. They are much more reliable on flat bottoms. Just when you get them working the roots change the flow and it's more tweaking.

My standpipe comes out easily for maintenance. This is useful to adjust water level with different lengths of standpipe or use couplings that can slide up and down. The media should appear dry on top and wet 1-2 inches down. Then you can raise the water level up get seeds to germinate right in the media and lower it after they get going to avoid the algae issue. It is also useful to flood the beds and drown fungus gnats and and other pests that breed in the media. Once they get in a GH they are a pain.

The bells just sit on top of the standpipe for flood and drain. You pull the bells out and you have constant flood. Peppers like the F&D for more air to the roots. There has been many tests comparing F&D to CF (constant flood). They are pretty equal in growth but some veggies do better with one or the other. In a CF sometimes the root mass will congregate at the top to get the nutes coming in. Then the flow can change if the roots clog the top layer.

I can not express the importance of a gravel guard. I tried skipping it at first. Everything worked fine until roots got in the drains and clogged it up. I could not get to them without pulling a bunch of media out and disturbing plants.

You can lay your spray bar right on the media. You just want to avoid splashing. I would ditch the aluminum.

SentencedToBurn · Mar 10, 2015

Cool thanks mate. Ill sort out the gravel guard for sure, definitely want to learn off other's mistakes here. And yup will get rid of aluminium tubes and will replace with hoses with sprayers a couple of inches down.

Will have a think about flood and drain rather than constant flood. Thanks again for taking the time to help me with this, much appreciated.

Elvis Has Left The Forum · Mar 11, 2015

IMO, if you are planting in a media, then flood and drain is the way to go. Mine has been running for about two years with very little maintaince. I used an IBC Tote for my system with Koi and goldfish. It is very compact also. I have some aquaponic information in PDF format, if you would like, I will gladly share with you (or anyone) via email... (Just PM me if anyone is interested.)
Good luck and keep us posted...
Bill

SentencedToBurn · Mar 12, 2015

Thanks Bill thats wicked. Yeah might have to do that I think. And I gotta hurry up and top up the media and drop the dripper as I noticed algae is growing there, so to follow Rairdog's advise and stop it from splashing all over the place.

Have pmed you with my email address.

I also put this ancient laptop to use - it's tracking the greenhouse temperature, the alarms are set in case it drops too low or goes too high. The logs are stored remotely so I'm hoping to chuck it all on Google Docs shared XLS and make it available for anyone who wants to check historical data.

I'll be logging the following data daily: temperature, power usage (cooling and heating is on a thermostat so I'm curious to know how much power it's going to keep my 8'X6' greenhouse above 15C/60F). Also hoping to have enough patience to complete daily water tests: pH/Nitrate/Nitrite/Ammonia and will also be logging daily crayfish food to see how that affects water levels.

Elvis Has Left The Forum · Mar 12, 2015

I'll send the info in several emails since I can't get high speed internet out here in the woods. (and I'm too cheap to get Sateillite. :lol:

)
That laptop setup looks awesome!
I hope to build a GH soon and run the water from an aquaponics tank into it for some floating beds...

Elvis Has Left The Forum · Mar 12, 2015

SentencedToBurn,
I have sent four PDF emails, but the fifth one appears to be too large for AOL to send.
So I am looking into sending it some other way.
Just keep an eye out for the fifth email as it may come from a different email address.
I may have to setup another email account with another provider that allows larger file transfers.

Bill