What's the BIG DEAL with Aquaponic Gardens?

So there are a LOT of folks out there wondering just what is the big freaking deal with aquaponic gardens these days?!?  Is this some sort of new crazy hippy fad or what?  Well, yes and no ... let me explain.
The shortest way to say it is that the planet is in trouble.  Big trouble no matter what new feed you read, the news isn't pretty.  That's part of WHY aquaponic gardening is becoming such a popular way to provide for yourself and spend a little time feeling better.  How do these things relate to each other?  Easy.
One of the biggest issues we hear about, aside from people killing each other, is how people are starving all over the world.  Even in so called first world countries the citizens can be seen on the streets clearly in need of better food sources.  In second & third world countries the situation is even worse.  Growing food for large numbers of people requires damaging huge patches of land, in many ways that's just all there is to say about it, but it doesn't NEED to be that way.  Many of us that are growing with aquaponics are only too happy to speak of the many benefits that go along with it.
First would either be the health benefits of locally grown food but second would undoubtedly be the water saving nature of the gardens design.  If you were to look at an aquaponic garden for the first time you may be asking ... just how does this massive pool of water use less water than a soil garden?  To be fair, that's a reasonable question.  Allow me to answer it for you.  Aquaponic, and hydroponic, gardens recycle the water in a loop that ends up back at the source.  Any water used, is returned.  Quite simple really.  In soil gardening the water is often lost to gravity draining it down and away before the plants can even really notice it, let alone benefit from it!  With aquaponics the garden bed is waterproof, or at least it should be, so the water drains into pipes and back to the filters & fish tanks.  Not wasted.
Another place that traditional gardens tend to loose a fair bit of water is to simple evaporation.  Before the water can soak into the soil to pass by the roots it must battle the heat of the surrounding environment or risk becoming a future raindrop.  In aquaponic gardens the top layer of grow media is kept dry to help prevent this loss of such a valuable resource.  The end result is a garden that uses water without really loosing it.  Water is still consumed by the plants and expelled into the air via the leaves but otherwise it just stays in the system!
Having all of this water moving past the roots helps the plants to thrive and in doing they produce amazing flavors.  The taste of aquaponic basil simply cannot be beat in my opinion!  Raising fish in the aquaponic gardens, the source of all the good stuff for the plants, is a secondary bonus that traditional gardens doesn't provide.  For folks such as myself, raising goldfish provides for the plants and saves me a fortune in therapy.  For others, raising edible fish provides another chance to save or make some money and provide for the ones they love.  Either way, good deal!
So what is the big deal with aquaponic gardens?  They are the answer to a big chunk of the worlds problems.  Don't believe me?  Try it for yourself, you'll be telling folks to try it in no time!

Best Crops for Aquaponic Gardens

Over the years I have been asked many times about what crops I think are best for aquaponic gardens.  At the end of the day I figure it comes down to two key factors.  First would be, how established is your garden and second would, of course, be what do you like to eat.  Since the second is entirely personal I will focus on the first for the sake of this discussion.
From what I have seen in my own aquaponic garden trials, the first year should be devoted to favorite herbs & leafy greens.  Mint, for example, can be an ideal starter plant simply because it is so hardy but basically any small leaved plant is a solid choice for the first few months.  Larger leafy greens are also usually somewhat successful during the first year while the system develops & grows.  Many gardeners will choose a type of lettuce at this stage but I have switched to kale for a couple of reasons.  Number 1 being that it's so darn healthy, when grown safely, and number 2 being that it will grow in my greenhouse during the cold Canadian winter and the heat of our crazy summers.  If you simply can't resist planting something that will produce fruit in that first year then I would recommend strawberries.  Easy to grow, hard to kill and nothing beats a fresh picked aquaponic strawberry.
By year two an aquaponic garden usually has a much more developed internal ecosystem and should be prepared to host a different set of plants.  Now you can start to think about crops like peppers & tomatoes that will produce fruit, but there is a warning here as well.  These plants are greedy and can be quite good at removing any & all micro-nutrients from the system.  For sustained success with fruit & flower producing plants you may need to find safe ways to reintroduce elements such as calcium and magnesium but fear not, nature has answers for all of it.  A little research as to what your crop requires will keep your plants producing & your fish healthy.  It is worth mentioning however that if you start adding things to boost fruit production it is wise to move herbs & leafy greens into a different system so that they don't go to seed and loose their true flavor.
Well, I hope this helps to point you in the right direction and has answered a few questions for you.  Thanks for your time & best of luck on your aquaponic adventure!

Expanding the No Power Aquaponic Garden for Larger Settings

The idea of the no power aquaponic garden is a lot of fun to play around with but the basic truth that needs to be stated up front is that when you are saying no power you are committing to personally do a lot more work.  Not a real problem for some of us, when I got started I was not working anywhere at the time so that left plenty of time available to me, but when it is a problem it is a big one.  If you can’t get to your garden every few hours during the day, more often during the heat of summer, this might not be an option for you.  Remember, if you have access to steady electricity I STRONGLY recommend a more advanced system with a pond pump.  You’ll thank me for that later on …
Let’s take a look at what needs to happen in an aquaponic garden for everything to keep on living, growing and producing for you.  Obviously the plants need to be watered, that’s a given, and the fish need to be fed.  Regular feeding of fish produces waste products that will build up over time and kill your fish.  It’s not pretty or fun to see.  So the first big problem that needs to be solved is removing the waste from the water to keep those little critters happy, or at the very least … alive.
Now, if you’ve even looked into aquaponics at all you’re probably saying to yourself, ‘well, don’t the plants do that?’, or some variation on that theme anyway.  If you are, then you’re right but there’s more to it than that.  Successful aquaponic gardens are populated with a few naturally occurring bacteria that are essential to that success.  These tiny workers need somewhere to call home and conditions that benefit their reproduction.  Just like everybody else, they are looking for a safe place to call home & a steady food supply.  Providing them a home is the easy part.  Anything non toxic with surface area in the water will do quite well for them, mine love it!  This is why you will see so many different things being used in aquaponic systems that are all generally referred to as the bio filter.  I’ve seen everything from lava rocks to lego, clay pellets to river rocks and even some fancy scientifically engineered stuff to be ‘better than nature’.  That’s a bad joke but we’ll just push past that issue for now.  Building a basic bio filter into a no power aquaponic garden isn’t that difficult, but it does need to be done.  I could make a whole playlist of video options for this but just be creative and it will probably work for you as a starting point.
So now that we have a bio filter in our garden the fish will be safe right?  Nope.  With a completely no power garden your fish face a few other dangers that all need to be looked after as well, or they will die.  I’m not going to sugar coat this for you, that’s just how it is.  Some of the other concerns include, but are not limited to: dissolved oxygen levels in the water, pH imbalances, ammonia spikes from low bacteria levels, greater risk of water borne diseases such as ich plus a few other issues I’m probably forgetting at the moment.  Some of that is as easy as the bio filter, in fact if your bio filter is almost always getting a ‘fresh’ supply of dirty water it will take care of a few of those for you.  Dissolved oxygen and ammonia spikes at any rate.  So here is the next big question.  How do we keep water flowing without electricity?
It can be easily said that there are vast numbers of ways to make this happen but they are all varying degrees of annoying, unreliable or just plain hard work.  One of the first solutions that comes to my mind is some form of a water tower to do the trick.  This adds its own difficulties and challenges but hey, we’re building a large scale no power aquaponic small farm here so it’s not going to be quick or easy.  Just saying.  To avoid the water tower one could perhaps make use of a very basic wind turbine and use that to drive a rope pump.  Another solution with its own unique issues and challenges.  Let’s take a better look at both of those options, shall we?
What are some of the issues with the first option of a water tower?  Well, as a tower that suggests it will need to be built to some height and moving water uphill is a problem for nature.  Gravity doesn’t really play that game.  Another issue is the large amount of water that it removes from the fish tank all at once.  Rapid raising and lowering of the water level can cause the fish huge amounts of stress and stress is a killer.  Best to avoid it whenever possible.  Good life strategy right there but back to the topic.  Creating an overflow drain in the fish tank, more on this later on, that goes to a secondary sump tank can solve this problem if done correctly.  I would think a sump tank that holds at least as much water as the tower plus half again would be about the right size.  This will ensure that your fish have a steady ceiling height at all times and keep them a little happier.  Happy fish are healthy fish!  The height of the water tower is basically easy enough to deal with as well, just make sure the bottom of the water storage on your tower is above the top of your growing beds and make sure they are taller than your fish tank that has it’s sump tank even lower down.  Gravity will do everything but put the water into the tower for you, not bad.  Just make sure you build that tower base strong, water is a lot heavier than most people think.  Options for getting the water from the sump to the tower are unlimited.  Buckets, rope pump, DIY piston pump, cast iron cistern pump (old west style can pull water up 25 feet!), water screw … I could go on here but I think you get the point.  Next!
The other solution mentioned was the use of a wind turbine and a rope pump.  Again, any style of hand pump can be made to work here with some creativity.  While there is a very typical picture that comes to mind when we think of windmills or wind turbines that doesn’t mean they are the only ones, or even the best ones for that matter.  In my library of previously loved books I have a copy of ‘Practical Projects for the Handy Man’ that was first published back in 1913 by the editors of Popular Mechanics Press.  In this gem of a book is a simple windmill that works no matter which way the wind is blowing but doesn’t swing around like ‘standard’ wind turbines do.  I’m not going to explain how to build one here but if you’re interested you should definitely look into them, very cool & super basic.  1913, enough said!  If you build something along those lines it would become fairly simple to attach a pulley for a rope pump and let the wind do the work for you.  Wind moves the water up & gravity moves it down.  Excellent, no electricity so far!
Next we need to get that water moving into, and out of, those aquaponic garden beds or why are we building all of this?!?  This is a good time to start thinking about installing the bio filter.  As the water leaves the tower and runs into the garden is a GREAT time to make sure that it’s been converted from fish waste into plant food!  Now is also a good time to figure out what style of grow bed you will be using since that will make a big difference to how you want to deliver the water to the plants.  For a floating bed or raft system simply allowing the tower to drain, through the bio filter, into the beds at a set rate would be fine.  Adjust it as needed to keep the water moving all day, or at least in between times you can refill the tower, and you’re good to grow!  More or less, we’ve still got a couple of important points to go over so don’t run away just yet.  If you are growing with a flood and drain bed in mind then water control will be your personal nightmare from here on out, just my opinion.  The easiest way out of that trap is a quick fill with a slow drain.  Our three main goals with the water are to keep the plants hydrated, but not swamped, and to keep oxygen levels up while keeping the waste levels down.  With a quick fill of the beds the water gets plenty of oxygen as it rushes through all of the grow media, and it gets even more with the slow drain out as it will always keep the top of the fish tank in motion.  Waves = oxygen for the fish.  This type of bed also provides a second area for bacteria to live which will help prevent those evil ammonia spikes.
Getting back to the overflow drain in the fish tank for a moment here if I can.  These sound more difficult to make than they really are.  There are many great videos out there on exactly how to make them but the basics of it are simple enough to cover here in the blog.  The goal is to collect all of the solid waste from the fish, the poo if you prefer, and to draw it away from the main tank.  A good goal, after all nobody wants to swim around in poo.  Some aquaponic gardeners have attached various fittings to aid in the collection at the bottom so explore your options and see what you like.  Since my fish are all fairly large I simply leave the bottom of my drain pipe open and it seems to collect most of the waste.  The top end of this pipe needs to be attached to a ‘T’ fitting so that the water can be directed through the sidewall of the tank and into the sump while still leaving the top of the drain open.  As for getting the pipe through your fish tank sidewall I prefer the rigid nature of bulkhead fittings while others seem very fond of Uniseals.  Whatever you can find that’s non toxic and does the trick … works!  If this is setup correctly, it should create an overflow that draws the water and debris from the bottom of the tank while not making the vacuum suction that would drain the fish tank entirely.  VERY important that the top of that upright drain pipe is open, that’s not a fun mistake to make.
The last couple of things I should mention here are water changes and fish food.  Both of these are often overlooked in many aquaponic systems but vital to the overall health of your garden.  In the case of a ‘No Power’ style aquaponic garden, your fish are basically in a fishbowl and as the water evaporates not only do levels of the fish waste become more concentrated but so do the levels of assorted hormones that the fish release into the water as part of living day to day life.  Not a problem if you are trying to keep your fish small but it can become an issue if you want significant growth from them.  Sure, a top up of the fish tank will thin things out again but none of it is removed so ultimately it just keeps adding up.  As often as your water supply will allow for, you should remove at least 10% of the overall systems water BEFORE adding more fresh water into the system.  If you must use tap water, try to allow it to sit in the open for 24 hours first to naturally remove the chlorine.  That stuff can wipe out your bacterial colony so fast it will make your head spin, avoid whenever possible.  The final thing is, as I stated above, fish food.  Let me just leave you with this thought about your choice in fish food.  What they eat becomes what feeds the plants that you eat.  Anything that goes into that water could make it’s way into your food …
Thanks for taking the time to check out my thoughts on a larger NPAG for small farms.  I hope it helps or at least entertained you!  Blessed be & many happy harvests to you!
JT Bear

3 Years into the Aquaponic Garden Experiment

After 3 years of gardening with aquaponics I am so completely beyond hooked on the idea it’s a little bit nuts.  Everything’s going to be just fine though, we know what to call it so therefore … we can find a cure!
 
Obsessive Compulsive Aquaponic Disorder, it’s real and I have it.  Okay maybe it’s not really real type real but it’s pretty real all the same.  If it holds water I will, at one time or another, ask myself how it would work for an aquaponic garden.  Is it deep enough?  Does it hold enough water?  Would the fish like it?  Oh ya, I've got O.C.A.D. and I'm proud to say it!  Have you got O.C.A.D. yet?  Go ahead, it’s just gardening … just give it a try!

Seriously though, after these last 3 years of testing theories and trying new and different foods just because they would grow in the system, I really think there is something to this aquaponics thing.  My garden is not the biggest or prettiest or fanciest or most expensive or any of that crap but you know what it is?  It’s proof that anyone who really wants to garden with aquaponics can do it with very little expense or knowledge.

From about 1 year into Aquaponic Gardens
(the fish pump was a bad idea)

When I first got involved with aquaponic gardening, about a year or so before the YouTube channel started to document everything, my system didn't even have a pump.  I had some old coffee cans with little drain hoses into a wading pool from the neighbours.  Very kind of them.  If I went into the garden area I would refill the cans and they would slowly drain back into the pool.  No pump, no power.

As primitive as that system sounds, it worked.  It worked well enough I  have spent the next 3 years finding out just how much I could grow and how little I could spend.  In that time, this little aquaponic garden has produced foods I can't even pronounce and herbs with flavour depths I'd never imagined from what I was used to.

The truth is, the experiment is over and now things are getting a little more serious.  Hard to believe from me I know but all the same I’m gonna try.  I set out to find out if it works and it does.  Simple as that really.  What now?

Now it becomes about getting other people into aquaponic gardening & spreading the word.  Now it’s about bringing back the idea of ‘Victory Gardens’ which so many of us all over the world would benefit from.  Now it’s about inspiring others to find new places to turn into aquaponic farmland when it was just industrial wasteland before.  Now things are just getting started to get growing.  Now it’s about insuring that as many families as possible start their own little aquaponic gardens and feel the freedom that growing your own food can provide.

What now for you?

Best regards,
JT Bear.

What is Aquaponics?

Here is a quick look at the introduction to aquaponics that I have in the beginning of my little eBook.  I hope to have a version I am happy to post on the FundRazr campaign as a 'perk' for peoples kind donations.  How does this look to you?  Please feel free to share any thoughts on writing style or general content.  Thanks for your time!

What is Aquaponics?

Basically, aquaponic gardens and farms are attempting to re-create the system that nature uses. In an environmentally controlled area, such as a greenhouse, these systems are used with great success to raise both fish and plants in a closed loop waterway.  As the fish live, breathe, eat and make waste their water can become quite toxic to them if left untreated.

Aquaponic gardens, however, clean and filter that water for the fish before it returns to them.  As the water is pumped through a system, it will travel through both bio-filters and plant roots, each having a very important part in keeping those fish healthy.

The biofilter, aka your happy bacterial colony in the growing media, are a two part team.  The first part converts the raw ammonias from the fish pollutants into nitrites and then the second part  finally converts those into nitrates.  Once these previously toxic elements have been naturally converted they become a healthy source of nutrients for the plants that are growing in the aquaponic garden bed.  The plant roots are eager to get any source of extra nutrients that they can find, and as such, they will rapidly deplete them from the water rushing by.

It is by taking advantage of this natural bacterial cycle that aquaponic gardens are able to do so well for food production almost regardless of the gardeners personal skill level.  It is my opinion, that aquaponic gardens might just be the much needed answer to providing food security for individuals as well as for entire communities.

When edible fish and plants are used they can provide more than enough food in return to cover the initial cost of setting it up.  If you think of your garden as an investment, it’s the best returns you can find on the market without breaking the laws.  Think about the price of a packet of seeds when compared to the price of some produce!  It’s even more when you use the price of ‘Organic’ foods for your math and I feel that aquaponic foods are probably better for you anyway.  Did you know that ‘Organic farms’ can still use fertilizers and pesticides as long as those products are ‘certified’?  Using anything like that in an aquaponic system would cause massive damage because they are designed to use technology to simulate nature.

Nature doesn’t have those type of products … just saying.

Avoid these 3 Easy to Make Aquaponic Mistakes

Believe it or not my dear readers, I've made a few mistakes along my aquaponic journey.  No, it’s true … I really have.  I'm kinda still making some of them.  Sure, I have some great growth on my plants and my SWC aquaponic garden bed is covered in lush green growth.  Sure I've been at it for almost 3 years now … oh my, I've been at this for three years?  Where does the time go … anyway, back to the topic at hand.

The easiest mistake to make with a new, or an old, aquaponic garden is over planting.  What’s that?  I hear you asking about how that can be if  one of the advantages of aquaponics is it can grow so many more plants?  Here, let me explain this thought a little better.  Plants need a few basic things besides just water and nutrients.  Light and air flow are great examples of this.  Even though you CAN grow 50 plants in 16 square feet of garden, really doesn't mean that you should.  Based on my own personal experiences, I would recommend using something similar to the square foot gardening method when it comes time to plant your aquaponic garden bed.  Yes, it’s less plants but it’s also more nutrients for each plant so think about the potential for a bumper crop of whatever you plant in there.

Over Planted Much JT?

The second super easy to make mistake is shallow garden beds.  I have two grow beds that are each only 6 inches deep and I can honestly tell you, it’s not deep enough.  Sure, I saved a few dollars buying the shallow bed and sure I saved a few more when I made the second one at that same depth.  However, it’s just not a good idea.  It may work, but it’s not a good idea.  I think that ideally an aquaponic garden bed should be at least 12 inches deep to allow for proper water flow and bacterial function.  Plus deeper beds allow for adding worms to help with any solids that might sneak past your filters.

An Excellent Example of a Bad Drain,
sadly taken in my greenhouse today.

The third and final mistake that can be made with great ease involves drains.  One can be easily tempted to use an extra piece of the irrigation pipe to make the drain for the grow bed.  DON’T DO IT!  When it comes time to build your drain think big.  Like Texas big.  Big.  As a minimum I would recommend something at least twice the size of whatever pipe is feeding water into the garden to ensure a smooth a quick drain cycle every time.  Drains, bell siphons in particular, seem to cause many fresh aquaponic gardeners a great deal of frustration that can easily be avoided by building a wider drain.  Simple as that.

So here you go, learn from my mistakes … don't repeat them.
Now go out there and get growing!

JT Bear

Testing Liquid Rubber on a Cardboard Box

Well, the test is complete and I have to say that I'm impressed overall.  After six days in a greenhouse, where the water was getting to a point of almost boiling, it held up!  With zero water damage visible on the outside of the box and zero signs of any leakage on the table I’m willing to say that Liquid Rubber is quite effective as a waterproof coating!

The box itself did better with the overall pressure from the water weight than I expected as well, due I suspect in no small part to the strength of the Liquid Rubber coating.  The product will take on the color of the uncured product when it remains wet for long periods but there are coatings to deal with that.

The only down sides that I could see were a high pH level in the water, which is easy enough to deal with, and when it is in hot wet water, the product can be moved with firm enough pressure.  Since the average aquaponic fish tank should never get as hot as the water was in the box, I don't imagine this will be an issue for most aquaponic gardeners.

Based on the results so far, I have decided to build a 2ft x 3ft x 12 inch mini fish tank for the floating aquaponic garden.  The tank will be shaded most of the time so warming up the Liquid Rubber shouldn’t be a problem.  Don't worry, I'm not building it from a cardboard box … that was just an early stage test.  I'm excited to begin on this next stage of testing and will let you all know how it works out!

Is Liquid Rubber the Answer for Waterproofing Aquaponic Gardens?

Waterproof is something of a keyword when it comes to aquaponic gardening.  Waterproof the garden grow bed, waterproof the fish & sump tanks, make sure those water lines are sealed up tight … the list goes on and on.

If, like when I got started, you are happy with using storage totes for pretty much everything then this can still be helpful to you, just not as much.  I was happy with my totes for quite some time but as my garden grew, it became obvious that something larger was going to be required.  While many people seem able to find IBC tanks practically free, I am not so lucky and they are in fact, rather pricey here.  Add to that the fact that while they are very efficient and easy to set up, they aren't terribly pleasing to the eye and some building was going to be needed no matter what.

Building from wood and then finding a way to waterproof it seems like one of the best options.  Wood can be shaped into as many forms as the carpenter can imagine so it is somewhat ideal for a garden like these.  No matter what you want your garden to look like, it can be shaped with some wood and a skilled woodworker.  If your plans are simple enough, even the skilled woodworker becomes somewhat optional.  YouTube is filled with videos on how to do pretty much anything you want so …

Traditionally, waterproofing has been done with large rubber sheet liners that are cut and folded into the shapes needed with the waste tossed off to the scrap pile.  If it gets a hole, or doesn't fit, or any large number of things goes wrong … the whole thing is a write off.  Money wasted and it’s still not done.  There are some people that are using Marine fiberglass to waterproof  aquariums and such but fibre glass can be quite a pain to work with if you are inexperienced.

Liquid Rubber is the perfect combination of positive qualities in one easy to apply product.  100% VOC free and food safe (I've spoken directly to people at the company about this), Liquid Rubber is a paint on waterproofing product that almost anyone could make use of.  Depending on what way it is to be used, 1-4 coats are applied and left for 24-48 hours to cure.  Once that’s done, it’s safely water tight.  Areas that are exposed to water after curing will turn a brownish color but that has no effect on it’s ability to maintain the ‘waterproof’ status.  As an additional bonus, if a hole develops in a Liquid Rubber liner it can be dried off, have another layer painted on, left to cure and then put back into use.  No throwing away large sheets of pond or pool liner because of a small hole or being an inch too short!

For those who are concerned about color, Liquid Rubber also sells ‘Texture Coatings’ which can be applied to the surface in a few different colours to suit personal tastes.  All of these are available through their online store and they ship just about anywhere in North America!

Experimental Dirty Aquaponic Gardens

Good idea, bad idea … who knows but it’s worth looking into!

When people think about aquaponics they generally think of it as soil free, because for the most part … it is.  That being said, there are many crops that seem to simply prefer being in soil to produce the best colors and flavours they can.  I remember watching a video where sweet potatoes were growing in both the aquaponic garden and the soil nearby (they had spread a little bit on their own).  When these plants were harvested there was a noticeable difference in the color of the tubers and from what I understand there was a difference in the taste as well.

In my own experiences trying to grow carrots in the aquaponic garden I found a similar result.  There was a distinct lack of richness to the color and the flavour was lacking somewhat as well.  This struck me as quite odd, since the vast majority of what has been produced in my aquaponics has had better color and flavour than what one would normally find at market.

The goal of the experimental ‘Dirty Aquaponics’ garden is to test the controlled use of soil in my system and see if I can improve on those previous results.  There are a great many root crops that I would like to be able to grow but until this, I had been unable to do so.  As this ‘Dirty Aquaponics’ experiment continues I will try to grow a variety of things and see what comes of it!  I have some golf ball sized carrots I’m quite interested to try growing and some beets that have been around for ages as well …

Selecting Plants for a New Aquaponic Garden

Setting up a new aquaponic garden can be a very exciting time!  After getting all of your equipment collected and taking care of putting it all together, the urge to plant in the new garden can become somewhat … overpowering.  You're all ready to go, but what to plant?

While results will be different in EVERY aquaponic garden there are some plants that will do better than others in the beginning in almost every case.  When selecting your starter plants you must think about a few different things.  How large will this plant grow?  How demanding is it for nutrients?  Will it be productive enough to be worth the space in your aquaponic garden?  Is it a fruiting plant or more of a leafy green?

From my experience, and from many other gardens that I have watched grow over the years, it is impossible to resist the temptation to plant either tomatoes or peppers into the garden bed.  I can’t even count how many times I've seen that.  These plants are wonderful, productive and beautiful BUT they require a LOT of nutrients in order to reach their maximum potential.  Often new aquaponic gardeners will plants these before their garden has matured enough to support their high demands and the end result is feeling that their garden wasn't as good, or worse yet that they themselves had failed at aquaponic gardening.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  These plants do amazingly well in established garden beds where the bacteria have really taken hold.  This can take up to a year in some gardens, longer in places where the grow bed is subjected to temperatures at or below freezing.

In that first year you can still grow a wide variety of different plants and see a very healthy return on your garden investment.  Leafy greens and kitchen herbs can be grown to surprising size quite quickly, even with a brand new #AquaponicGarden.  Spinach, kale, chard, watercress and lettuces (which variety depends on your temperature more than your garden) will show you results to keep you very happy.  Growing mint, oregano, sage, thyme, basil and more has never been easier than since I've started my little aquaponic greenhouse.  As I sit to write this, I can’t even recall the last time we had to buy any of those.  In fact there is a rather large box behind me stuffed with paper bags that are still filled with these herbs from last year!

At the end of it all, what YOU are going to plant in YOUR garden is up to you and I wish you the best of luck with your aquaponic adventure!

We need Saltwater Aquaponics

While it may seem crazy at first, I think that saltwater aquaponics is a field of study that needs to be taken seriously.  With all of the damage that has been done to our seas and oceans, something has got be done to preserve those marine species which have kept us alive for so many years..  As assorted fish struggle to survive in the ocean they will encounter: garbage floating in the water, boats out for a cruise, chemical pollutants, dwindling food supplies, extensive fisheries … that’s not even mentioning any natural predators out there.  As a double feature bonus we now have somewhat radioactive ocean waters adding to the risks they face and creating a new danger these fish now pose to us when they are harvested from the wild.  This situation is unacceptable and something must be done.

Aquaponic gardening allows us to reuse the same body of water time and again to grow fish, & plants, in a healthy environment.  The end result being: fresh fish, grown close to market, & of unequalled quality of flesh due to the reduced stress levels and lack of chemical pollutants.  As advanced as we have become, with the internet providing the knowledge of the world at our fingertips, it is almost impossible to think that anything is impossible anymore.  The worlds greatest universities have shared huge libraries of information on the required subjects.

From the world of saltwater aquariums, such as Sea World, we have learned how to maintain correct temperatures, pH, salt levels etc. for large ocean dwelling creatures.  Marine biologists have presented volumes on every stage of life for almost every species of aquatic life they can find.  So in that body of work we have any needed environmental or dietary information for the entire lifespan of the chosen species.  We have available the technology to reproduce anything they could need to live a healthy life while growing quite large.  Once again, thanks to our fine marine biologists, we also have collected quite a list of plants which grow only in ocean water.  Even if we were to grow the plants as a base for biofuel, it seems reasonable to assume that saltwater plants growing in a re-circulating water environment would filter in a similar fashion as leafy greens in a more standard freshwater aquaponic setup.

So, using our available technology and collected body of research it should not be too difficult to create the perfect environment to raise oceanic fish and plants in aquaponic style garden.  Granted, it would take HUGE facilities to even begin such an adventure but at this point, it would be unwise to not start developing this method of farming.  We are at a breaking point for the planet, either we do EVERYTHING we can to try to repair it or we face the very real risk of extinction.  No air, no water, no food … no life.  It’s that simple.

When we take our food production needs away from nature, not only do we have the chance to control what goes into our food supply but mother nature also has the opportunity to reclaim that land.  Left to it’s own devices, the planet could easily erase any trace of mankind and the damage we have caused.  Do we help now or shall we just let mother clean up after we are gone?

Selecting Fish For Your Aquaponic Garden

When selecting fish for your aquaponic garden there are a great many things you will need to consider and they will all have an effect on your overall system.

Water temperature is vital to many fish species and failure to comply with those needs will result in tragedy.  Goldfish and koi will live in much colder water than say … tilapia.  That doesn't mean that you can only raise decorative fish if you’re not in a financial position to heat a large fish tank but they do become a serious option.  Look into the species that live in the local bodies of water for ideas.  For example, trout and kokanee salmon can deal with some cooler waters and live in the lakes nearby my garden.  Perhaps someday I can use my aquaponic garden to help repopulate the dwindling sport fish numbers …

Cost of heating is however, something to think about.  The monthly costs to heat a large body of water and maintain it can be staggering.  If you don’t believe me, ask someone with a backyard hot tub what’s cheaper, buying it or running it.  My money is on running it, I've asked a few hot tub owners myself.  Sure you aren't going to need to keep your water quite that hot, but you will be heating more water and moving it around where it has many chances to shed heat that you paid for.



Edible fish will have different dietary needs than ornamental fish, so a different food source will be required depending on which you choose for your garden.  Will you be growing duckweed to supplement the diet of your fish or will you be purchasing something factory made for feed?  If you’re growing your own fish food you will need to be certain that all the nutritional needs of your fish species are met, there are a host of good websites and YouTube channels to help you with this.  If you've decided it would be better to buy premade fish feed you will need to make sure that it is food safe, if you plan on eating those fish or not!  The food that gets left in the aquaponic system will break down and begin to feed, or poison, the plants depending on how much of it there is and what it’s made of.  Even if all the food is consumed, it still needs to be food safe because when it comes back as waste … it becomes food for your plants.

How large will your fish grow and how much space will each one require to get to that size?  Different species of fish need different things.  A general recommendation for tilapia is as many as 1 per gallon, which seems crowded to me, whereas people will recommend a minimum of 10 gallons per koi.  If you’re going to put all this effort into your aquaponic garden, why not do just a little more research first?  My goldfish have somewhere around 2.5 gallons of water in the system per fish just because that’s how it worked out but they were just fine with only 1 gallon each before …

If you plan on marketing your fish, is there a market for this variety?  What will these fish be worth to you after the cost of feed, pumps and the rest of your overhead?  When you are getting involved with aquaponics on a hobby level this doesn't really matter quite as much but if you plan on making a business with aquaponics, this may make or break it.  In some regions the fresh produce will more than cover the entire running costs, however in others the really big money item will be the fresh fish.  I can’t say what’s going to be better where you are, but I will remind you to look into it before you get started.  Ah, the joys of a hobby garden … my fish are just helpful pets but if I were to sell them I suspect I would get enough to replace them with at least twice as many!

Once you've begun to establish what you require for a fish species, you can begin to design your aquaponic garden to meet those assorted needs and grow nice, healthy fish.  In the example of my garden, goldfish were selected for a few simple reasons.  First off I did not require fish that I could consume, and getting edible fish would have meant a great pile of paperwork to try that locally.  Secondly, goldfish are sturdy.  Temperature changes that would kill many decorative aquarium fish are of little concern to these hardy little goldfish.  Thirdly, even at their largest, a goldfish will only reach about 12 inches in length.  That meant I would be able to have larger numbers of fish, in a hobby sized garden, without overburdening the bio-filters or stressing out the fish.  Fourth and finally, as I have mentioned in many of my YouTube videos, goldfish are CHEAP!  I mean really cheap.  I could get one good quality koi for the same price as about 40 feeder goldfish so …  In a starter system, it still seems like a solid financial choice to go with a more affordable option.

Just a few things that you will want to bear in mind when first selecting your aquaponic fish!
Share & enjoy!
JT Bear                                                                                                        #JTBear

Growing Food in Aquaponics

Ah, the age old quest for food.  Primitive man learned that by planting seeds along moist river banks, gathering time could be greatly reduced.  This naturally lead to more free time for what mattered, like hunting and trying to control that ‘fire’ thing.  If you think about it, this was mankind beginning to learn about aquaponics.  We just didn't really quite understand how it worked.  All that mattered was that it did.

For the modern gardener getting involved in aquaponics the basic desire is not to different from that of our ancient gardening ancestors, we just have a wide variety of books and videos to help us along now!  Wow, is that ever true for aquaponics.  YouTube is filled with people working on developing their own aquaponic gardens and trying new ways to get even better results than before.  New filter ideas, new flow patterns, new fish and plant combinations but all aquaponics.

Aquaponic gardens offer the opportunity to grow two separate food supplies in the same balanced ecosystem.  The fish, often an edible variety such as tilapia, are kept in the tanks and produce their waste products just as they would any where else.  As the water re-circulates, these wastes are carried through bacterial colonies in the bio-filters.  The bacteria convert the waste into a readily acceptable plant food as the water moves on towards the grow beds.  In the garden beds, floating or media based, these nutrients are absorbed by the roots they rush past, thereby cleaning the water for its return to the fish tank.

Since the water is being reused in the system, rather than being drained into the soil and lost, the amount of water required to grow fresh fruit and vegetables is greatly reduced.  Some estimates place water demands of an aquaponic garden at 2-10% of what a more traditional garden would use to grow the same crops.  In addition to the produce grown, since fish are required to provide the nutrients in the water there is also the ability to raise meat in these gardens.  Tilapia, perch, trout, carp, shrimp … basically anything you can think of if it would live in freshwater.  Even that is becoming less of an issue as some aquaponic research centers are beginning to work with salmon and seaweeds to create a similar ecosystem for saltwater seafood.  Exceptionally important in these times where our ocean waters are become more soiled by our bad behaviors.

Almost anyone can grow top quality produce with ease in a simple aquaponic garden.  Look at what I've managed to do!

I started off with a kiddie pool for the fish, some coffee cans for my plants and an old Tupperware juice jug that I would water the plants with.  Granted, I've bought and made some rather huge improvements since then but the point is I started off with little more than desire and a bit of unused backyard.  From that moment on, I've been hooked on aquaponics.  Start small and go steady, while your system is developing grow things like kitchen herbs or leafy greens.  As you get more comfortable with the process, add some more garden space or a few more fish, take it slowly at first and you will be very happy with your new aquaponic garden.  After a year or so, once the bacteria have set up solid colonies and your school of fish has some nice numbers, try growing some fruiting plants like peppers or delicious fresh strawberries.

With all of the books and videos available, it never been easier to get involved with aquaponic gardening.  To see how my garden has changed and grown over the years, check out my YouTube channel JT Bear and feel free to ask any questions you may have.  I try to help when I can!  Until next time, happy harvests to you!

Spring Time Aquaponic Maintenance

Ah, spring.  Easily one of the best times of the year for any garden lover.  The birds are singing, the sun is shining, the soil is warming ... what's not to love.

For those of us who are gardening with aquaponics, spring is an excellent time to look into some basic maintenance so we can prevent HUGE problems down the road while everything is blooming or in fruit.

If your water temperature has dropped down to, or below, freezing then the odds are pretty good that your bacterial colonies are gone.  Sadly I am speaking from some painful learning experiences here.  There are a couple of easy ways to assist in re-establishing those helpful, in fact essential, bacteria in your aquaponic garden.  The simplest method would be to just let nature take it's course and they will develop on their own over time but this can be somewhat dangerous for your fish.  A large enough colony of bacteria can take quite some time to develop and a reasonable school of fish may produce too much waste for it to handle, leading to water issues and unwanted stress on the fish.  A different option, and the one I choose, is to add some form of bio-seeding product to your filtration media.  I use a product called OneFix for this.  You can get it on Amazon.com by following this link - OneFix Liquid Size: 32 oz.  The results have been quite consistent for me and I have lost very few fish since adding it to my aquaponic med kit.

Spring is also a great time to wash out your grow beds before replanting for the new season.  This could be considered an optional step in an amazingly well set up garden, but for the rest of us it's a good time to get out any 'extra' waste that's found it's way into the grow beds.  Old roots, bits of food and even small pieces of solid fish waste can slowly form blockages that will deprive some plants of a steady supply of fresh nutrients as water is diverted.  Many aquaponic gardeners skip this step for fear of harming those beneficial bacteria but with something such as OneFix that becomes less of a concern.  Don't let all that wonderful waste go to waste though, collect it in a bucket with some water and save it as a booster shot for your soil gardens.  Watch those plants grow! 
One of my favorite things about aquaponic gardening would have to be just how easy it is to rearrange and transplant.  Now would be a great time to pull up any plants that have wintered in the beds and quickly wash out their root systems.  This will help to get rid of any dead roots or other debris that have built up over time and allows you the opportunity to relocate them to a better position for the new gardening year!

If you find a great deal of fish solids or leftover fish foods in your garden bed it may be time to take a look at what you feed your aquaponic fish.  If you are growing fish for decorative purposes or for the dinner plate you still want to be sure that they are getting the healthiest food you can provide them with.  As was pointed out to me by a good friend, "If you feed your fish a garbage food, that's what they feed your plants.  Don't you eat those?"  Good point.  Once I started looking into a few different foods available for my fish, remember I raise goldfish and koi, I found a company called MicrobeLift.  These guys have a whole host of helpful products including what I feel to be my best choice for a food safe fish feed.  You can check them out on YouTube  or just pick some up on Amazon.com by clicking here - Microbe-Lift Legacy Koi Goldfish Summer Staple Food: 10 oz.  My fish are more active at meal time for this than any other dry food I've offered them and I saw a rapid improvement in their overall color and health.  As an added bonus I noticed that after I switched foods they consumed less and produced less solid waste, making it easier for a waste filter to catch it all!

One final thing I feel every aquaponic gardener should do in the spring is a quick bit of pump maintenance.  Since most of us have different pumps there is no point in going into any real detail but make sure that you clean out as much of it as you can so that it's ready to give you another year of steady performance.


May your fields be green and your crops be plentiful!
JT Bear