Plant only filtration (why not popular in the hobby???)

[Rivermud]

Rivermud I wasnt going to get tech crazy on the words! I need a bigger tank so I can have a huge container

Heh, I just wanted everyone to know the proper process so that people don't get confused. There are a lot of people reading this thread and learning from a few of us contributing.

We ought to start posting daily growth and test readings.

 

[ITHURTZ]

Daily! Ill just do it for today haha. Pothos have 2 leaves popping up, arrowheads I got 5 comming in. My one plant, forget the name, just finished shooting up its one big glossy green leaf. Water testing maybe Ill test it tonight. I forget when I did my last w/c was either last week or the week before.

 

[Rivermud]

Personally I have 0's across the board still. I just did a scatter planting of loose leaf lettuce and grape style tomatoes. Tomatoes work well in a setup like mine as they do not require bees for pollination. A fellow hobbyist let me in on a secret, use an electric toothbrush on the vines to stimulate pollination of the flowers for tomatoes when grown indoors. I hope to have something edible in the near future.

I guess I'll just update regularly.. no need for daily.

 

[dragonfish]

Personally I have 0's across the board still. I just did a scatter planting of loose leaf lettuce and grape style tomatoes. Tomatoes work well in a setup like mine as they do not require bees for pollination. A fellow hobbyist let me in on a secret, use an electric toothbrush on the vines to stimulate pollination of the flowers for tomatoes when grown indoors. I hope to have something edible in the near future.

I guess I'll just update regularly.. no need for daily.

Very cool. I moved my tomato outside as it started getting rootbound. Leafy greens, herbs and squash grow quickly in this as well. For a fast growing vine start a loofah plant.

 

[anarchir]

Thanks to this thread I redid my tank by putting in a plastic crate that had half-dollar sized holes in it. This divides one end of the crate off and gives my turtle somewhere to hide. The fish seem to like hanging out in the safety of the divided off area, and thats where I plan on putting plants.

 

[Rivermud]

Thanks to this thread I redid my tank by putting in a plastic crate that had half-dollar sized holes in it. This divides one end of the crate off and gives my turtle somewhere to hide. The fish seem to like hanging out in the safety of the divided off area, and thats where I plan on putting plants.

Good luck, post what you decide to put in there.

 

[ITHURTZ]

Houston, 3 weeks is a no go. 40ppm! On that I average 13.3ppm a week. My setup is atleast sucking down 25ppm a week. So I need 50% more plants LOL! I still cant get a solid idea in my head. I keep bouncing back from wood container, to a corner shelf to a couple fish tanks that pour into each other...... poo

 

[Rivermud]

Why not go buy a storage container like the ones designed to sit under your bed and plumb a stand pipe into it with an outer well drilled pipe to prevent your grow media from going into the overflow and run a constant flow grow bed similar to mine with the only thing different being that it doesn't use a siphon. Most aquaponics people run those type of systems. You can then think of adding worms to help with releasing chelated iron and improve the health of your plants.

 

[ITHURTZ]

I dont think they make a 2'x6' rubber maid haha. The main problem is I am running out of plant room. The tanks only 2x6 and this house wont allow anything bigger.(wont fit through the hall) Something like a "step" would give me more room I would think..... hmm ladder....na then the light control would be a issue with a ladder style setup. twin 12"x6' island, shop light over each...... that might be my only option. That would end up being a twin inlet and outlet though. A 2'x6' plant container wont fit out the door and out the hallway when I have to move again and I would rather not empty out the container. I hope I figure this out soon.

Worms just make it more complicated to me, you see how hard it is for me to figure out a proper container!

 

[Rivermud]

Worms pretty much take care of themselves in aquaponics but i understand your hesitation. There is a system that may work for you, it's call a CHIFT PIST system. Aquaponics people are big into abbreviations, Constant Height In Fish Tank, Pump In Sump Tank. Basically a pump in the sump pumps water to the fish tank, an overflow from the tank goes to your grow beds which can either be constant flood or fill and drain as in the case of mine. This water then returns to the sump. This allows you to have your grow beds at a low level than the tank and makes it easier for some to create grow space. In outdoor systems worms happen on their own frequently. the biggest benefit of the worms is waste breakdown for aquariasts.. for people more interested in plant growth they provide inumerable benefits to plants including chelated iron. there is no real need for worms, they are just beneficial.