I finished the new indoor system yesterday. You can see it on you tube, my channel is sage aquaponics. The system is made from three 26 gallon black trays, each tray has a bell siphon. Instead of using pvc pipe, I ran 3/4″ marine hose, with quick connect adapters. The fish tank is a black 75 gallon tub, with a heater, and aerator. I transplanted all of our seedlings into our tubs, which contain hydroton. The use of Hydroton and Oasis grow cubes makes the process quick and simple. I then added some seaweed extract, which I will continue to add for the next week or so.
Today I bought 10 goldfish for the new system, to help it cycle. The reason for the gold fish is that they produce a lot of waste, meaning ammonia, and if I do not have adequate bacteria then the fish will die due to the ammonia levels. I stocked the tank with less then half of the maximum stocking density in order to get things moving along. Once my system starts cycling, which will be evident when we have Nitrates and nitrites present I may add more fish. I am also going to give the system a salt bath, in that the salt helps protect the fish from Nitrites, which are just as harmful to fish as ammonia. I am also going to add salt to my outdoor system to help those fish, as that system has not yet finished cycling.
I found some organic bacteria in a bottle that I tried out in the new system, it should help the bacteria colonize faster, in turn cutting down my cycle time. WIth this new development, I will compare the two systems, my outdoor one with bacteria from an established system i.e. log from fish tank, against my indoor system with the bacteria in a bottle. I will let you all know how it turns out. Have a great day.
Sage Aquaponics 