Is aquaponics the answer to my greenhouse problems

[Peter Epperson]

Since the soil seems to be the main culprit with problems in my greenhouse, I've been considering doing away with the soil. I started raising tilapia last year and then someone told me about aquaponics. The funky water from my fish tank was going through a biofilter but I have since diverted some of it through little containers that I filled with cinders. I then planted some lettuce in the cinders. I was a little skeptical and my wife was very skeptical but now we're both very impressed with the results. We're now getting twice the yield that we were getting from our garden. I recently planted a tomato seedling and so far it's looking very healthy. I'm planning on now sending some of this fish water into the greenhouse to try those crops that aren't doing so well in the critter infested soil. It seems like most commercial tomatoes these days are hydroponically grown and I'm thinking that aquaponics may get the same results organically.

Anybody out there with experience with aquaponics in Hawaii for Tomatoes, cucumbers and squash. Is there another pest that I may discover that swims instead of burrows?

[jerry]

I just finished building a small aquaponics system: 100 gallon sump, 100 gallon fish tank, 200 gallon grow bed. Currently there are only 20 tilapia in the tank. I will add more as the system stabilizes. Then, with the knowledge gained I plan to build a bigger one.

What you can grow depends on the number of fish. My lettuce is doing great, basil not so well--not enough nutrients yet, I suspect. For additional information try http://aquaponicsinparadise.com/APforums/index.php or http://backyardaquaponics.com/forum/portal.php

Jerry
Art and Orchids B&B
http://www.artandorchids.com

[Scott_S]

I ran my system about a year, squash and such still suffered from end rot and powdery mildew. If you have to use care in what sprays you use because of the fish. The main problem I had was that the nights get so cold here in HA that the water temp would stay too low for the fish to eat. Tilapia like above 80 and I couldn't get anywhere close, so I shut it down and put 50 fish I had left in the neighbor's pond.

You can give your plants a little boost by spraying a foliar spray, make your own with worm casings and a bubbler.

I would like to try some catfish, perch, or something like that. Hard to find here.

Scott