Mini Micro-Green Aquaponics System for Terrariums

[Poboy kartman]

I do....they're all greens. And all lettuce except Kale and Arugula.

Arugula has a peppery flavor to it...(as in black pepper) ...I used to grow it.

It's also known as salad or garden rocket....as well as a few other names...flavor is very similar to nasturtium leaves.

 

[bob58o]

I have three $10 fixtures/bulbs on top of the grow area, but not much light is needed at all. I have two daylight 15 watt F15T8-D and one 15watt 4200K F15T8.
6500K is best for vegetative growth and 2700K is best for flowering. Mixing the spectrum works the best but all of this is overkill.

Ambient room light or window light will work too. I had the lights for planted fish tanks that don't look so good right now.

The amount of lighting can be adjusted to help with water temps for the fish. But the 12/12 cycle introduces temp swings in the water.

The pump is from HF and less than $10. The 92 gph and the next higher one are the same price. I got the bigger 158 gph submersible pump (120V, 0.14A 5/16" or 1/2" coupler, 3.6 FT max head lift) that is about a 2.5" cube.

I want to add some edible semi-aquatic plants in the bottom drawer to offer more food, help filter the water, and give the fish more hiding spots.

---------- Post added at 03:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:10 PM ----------

This is only one of my "Shark Tank" ideas...
I need the Chinese hookup to get cheap plastic moldings that look like waterfalls.

---------- Post added at 03:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:29 PM ----------

http://www.webmd.com/diet/20120831/tiny-microgreens-packed-nutrients?page=2

A little info about microgreens. 4-40 times the the nutrients per weight vs mature counterparts.

I'm more meat and potato, but the Zombie apocalypse survivalist side of me wants to learn how to provide a sustainable food source if need be.

If for people... apparently tilapia in barrels works.

 

[Poboy kartman]

If for people... apparently tilapia in barrels works.

I tried that but the fish just died and stunk up the beer.

 

[bob58o]

BTW...
NOT "Enter the Dragon"
"The Last Dragon"
NOT "Bruce Lee"
"Bruce LeeRoy"
One of favorite movies growing up, very 80's, very terrible -but in an awesome 80's way if that exists. lol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7Crt4S1IZM

---------- Post added at 04:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:03 PM ----------

I tried that but the fish just died and stunk up the beer.

On a full scale aquaponics system I would let the system run for a month or two before adding fish. You could feed the system with fish food to get the Nitrogen cycle kick started. Or with feeder fish and expect them to die. It takes a long time for the bacteria colonies to establish to handle the waste from the fish. And only add a few fish at a time. It takes a while for the biological filter to adjust to new amount of waste from the added fish. There also has to be enough surface area for the bacteria to establish on.

Hydroton is good filter material / grow medium. Small clay inert pellets work perfect for this.
I used polyester quilt batting for its ease of use.

Air pumps / stones are probably needed if the water doesn't pick up enough O2 on the return.

 

[bob58o]

Well he didn't wait..
Starting munching right away.
Just a little bit, every now and then.
He climbs up and down all day long.