Aquaponics NYC February Update
Latest update on Aquaponics for a NYC apartment. Lettuce and Bok Choy are doing well however I believe I have contracted Pseudomonas cichorii, a bacteria that attacks leafy greens. It is likely this came from a cutting off a basil plant that I bought at Whole Foods.
6 Responses to Aquaponics NYC February Update
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@MrMadmax478 I fully intended to make a lot of mistakes and feel the pain of each mistake so when I go to a system 100 times this size I can avoid 100 times the pain. Seeds only brother!
AquaponicsNYC
February 28, 2012 at 9:52 am
@mk96lx It is not required per say, but unlike hydroponics it is an organic ecosystem and it is not just the plants that need nutrients. Think of the entire system as a living organism with each part taking care of essential functions. The more the system can breath (flood & drain) the more effective the bacteria are at converting waste to nutrients. Most people run their pumps optimized to flood & drain every 15min 24/7, but there are lots of nutrients to go around even on a reduced schedule.
AquaponicsNYC
February 28, 2012 at 10:43 am
I plant from seed now… To many problems with stuff like that and bugs with plants from store and nursery…
MrMadmax478
February 28, 2012 at 11:10 am
@AquaponicsNYC I know in regular hydroponics that the flood and drain in hydroton, the flood schedule is once every few hours. I have mine set for 15min every 3 hours(with lights on) and once over night. Is the constant flooding required when doing aquaponics?(weither it be to keep the beneficial bacteria going, or to filter the water by more root contact)
mk96lx
February 28, 2012 at 11:19 am
@mk96lx Thanks! It is a constant flood and drain system with a few breaks at night so the fish can chill out. I believe the bacterial invader that I mention is stunting the growth of some varieties of lettuce and all three Basil varieties. They all have disturbances in their leaves. I will probably just select seeds to grow where the bacteria does not effect them. I have some dwarf peppers and tomatoes that I want to try. Anyway, lesson learned the hard way. Biosecurity is job 1 in Aquaponics.
AquaponicsNYC
February 28, 2012 at 12:11 pm
what kind of schedule are you running for the flood and drain? I would expect the lettuce to start taking off as long as it can get its roots established. System is looking real good now that it’s up and running!
mk96lx
February 28, 2012 at 12:46 pm