This is an inexpensive way to get into aquaponics and to recycle
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Plastic bottles last about a half year in the sun.
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Thats ok you can’t beat the price. Can always recycle the bottles later. Have some gatorade bottles going on years outside.
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I tried a very small scale version of aquaponics about 10 years ago and was presented with a host of dilemmas!
My plan was to pump water every hour from a 1000 gallon in-ground pond filled with goldfish ( too cold here for carp) into a raised 100 gallon grow bed filled with pumice rock. Water would drain back naturally into pond after filling.
I monitored the pH of the pond and noticed that the pH changed dramatically from spring to summer. What started as pH 7 in spring became pH 9 as the summer progressed with little rain. I guessed that the change was fine for goldfish but I worried about it for plant growth.
To lower pH I added a CO2 generator midline to lower incoming water’s pH. I had it hooked to a regulator to turn on when water’s pH reached a certain level. Gaaa! Now things were becoming expensive!
In the summer I was going through a 5 gal tank of CO2 every 2 weeks! After 2 years I dismantled it all.
The lettuce, spinach and chard plants all grew huge but system definitely needed some reworking!
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Here, the pH of standing water, even in a bucket, increases gradually gradually over time. Probably a function of my water’s chemistry. What starts as pH 7.2 will become pH 9 in a week’s time. I’d be interested to know if that does not happen everywhere.
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I’m assuming that is from off gassing. Your tap water might contain dissolved CO2, which lowers pH, but it will slowly escape over time allowing pH to rise.
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I’m sure that’s right! So not the norm for others.
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Not sure how many people are raising fish or vegetables like this.
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I found my way to big beef tomatoes watching this guy on youtube…
He does a lot of aquaponics stuff and has been for several years now.
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You might like these threads as well
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