Honolulu system
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This home system was built in January 2013, in Honolulu, Hawaii and required about 40 hours to construct. We had to fit the system in a site which receives partial sun during the winter months. During the summer months the system receives more direct light as the sun’s rays are more overhead. With the overhead hoop system, shade cloth can be easily added to the trough (12 feet long) to shade the plants if needed during summer months. The fish tank (180 gallons) was placed on the end of the site receiving the most shade. The nursery raft is located in the shady end of the trough and plants are moved to areas with more sun as they grow.
Our preferred method of construction is to have the troughs on the ground and pump water from the trough to the tank. In this case we needed to maintain storage space under the trough and keep the chickens at bay! So, we built a table to hold the trough. We use spray nozzles to degas the water of carbon dioxide produced from the fish and to add oxygen to the water. These nozzles were placed on the shady end of the trough. The main water return outlet from the trough is on the end opposite the spray nozzles. The water returns to the fish tank under the trough via 1½ inch poly vinyl chloride (PVC) pipe. A secondary trough outlet is placed between the nozzles and end of the trough which drains directly into the fish tank. The secondary outlet has a stand pipe which is ½ inch higher than the primary trough outlet. If for some reason the primary outlet becomes blocked. The water will still drain directly back into the fish tank.
We also provide supplemental aeration to the fish tank with solar powered air pumps, both direct and battery back-up types. During the start-up phase we use a very low fish load of about one pound per 50 gallons of fish tank water to seed the bio-filters contained in the trough. Our finally fish density of approximately one pound per 10 gallons of tank water volume is achieved after several months of operation. It is possible to run the systems at higher fish densities, but our focus is on vegetable production and the lower fish densities gives you more time to recover from an aeration failure event from the water or air pumps (which will happen).
As consultants we are available to help you design or build an aquaponics system that fits your specific site and needs at hourly or package rates. We also offer a one hour farm tour for $25 where you can see our systems in operation. The fee covers up to six people in your group. Send us an e-mail to arrange a farm tour or to discuss building a custom system at your location.
Our preferred method of construction is to have the troughs on the ground and pump water from the trough to the tank. In this case we needed to maintain storage space under the trough and keep the chickens at bay! So, we built a table to hold the trough. We use spray nozzles to degas the water of carbon dioxide produced from the fish and to add oxygen to the water. These nozzles were placed on the shady end of the trough. The main water return outlet from the trough is on the end opposite the spray nozzles. The water returns to the fish tank under the trough via 1½ inch poly vinyl chloride (PVC) pipe. A secondary trough outlet is placed between the nozzles and end of the trough which drains directly into the fish tank. The secondary outlet has a stand pipe which is ½ inch higher than the primary trough outlet. If for some reason the primary outlet becomes blocked. The water will still drain directly back into the fish tank.
We also provide supplemental aeration to the fish tank with solar powered air pumps, both direct and battery back-up types. During the start-up phase we use a very low fish load of about one pound per 50 gallons of fish tank water to seed the bio-filters contained in the trough. Our finally fish density of approximately one pound per 10 gallons of tank water volume is achieved after several months of operation. It is possible to run the systems at higher fish densities, but our focus is on vegetable production and the lower fish densities gives you more time to recover from an aeration failure event from the water or air pumps (which will happen).
As consultants we are available to help you design or build an aquaponics system that fits your specific site and needs at hourly or package rates. We also offer a one hour farm tour for $25 where you can see our systems in operation. The fee covers up to six people in your group. Send us an e-mail to arrange a farm tour or to discuss building a custom system at your location.
