Aquaponics Mineralization System

[@RobsAquaponics]

Learn about Aquaponics 🐟 🍓🍅 with my "Backyard Aquaponics for Beginners" Guide for only US$19.95. You can see the guide in action on my website, ► www.bitsouttheback.com/aquaponics-guide Or, buy directly here, ► robbobaquaponics.retrieve.com/g/XL0J6T2P#/content/90525 Don't forget to click the subscribe button if you enjoyed the video, bit.ly/Subscribe2Rob & share the clip around if you think it may help others too.👍 Cheers all & have a top one. 🐟 🌱🍅 Rob

[@falmochannelfalmovlog]

That was brilliant idea of you mate, recycle fish solid with the mineralization's tank. That make me motivate more about doing aquaponic system, and i learn more from your idea mate.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Am glad I helped some mate. If you look up "Aquaponics solids Mineralisation" you'll find some more information & alternate methods that may help some as well. Happy growing mate.

[@falmochannelfalmovlog]

@@RobsAquaponics yeah sure ,i will look up for that. Thanks mate!

[@caribecastaway6447]

Great job as always Rob. Thanks for the update.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Thanks CC. Hope all's well with you. 👍😁

I've added a bit of flour, thanks to you. I am also adding some FeEDDHA iron too thinking that iron is always defficient in my system.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Will be interesting to see how the plants react mate. 👍 I still don't think our fish are producing enough waste to make a rich enough brew at the moment. Cheers mate.

[@Bigelowbrook]

I really like my MT and how well it works. Sometimes I debate if it's worth the energy input to operate one...especially if you try to reach the holy grail of 100% mineralization.

[@RobsAquaponics]

I think you could be right Rob if your goal is 100% mineraliSation. I'm just hoping to squeeze enough from the solids so I can alleviate some of the deficiencies. If it turns out to be impractical I'll be looking for alternate methods to supplement I think. Hope you folks are all doing well.

[@Bigelowbrook]

@@RobsAquaponics I run my MT and will decant some of the water out once in a while, just like you. Then I will take the solids and dump them back in the MT. After a while they start to get too thick and it can slow down the circulation! Then I'll take out some of the solids and dump them in the field.

[@guifercon]

Rob, a quick tip for you : use those bubble curtain for aquarium, they clog but it's easy to clean.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Thanks mate. Will have a look at one & see how we go. 👍 Cheers.

[@gafrers]

Wonderful and interesting as always

[@RobsAquaponics]

Thanks Gafrers. 👍 Cheers & have a top one.

[@clementbrizard8711]

Have you thought about alternating aeration and pause. That's what we do in water treatment plants. aerobic bacteries transform NH4 to NO3, and anaeraobic bacteries transform NO3 to N. If you alternate both phases with a cheap timer I think you might have better results and a smaller electric bill.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Thanks for that CB. How long do you run the different cycles for?

[@clementbrizard8711]

@@RobsAquaponics You can try to aerate by cycles of an hour and stop for 90minutes. the stopping phase should never go under 60 min for the bacteries to do there job properly. If you want to kick start the bacteries, put and old yogurt in. It contains all the beneficial bacteries (same thing if you have a septic tank at home, don't buy any commercial product, a yogurt once in a while will be 100x better)

[@RobsAquaponics]

@@clementbrizard8711 Thanks for that mate. 👍 I was thinking of adding some home cultured lacto bassilus.

[@mushfiqulhaque3997]

​@@clementbrizard8711could you share some videos or documentation. Sounds very interesting. 90 min of oxygen cut don't kill the aerobic bacterias?

[@ChuanfaBuddha]

Love it, Chocolate Gold ❤️

[@RobsAquaponics]

Does look a lot like the coco drinks the girls make up. 🤣😖 Cheers Stephan.

[@ChuanfaBuddha]

@@RobsAquaponics yum. Tasty treat 🤢

[@Javinkay]

Great video

[@RobsAquaponics]

Cheers JavinKay 👍

[@joecanales9631]

I like your simpler system relative to the Bigelow Brook Farm one. Cleaning out the air stones seems an easier task. I may add a mineralization tank, but using the fish solids on my wicking beds and dirt grow bags seems a good way for me to optimize the fish resources. On a different note, I am swearing off buying plants from the grocery store. I’ve introduced first white fly and now red spider mites into my greenhouse. Neem oil is marginally keeping them semi in check. Seriously thinking of stripping all the plants out this winter and letting it freeze but haven’t figured out how to strip out the ammonia if I take the greenhouse off line. I’m sure I’ll figure something out. Got to go re apply neem oil it’s been maybe a week or just a bit over since the first application. Adding a little soap too.

[@RobsAquaponics]

I have done the same thing with big box store plants Joe. I still use them but like to spray them when I get home. Have you looked into Zeolite for the ammonia? Might help you out depending on how large the load is. Cheers mate & hope you can sort something out.

[@joecanales9631]

@@RobsAquaponics I do have zeolite somewhere. I used to keep a large aquarium, but dwarfed by my current fish tank and number of fish. I might have to increase what I have several fold if I go that way. It’s a thought.

[@COOPERSCICHILDS]

Cool video

[@RobsAquaponics]

Cheers CC. Have a top one. 👍

[@ZaneofAustin]

I built a small MT tank (from my aquarium(s) waste) I don't know if it's working the best it could be, but i feel good knowing i can produce some kind of fertilizer at home, even if it's not perfect. also be wary i threw a banana peel in there, and it was probably too much for the size of the tank. The banana peel is gone, but boy the smell is ripe when you walk past it.

[@ZaneofAustin]

i'm trying banana peels (and some spent fluval stratum) just the dregs from my old tank, probably need to add some more by now

[@jhonatanarteaga2317]

Very good videos, how many days does the mineralization last to be up to date to supply it to the system and in which part of the system do I add it?

[@RobsAquaponics]

It can take up to 3 months depending on climate for a single batch. As I'm adding bits weekly & allowing the solids to settle & stay in the base, the nutrients should slowly be released over time.

[@daPoter]

Great video, as usual! Have you looked at nutrients in the mineralised water? Done any comparisons between systems that get this extra boost and ones that don't?

[@RobsAquaponics]

I'm still waiting for the fish to start feeding properly again as the tests are rather expensive here. Once they do I'll be doing a side by side comparison test with system water straight from the bio filter & water from the mineralisation tank. Cheers Peter.

[@daPoter]

@@RobsAquaponics cheers, thanks for the reply. Much appreciated. In Uganda / East Africa I wouldn't even know where to go :) So I'll be eagerly awaiting the results to see how much it adds and whether it is worth the effort.

[@alch3myau]

ahhh yeahhhhhh!

[@UPWAY2HIGH]

Aloha Rob. Enjoy your videos. I am hoping you can help with what seems to be an anomaly with my system as compared to yours and others I see on KZbin. Fish solids are moving well from the fish tank into the settling tank, but once the solids settle to the bottom they float to the top. I put in a screen to catch the solids floating up but have to manually clean the screen and dump into the mineralization tank. There is no other filter in the system. The plumbing at the bottom of the settling tank moves very little solids, so I end up stirring the tank and the solids float to the top where I need to manually scoop them up and dump into the mineralization tank. I am wondering if is the food I am feeding the tilapia? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Mahalo, Raymond from Hawaii.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Sorry I missed this Raymond. As I understand it, tilapia poop can float naturally so can cause issues for some. I'm not sure if changing food helps at all. Has the issue stopped or do you still have floaters? Sorry it took so long to get back to you.

[@UPWAY2HIGH]

@@RobsAquaponics Thanks for the reply. I have abandoned my system due to the fact that it was out in the open and we have been getting a tremendous amount of rain where I am in Hawaii. Just too much maintenance to keep the mineral/nutrient levels in balance. Thanks again for providing so much information in your videos!

[@anonymouse3823]

Hi Rob. Since you pump fish poop from the SLO to the mineralization tank, do you empty or clean up your mineralization tank?

[@RobsAquaponics]

Not as of yet Louie. I'll probably leave the muck in there as long as I can.

[@philipwells720]

Hey Rob, what brand of rock minerals is that?

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hey Phillip. They're made by Earthlife up in Toowoomba. earthlife.com.au/ Cheers.

[@leedza]

could you inoculate the mineralisation tank with microbes like in Korean Natural Farming.

[@RobsAquaponics]

I have been told buy some that they add LAB into theirs. I really haven't looked that deeply into it as of yet. I dare say I will though. Cheers.

[@jacktheripr8973]

Hey mate, your fb post on the chop and flip is gone and I would like to know what you found out. I was the guy with two tanks I want to chop. Take care.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hi Jack. Was that on my Bits Out The Back page? Sorry mate but I can't recall the post.

[@jacktheripr8973]

@@RobsAquaponics I don’t remember either. I just know you were asking if others have had failed chop and flips. I was hoping it wasn’t a normal occurrence to fail because I want to build a couple

[@RobsAquaponics]

@@jacktheripr8973 That was in a few of the different aquaponics groups 👍 Will see if I can find them for you mate.

[@RobsAquaponics]

@@jacktheripr8973 This was one post, facebook.com/groups/AquaponicsForBeginners/posts/1470472569974244

[@RobsAquaponics]

@@jacktheripr8973 & this was the other 👍 facebook.com/groups/443315682400537/posts/4762159140516148 Hope that helps some mate.

[@philipwells720]

What type of flour are you using and how much/often are you adding it in?

[@RobsAquaponics]

I mention at about the 4:15 mark that I'll be using atta flour & about 2 handfuls once a week when I empty the filter into the drum. 👍 Only reason I'm using atta flour is that it's left over from when I was baking bread. Cheers.

[@recless8667]

Has anyone tried throwing the solids into a soldier larva farm? I'm not sure which would be better, running the nutrients through a bio digester or converting them back to fish feed. Also, an anaerobic biodigester has the side benefit of producing biogas, so while it may be slower it would also create a combustible fuel; remove the hydrogen sulfide gas and then burn it in a heat exchanger, keeping the water temps more comfortable.

[@petery4801]

👌❤👌

[@RobsAquaponics]

👍😁👍

[@drrahilakurdi5943]

🐢🐧🌷🐢🐧

[@RobsAquaponics]

👍😁🌺

[@Lastboomers]

Why are media beds so ugly?

[@RobsAquaponics]

Some folks will clad them to make them look schmicko, we're just not that concerned with the aesthetics. Others have clad the IBC cages in timber & tin & they come up quite well. 👍

[@ramoneoliveira5851]

Like

[@RobsAquaponics]

Thanks Ramone. 👍

[@alch3myau]

Get some blue balls... ....... for the tank. Blue balls are the bomb. No one wants green manky balls (and what if ya keep the balls(airstones) slightly off the base of the tank?)

[@RobsAquaponics]

🤣 I do have these suspended an inch or so from the base. 👍