Aquaponic System Maintenance & Running Tips

[@RobsAquaponics]

Don't forget to subscribe if you enjoyed the video, bit.ly/Subscribe2Rob & feel free to share the clip around with family & friends if you think they'll enjoy it too. 🐟 🌱🍅 Cheers all & have a top one. 😊 Rob

[@MrKingplumtree]

Thank you. my 19yr old got me your online program and well I am trying to grow food the way it should be. you have inspired me. Praying for you and you're family God bless you and I enjoy your content.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Thanks KP. All the best to you & yours for 2022. Lets hope it's less crazy than the last few. 😉👍

[@RetreatfarmFarmvilleVirginia]

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a Day, teach him Aquaculture and you feed him for a lifetime".....lol.

[@RobsAquaponics]

😄You'd hope that the case. 😉 Hope all's well with you mate. Cheers.

[@EvHervey]

DUDE! I've got the worst problem with cabbage butterflies right now in my kale. BT, got it! Thanks!

[@RobsAquaponics]

Glad it helped some Mr Ev. We had drizzle here yesterday so need to pop back out & re apply it now, such is. Hope all's well with you mate. 👍😁

[@VMFRD]

I keep the cleaning pump always hooked to the radial flow filter and connected to a timer, so it can be turn on from time to time in a effort to keep the bottom of the filter clean. It saves me time because a lot of the solids are gone when I go to clean it. The solids go to a garden. Only problem I see is that you have to top the water more frequently.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Nice one mate. What stops the water from draining through the pump? The pump I use doesn't have a valve so wouldn't do the job.

[@VMFRD]

Rob, I used the "washing machine" approach where the discharge from the pump is above the liquid level and it discharges in a open pipe, so it can't form a siphon. Gravity takes care of sending the water and solids away to my garden. Basically the pump is only needed to create suction in this scenario. But if you want a pressurized line going to the garden you can always add a one way check valve after the pump. Have a nice one mate.

[@VMFRD]

I have a quick video showing my radial flow filter if you're interested: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iJe4XqSrgcdgjac

[@sumpop420]

Corking video as always buddy! I do particularly like the more in depth technical walkthroughs - always so useful! Honestly cant imagine questioning the effort required as it all looks really enjoyable work to me but having kept fish for 2 decades I'm somewhat used to cleaning a dirty filter! 😀👍

[@RobsAquaponics]

Thanks Sumpop. I'm not sure what folks do with their time but growing our on tucker is more enjoyable than sitting in front of a screen I find. 😉 Cheers & happy growing mate.

[@jimginnyohio]

Looks like things are coming along really well! Looks great. Super good tips!

[@RobsAquaponics]

Thanks mate. Hope a few come in handy. Cheers & have a top one.

[@meltheredcap6307]

Anybody who thinks aquaponic systems take "too much" time to maintain hasn't actually paid attention to how much time and effort a dirt garden takes. :P

[@user-dh8dj1xb1y]

вот пример системы, не требующей много времени, денег и сил kzbin.info/www/bejne/nIDUlKqCYqh_mJI

[@RobsAquaponics]

😄 Would have to agree there Mel but know that already. 😉 Hope you & the fish are keeping warm down there. It almost hit 0° here the other morning. 😯😉 Cheers & have a top one.

[@meltheredcap6307]

Rob Bob's Aquaponics & Backyard Farm We’ve had several nights getting down to -3 here Rob 😅 and not much warmth in the days either

[@user-dh8dj1xb1y]

it is very expensive for us to make an aquaponics system, and keeping a garden in proper condition is also not cheap, so you have to go to tricks - there are no fertilizers, no watering, no weed grass

[@theadventuresofbrockinthai4325]

HEY ROB BOB, ENJOYED YOUR VIDEO AS USUAL. VERY INFORMATIVE. I HAVE GONE A DIFFERENT DIRECTION THAN I HAD PLANED. I AM HAVING SOME HEALTH ISSUES AND I AM IN A NEW CONDO IN BANGKOK NOW. NOT MUCH ROOM FOR YOUR KIND OF SYSTEM. SHORT CONCRETE BACK YARD AND A BIGGER CONCRETE FRONT YARD. LOL

[@RobsAquaponics]

Have you thought about going hydro mate? Fairly easy to go vertical with those types of systems. Cheers mate.

[@mikehotel02]

great clip ROB, thanks ,keep them coming ,Cheers Mate.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Cheers Mike. 👍

[@mohammadfahimi1425]

Your videos are so helpful to me. TNX Bob

[@RobsAquaponics]

Glad to hear it Mohammad. 😁👍 Cheers & happy growing mate. 🌱🐟

[@andybush368]

Nice one Rob 🙂

[@RobsAquaponics]

Cheers Mr Andy. 👍😁

[@gaijinguide9017]

Great in depth look at the daily maintenance. Thanks for sharing!

[@RobsAquaponics]

No problem. Have a top one. 😁👍

[@fredkaram5238]

Mate ur a champ. Properties around me do spray pesticides. And I also suspect the ammonia levels got high. Fist time it happened since I started 3 years ago. Thanks again from Lebanon.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hope you can get it sorted out Mate & the next lot do better. Cheers.

[@charleskayope9621]

Hi Rob bobs very good teaching thank you very much.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Glad you enjoyed it Charles. Have a top one mate.

[@charleskayope9621]

@@RobsAquaponics thank you very much.

[@charleskayope9621]

I'm doing tilapia farming in zambia. i have 5 ponds.

[@RobsAquaponics]

@@charleskayope9621 Nice one Charles. I hope they're doing well for you mate. 👍👍

[@aretardridesmotard6128]

Hey Rob great video, just finished building my first nft and dwc system, hoping to do a 200l chop and flip soon I liked your video on that. A bit limited in a Brisbane apartment!

[@RobsAquaponics]

Nice one mate. 👍 Hope the build goes smoothly for you.

[@cf453]

Just a quick heads up: That's going to be very heavy, so don't do it on a beam and joist floor or a cantilevered deck. The structure won't be rated for that much weight in a small area, especially a deck.

[@bobjackson7516]

Thank you! (From St. Louis Missouri, USA)

[@RobsAquaponics]

No Problem Bob. Cheers mate & have a top one.

[@TheJMBon]

Have you thought about painting the outside of your fishtank black? It'll help raise the water temperature from increased IR absorbtion while also reducing the light level inside the tank and heading off any potential algae growth in your fish tank.

[@RobsAquaponics]

I wouldn't with this one as it would be hard to get the paint to stick to the HDPE plastic which is already light proof. The paint would be continually falling off & we're in the subtropics so the water temp really doesn't fall that low for long here. Cheers Joshua.

[@mikeemery3937]

Looking forward to the pest clip

[@RobsAquaponics]

Will be working on it this week. Cheers.

[@brandonterry6194]

GRATITUDE 💥🐟💥

[@DanDannyDanielleBob]

Do fish grow better in aquaponics, or in a fish farm that just irrigates the soil patch and replaces with clean water from the tap that would have ended up on the soil anyway (flow through system)? In the states, brewery supply and bio fuel places sell stainless steel mesh screens designed to fit the top of standard buckets that you can get in various micron ratings. Might be easier to hose out than foam.

[@RobsAquaponics]

I dare say they grow at about the same rate from my limited experience with the small aquaponics & aquaculture systems I've run. Aquaponics is a bit more forgiving though I feel. I haven't seen those screens but am off now to see if there's anything similar here, thanks for that.👍 Cheers & have a top one.

[@NeonblueIndustries]

Great Video as ALWAYS mate! Thank you!!

[@RobsAquaponics]

No problem & have a top one mate. 👍

[@JhunDumsTVXj]

Wow nice

[@RobsAquaponics]

👍👍 Cheers again Jhun Duns. 🍻

[@garethtremenheere4436]

Hey Rob. Great clip mate. Very informative👍👍 So towards the end of your clip you mentioned a de-chlorination barrel that you have set up. Have you done a clip on that mate? I am very interested in how to set one up as I have actually poisoned some of my fish in the past by topping up my tanks with too much town water, straight from the tap.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hey Gareth. The clip showing the basic set up should be live in about 11 hours time from this reply or you can use the link in the description to access it now. 😉 Cheers mate.

[@AlmostOrganicDorset]

When cleaning the foams use tank water, this will reduce the problem of killing the bacteria living in the sponges.

[@RobsAquaponics]

It can reduce the amount of bacteria on the sponges. I'm not overly worried as the bulk of the bacteria will be on the media below the sponge. Cheers Tim.

[@leonkoh2444]

@@RobsAquaponics May I know how do you get the right bacteria into the system in the first place? It just exist naturally or do you need to add known bacteria into the system? Tq

[@NielsAlderding]

Hi Rob, I am watching your video's for a while now. I made my first small aquaponics system and it works great. Next thing I am going to do is to make a dubble barrel system with both fish in in (both based on your video) I am still wondering at wich size system you need to add a solid filter, bio filter and solid filter like you are doing in the system in this video. When is the media not enough to filter most solids/amonia?

[@alfredosalazar526]

Could you add some under water living plants To accompany the fish??

[@RobsAquaponics]

You could but ours would probably eat them.

[@chefzo6003]

IF you take a vacation, who maintains your aquaponics system? Also, how long does it take for you to get back up and running after you come back?

[@RobsAquaponics]

We don't go away much, once every few years so not a huge issue for us. Is the backups are working properly & the tanks are topped up we could easily go away for 2 weeks with no one stopping by as the fish can live for a fair while without food. Especially these jades as they build up huge fat stores. 👍 It would still be a good idea to have someone stop by every few days just to see if everything is running smoothly. I would suggest not letting them feed the fish though unless you're more than confident that they won't over feed them as that can potentially lead to a fish kill. Cheers.

[@tyhagan5615]

Truly enjoy your videos and have learned a lot. Setting up system that has 2000 gallon in-ground fish tank supporting 2 independent closed systems (pump to 50 gallon solids filter, then gravity feeds to 35 gallon bio-reactor to hydroton 4'x8'x1' grow bed to 3'x6'x6" algae bed back to tank) and I'm setting up 2 of those in my greenhouse. Question: Given 1 fish tank is supporting two 240 gallon grow beds, would you still recommend using a bell syphon on each, or would you use constant flow? Much appreciated. Thanks

[@RobsAquaponics]

Would be easier water management wise if you ran constant height if you're not using a sump tank normally. I would think that your 2000gal tank would have no issues the water needed for 480gal worth of media beds in a flood & drain arrangement. Hope the build went well Ty.

[@georgeplisko2439]

Hi Rob I enjoy your clips I'm starting my own thanks to you I do have a question though can you use a raft type instead of the media ? I do have a filter from a koi pond some valving and a uv light Tks George

[@RobsAquaponics]

Raft beds are used a lot with aquaponics. You just need to make sure that you have enough biofiltration to process the waste from the fish. Thats why many folks use media beds as they act as biofilters as well. Cheers mate & happy growing.

[@mrgonzo5125]

Hey Rob- I'm a new 'ponic-head and just about finished my chop and flip system. Before I plop some fish in the there and let the magic begin, I want to be prepared for the worse. So...in order to handle PH and other imbalances that may occur, what chemicals should a beginner (like myself) have on standby?

[@basiedp]

On filter material...would layers of same thinner material not make for easy cleaning?

[@RobsAquaponics]

I was looking at getting a thinner woven matting like I had in there originally as I did find it easier to clean. 😉 Am also looking at getting some fine stainless steel mesh to replace the matting & make it easier to clean. Cheers Basie. 👍

[@scud100]

Great content. Thank you

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hi again Scudd100 & am glad you liked it. Cheers & have a great one.

[@bowensgrove4377]

Do fish need light I have a big rectangular black tank under my Deck

[@RobsAquaponics]

I think it depends on the species but have been told that the Jade perch we use don't need much at all. One down side of restricting the light from the tank is when it comes to harvest or check on the fish they go absolutely bonkers in the tank. I have heard of fish hitting the side walls that hard that they kill themselves. 😕 Cheers BG.

[@matthewfarrell317]

So just thought I'd ask, is the reason you don't use something like Pyrethrum for the caterpillars etc because of the fish? I use it on my raised beds and hydroponic vertical towers with great success. But was curious about the effects on the fish (although I have been told a solid no on getting fish, so only have the hydro, raised beds and soon to be orchard)

[@RobsAquaponics]

It is toxic to the fish & also the beneficial insects so that's why I stopped using it a number of years ago Matthew. I know folks that will still spot spray plants in their systems with it but I don't recommend it. Cheers & happy growing mate.

[@matthewfarrell317]

@@RobsAquaponics Thought it would be bad for the fish, makes sense not to use it. I mainly use it sparingly to control pests, prefer it as its natural, just target spray and don't use it on flowering plants. I find cabbages benefit it most.

[@tharsthat]

Grubs are moths first. Put up a bug zapper away from your crops. Or put the zapper over your fish so they get a toasted snack. Give you dog a small dose of borax to help with the athritis. Boron does wonders for animals and plants.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Am more than happy to spray for the caterpillars using the BT as the bug zappers also get a lot of beneficial insects as well. Cheers ZF & have a top one.

[@tharsthat]

@@RobsAquaponics Oh yeah we always forget about the good guys. Thank you for your insight.

[@ashishgaurkar6541]

Sir , u r doing great with aquaponics ! I got a lot to learn from you ! ..i would like to start with aquaponics in my farm ... Will you help me with design procedure if i send you my designs ? It would be great if u could help me !

[@RobsAquaponics]

Sorry for taking so long to respond. I only focus on backyard hobby systems Ashish. Commercial systems need to run lean & clean to be able to turn a decent profit & make running them worthwhile. It might be a good idea for you to look around locally & see if there's anyone that can help you out. Maybe even a govenment or farmers agency.

[@user-dh8dj1xb1y]

Rob, how many years have you been building your system, and how did you start?

[@RobsAquaponics]

This system is a few months old but have been running aquaponics systems for the past 9 or so years. 👍😁 The reason I want to try it was to grow more protein at home rather than relying on others to do it for us. 👍 Cheers & happy growing mate.

[@user-dh8dj1xb1y]

@@RobsAquaponics can your system fully provide a person with food throughout the year?

[@RobsAquaponics]

@@user-dh8dj1xb1y This system as it stand now, I don't think so. Would need a few more meters of grow bed & more fish if you were only wanting them as your protein source.

[@timsbitsca]

I notice you grow beetroot in the medium, I thought you could only grow plants above the level. What size PVC pipe do you use, I know you have a video on the components for a IBC but can not find it, Thanks Mate

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hey Noel. Have grown sweet potatoes & carrots in the system as well. 👍 Carrots do OK but the sweet potatoes produced more tubers in the soil (when the vine grew over the sides) than in the media beds. Ginger is probably the best root crop I've grown in a system but they do take ages to mature. Normal spuds don't do that well in them from what I've seen. I have a clips on a few of the drain fittings & bell siphons. I generally use 2"/50mm for any gravity flow back from the tank to the sump. Bell stand pipe is ¾"/20mm but the rest of the plumbing is 1"/25mm. All the drain fittings from filters are 1"/25mm with other sizes added depending on the component. Hope that helps some but if it doesn't let me know & will try to point you in the right direction. Cheers Noel.

[@timsbitsca]

@@RobsAquaponics Thanks Mate

[@thebattousai]

Do you have to clean the bed? If so, how often?

[@jokeralpha4482]

Is it possible to feed the fish with the larva pest infestation?

[@RobsAquaponics]

We have fed the caterpillars to the jade perch & they have taken all we've offered so far. The silver perch weren't as keen on them though. Our last 2 batches of Jades loved grasshoppers so we're looking at breeding crickets as a supplemental feed. Cheers JA.

[@victorscale9884]

Sorry, not “lily Pad” but “waterlily” is a small turbine to generate power at the water drops. It would charge your pumps I think.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Just had a look at it Victor. 👍 I'm not sure it would work too well in the system as there's not a large enough water volume moving in one direction in my small system. Have thought about adding something under the drains back into the sump to help keep the backup battery at full capacity though. Cheers mate.

[@sigmachirev]

My water testing kit didn't come with the Nitrate bottles but instead it had phosphate. Are these the same or related in any way? or do i need to buy the Nitrate additionally?

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hey Adam. You will need to get the nitrate if you want to keep tabs on the level for working out your crop sizes. Phosphate levels are not really an issue in aquaponics as there is generally enough coming through the fish waste to keep the plants growing well. Cheers mate.

[@ka8301]

DO YOU FEED YOUR FISH A BLACK SOLDIER FLY LARVAE

[@ka8301]

??

[@RobsAquaponics]

We did try the Jade perch on the self harvested BSFL but they spat them out. Everyone I've asked that has tried got the same result. Other species will take them though. 👍 I haven't tried them on mealworms yet but others have said they will eat them. Crickets is one that I'd like to try next so will be buying some to breed up soon. Cheers.

[@tracymcgee8141]

I’m looking and learning! Looking at time stamp 16:23, the grow tub on left side of screen (above water container) looks insulated vs the black tub on the right…why insulate one vs another?

[@RobsAquaponics]

It has insulation wrap around it but only to block out the UV so algae doesn't grow on the inside of the clear plastic tray. Cheers.

[@camel0147]

Hey Rob, did you manage to find any info regarding the nutrient lockout due to high nitrates? Is this related to Mulder’s chart? Thanks and keep up the good work

[@camel0147]

Strange, I am not seeing your answer although I received it through email. Anyway...Have a top one yourself as well!

[@camel0147]

Pasting your answer "Potassium lockout would be my main concern but by the look of the tomato in the system at the moment, I don't think it's an issue. I didn't think to use the chart to tell you the truth so thanks for reminding me. Cheers & have a top one. "

[@andrewb9595]

Ever thought of Perlite (probably in a mesh bag) for either bio media or filtration?

[@RobsAquaponics]

Breaks down too easily so would not last long when cleaned often I think. IO do reuse it as much as I can with the hydro tubs I have on the grow.

[@breedingbubbles]

Hi Rob, Interesting comment that it's all about the fish. I'm thinking about getting into aquaponics, but it's not making much sense to me yet. The way I understand it a 1000L IBC tank can hold 35 fish roughly and each fish will grow by about 500g per year. I'm a big guy and easily eat 700g of steak per meal, so imagine I could easily eat 1kg of fish per meal. But forgetting about my oversized appetite, let's say a small family needs 1kg of fish per meal. That means from 1 IBC tank, a small family would have 17 meals of fish per year if every person is happy with just a taste of fish. That's one morsel of fish every 3 weeks. Is it still worth it? Am I missing something or have the wrong numbers or calculating wrong? I know you've got a slightly bigger tank, how many fish do you harvest per year?

[@RobsAquaponics]

You've got it pretty much right Dirk. Most are in it for the veg with the fish being a bonus except for a few folks I know. Own had an AWESOME system that was built around harvesting loads of fish & may give you a few ideas to play with, kzbin.info/www/bejne/qmjdl6d_jqZ-fa8

[@antojoseph2398]

Hi Rob, how much is the capacity of the fish tank in this video, how many fish can grow in 10000-litre tank. Is this type of filter can be use for 10000-litre tank? I want to do a system. Kindly advise.

[@RobsAquaponics]

The tank in our system is a 1000L tank. How many fish depends on how much biofiltration you have as it's that which cleans the waste that the fish produce. This clip runs through the stocking rate in regards to media bed based systems, kzbin.info/www/bejne/g5a8pYicd7CqhNE Hope that helps some.

[@JonathanAdami]

I could always ask a friend but just wondering if you have an alternative method to test nitrate/nitrate for colourblind folks like meself?

[@RobsAquaponics]

There are meters available but they cost a fair bit Jonathan. Here's an example but can't vouch for how well they work, www.onetemp.com.au/horiba-no3-11 Sorry I'm not much help mate.

[@JonathanAdami]

@@RobsAquaponics mate your channel is a gold mine, you've been of huuuuge help! thanks heaps!

[@fredkaram5238]

Hi Rob. Great work mate. I’ve had a catastrophe. I woke up this morning to find all my trout are dead. No signs to indicate a problem. Could they have been poisoned?

[@RobsAquaponics]

Sorry to hear that Fred. Water temp & lack of O2 account for a lot of sudden trout deaths where the pH & ammonia & nitrite are all OK. Have heard of folks losing fish when neighbours get their properties sprayed for pests as well. Hope you can get to the bottom of it mate.

[@vanglee84]

did you ever tried covering the grow bed with a bug net... would that be effective?

[@RobsAquaponics]

I have used netting in the past to make small covers as well as larger insect proof hoop houses. I could make cloches for these beds but am happy to use the organic sprays for now. Cheers & happy growing.

[@TexasJungle]

I started an aquaponics system with a 3000 gallon pool and I have monster fish in it check it out when you get a chance on my channel Texas jungle! This is so much fun

[@RobsAquaponics]

Will suss it out. 👍 Cheers.

[@S43MY]

Im using an nft system can i put the calcium peroxide in the fish tank instead?

[@RobsAquaponics]

Calcium hydroxide is used to help raise the pH. 👍 It is best added furthest from the fish in the water cycle as possible as moving the pH too quickly can harm or even kill them.

[@S43MY]

@@RobsAquaponics thank you so much for replying ill put it on my sump or biofilter. I love your content btw!

[@leavethekidsalone]

When the water level need replenishing, do you use city water or do you have a rain catch for topping them off? Please reply asap as I'm in need of this answer before I finish my systems design

[@RobsAquaponics]

I use city water Mason. I like to add about ¾ of a tsp of ascorbic acid (Vit C powder) to 100L/26gal to dissipate the chlorine & chloramines if I'm adding it into a system that already has fish.

[@joshuacolocar8365]

Hi! Good day! I just discovered Josh Kern filtration system which absolutely eliminates biological and chemical toxins in contaminated water through thorough processes with bio-filtration using basically just biochar, sand and gravel- the end result is potable drinking water. Is it possible to integrate the bio filter as the last stage from the sump tank before being recycled to the fish tank?

[@RobsAquaponics]

I think it may strip out some of the elements required for healthy plant growth (from the small amount I know of the system) so may be an issue in an aquaponics system. Might be a great idea for a stand alone backyard aquaculture system though. I now have a few pages bookmarked & will look into it when I get some time. Cheers Joshua.

[@indica_dogo868]

Hey Rob what pump you using to drain the RFS?

[@RobsAquaponics]

That would be the 6500lph/720gph Jebao ID. 👍 I have a larger 8500lph/2250gph jobbies as well but that's at my parents for the time being. Cheers mate.

[@christopherstaples6758]

what underwater camera are you using ?

[@RobsAquaponics]

DJI action camera. 👍 Only bought it for under water work so not too sure what it's like as an actual "action" cam.

[@kiendinh4479]

Hi Robert! I have encountered a problem that I have not yet to find a solution. I recently found leeches in my system, but only in the solids settler. Do you have any recommendation for this? Thank you

[@RobsAquaponics]

I'm sorry but I haven't come across that one before. 🤔 Are there many in there ?

[@kiendinh4479]

Rob Bob's Aquaponics & Backyard Farm i found a few small ones in there but i think there could be more at the bottom

[@ImBlackRabbit]

What fish and type of system is available for indoors? I’m new to aquaponics and I’d like to start one in my apartment if possible

[@RobsAquaponics]

In smaller systems I would probably go with ornamental fish Dominick. I cover that topic a bit at the start of this video if it helps any, kzbin.info/www/bejne/lWmrqGVmeL57fKM

[@a-71kcolnu6]

Where did you get your tilapia from

[@RobsAquaponics]

We can't use tilapia in Australia as they are illegal to keep. HUGE fines if you get caught with them as they are an invasive pest. We use Australian native Jade Perch in our system.

[@jeffery19677]

Will your fish not eat the caterpillars? Seems like a waste of protein.

[@RobsAquaponics]

We feed the large ones to them all the time. Smaller ones are a bit harder to pick off without squishing them.

[@chrispeguero2404]

What should I do if I do a water change because the food drops to the bottom of the barrel and spoils and my nitrate drops to almost zero

[@RobsAquaponics]

I would try & remove the solids first Chris. Are the fish still eating?

[@chrispeguero2404]

Man I can't believe what I did I figured it out lost my fish but when I did the water change and added back I used prime I didn't read the bottle because it was my always go to first it wipe out my nitrates and nitrites I'm kicking myself in the ass so I have to start over SMH

[@RobsAquaponics]

@@chrispeguero2404 Sorry to hear that mate.

[@mamunabdullah5493]

how many fish I can managed in 1000L Water ?

[@RobsAquaponics]

That depends on the amount of biofiltration you have. This video may help there, kzbin.info/www/bejne/g5a8pYicd7CqhNE Hope that helps some.

[@shekharmoona544]

Can the fish eat the caterpillar?

[@RobsAquaponics]

They certainly can. 👍 We feed the large ones to them all the time. Smaller ones are a bit harder to pick off without squishing them.

[@robbycast]

Is it just me or does Aquaponics seem more complicated than soil grown vegetables?

[@RobsAquaponics]

You didn't watch the whole clip did you? 🤔 I cover that towards the end. Skip to 13:40 & you'll see what I have to say on the topic. 😉

[@jackbenimblejack1]

feed the pests to the fish

[@RobsAquaponics]

We do if they're large enough. would prefer not to find any large ones though as it means they've already feasted on our food. 😉

[@artbyrobot1]

These videos are very helpful for fish raising and plant raising BUT... he admits he hates fish and they come out muddy tasting - gross - the plants grow in raw poop - pretty gross potentially in some clips, and the plants are nothing but lettuce and other leafs. These plants are boring and few people even eat them unless they are between a burger bun and burger for a little crunch in the burger bite. That is it. No flavor. If you are going to garden every day, at least grow some stuff WORTH growing: almonds, grapes, blueberries, avacados, plums, tomatoes, cherries, mangos, you know, stuff that is actually delicious, not just LEAVES. All this work for some lousy leaves and muddy fish is a JOKE to me. The engineering and knowledge shared is why I stick around but ugh!

[@RobsAquaponics]

" _he admits he hates fish and they come out muddy tasting_ " I have never been a fan of fish but other family members are. Hate is a bit of a strong word though I don't recall using it at all. The "muddy" taste also occurs in some popular wild-caught freshwater fish so it's not news to any that have caught their own in the wild. 😉 It's also very easy to remove the "muddy" by purging them for a few days I've found. 😁 " _the plants grow in raw poop_ " As do plants grown on most organic farms except fish waste can't pass on disease like manures from warm-blooded animals. " _and the plants are nothing but lettuce and other leafs_ " I grow much more than just plants with edible leaves as do many folks I know including commercial farms like "Chattersons farms" down in Florida. www.chattersonfarms.com/shop/ Along with countless varieties of greens, I have grown tomatoes, chillies/sweet peppers/ capsicums, eggplant, many types of onions/leeks, garlic, beetroot, carrot, sweet potato, pineapples, many different herbs, ginger, turmeric, galangal, pineapple, aloe, lavender, cucumbers, melons, squash, a mulberry tree & probably more than a few more that I've forgotten. Just look around & you'll find folks even growing potatoes, citrus trees, papaya & probably a few other fruiting trees. " _All this work for some lousy leaves and muddy fish is a JOKE to me._ " You have a very strange sense of humour if that's how you understand & process your comedy. 🤔 *Edited to add....* I still think that soil will always be my go-to growing method for plants & that the hydro side of aquaponics is a bonus to growing your own fish at home. But in saying that, the speed at which the leafy greens grow in aquaponics is quite impressive & I haven't been able to replicate it yet in soil, only conventional hydroponics. 👍 Cheers mate & have a top one.

[@artbyrobot1]

@@RobsAquaponics Thanks for explaining. It seems the good stuff you grow in soil then and I'm just seeing leafy stuff mainly grown to support the fish. In salmon farming they starve the fish for 7 days prior to harvesting. Perhaps that is the key to no muddy taste.