New MOBILE Rubbermaid stock tank system getting put together.

Baby Fry have arrived:

I moved all of the fake plants into a 20gal tank yesterday morning.

By the time I went to bed last night I counted at least 98 fry (that I could see) that had hatched. They were sitting still.

This morning I woke up and saw at least 3x more than the night before. Them things are a lot more active now.

I read that they will live off of yolk for a few days and then begin to feed. 90% usually don't make it... but have a feeling that is with fancy goldfish... not the stronger swimmer/pond types like I have. Some of them are already acting like little rockets in there. They are about the size of a mosquito larvae right now (length) but about 1/3 as thick.

I swear I thought I would only get a few from the eggs. Turns out the properly fertilized eggs are VERY hard to see. I am a newbie at this... so hopefully not too many will survive. I may be putting up an add on craigslist in the "Free" section in a month or two. lol

This would be more awesome if I had the greenhouse already built. Then I could just build that larger aquaponics system I want to have... and then have some free fish to throw in there. I suspect this won't be the only batch of eggs this year though. There are at least 3 other goldies that look like they are ready to pop as well. lol


EDIT:
I just read that non-fancy types of goldfish that have been taken care of can live past 40 years. Fancy types only 5 to 10 years.

Interesting... That would be about... the rest of my life potentially! I am approaching 40.

https://puregoldfish.com/lifespan/

Goldfish:

Since my goldfish spawned in my aquaponics system I have been reading up on the species. Just thought I would share some basic knowledge for those considering working with this species.

Goldfish were originally kept as an aquaculture food source! Yep.

Starting around 200 A.D. in china as food. These fish are believed to be descendants of Prussian Carp.

Goldfish are omnivores and will eat pretty much anything that will fit into their mouths.

The non-facy varieties can liver for more than 40 years. The fancy types only 5 to 10 years.

They can handle ph from down around 6.0 up to above 7.5.

They can handle extremely warm water... or live under ice.

They get to around 14" long and several pounds. Breeding after 2 years of age... up to several times a year.

Perhaps these are a great fish for permaculture! These little scavengers will assist keeping algae at bay and pretty much everything else as well.

Just a pic of the fry. They are becoming stronger swimmers now and starting to look more like fish already.

Their yolks are just getting finished off... and some of them are just starting to eat.

The kids are loving this!

I am so insanely jealous of your set up 🤤😍🥰

I have a small 2 tub KRATKY set up in my kitchen that gets no natural light, and I definitely need more light than I currently have because my seedlings are leggy/spindly 😭

Vanessa Alarcon wrote:I am so insanely jealous of your set up 🤤😍🥰

I have a small 2 tub KRATKY set up in my kitchen that gets no natural light, and I definitely need more light than I currently have because my seedlings are leggy/spindly 😭

Thank You!!!

It is a super simple setup! You should build one! If you want... you can literally get EVERY component from Amazon online. I can send you links if you wish.


Speaking of lights... Here is a link to the light housing and pulleys I am using. The plug is a 3-prong. So if you plan to use a timer... be sure to get a 3-pronged one.

All of the ones I use for Christmas lights were 2-prong (no safety ground). I ended up finding one build for outdoor use that had a 3-prong. Only a few dollars more and it has protection from moisture. Which, of course, is perfect around the aquaponics system. They sell them at LOWES... but assume they are on Amazon as well.

Links.... I just added them to my "order" box and then saved for later.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FY2QD2S/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

and

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0098R0600/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

In theory you could still use this light to grow by countertop! Just use a stud finder to install some eye-rings from the studs in the ceiling. The rope on the pulleys in the link is 7ft long.

well, I just might :) seriously, i'm extremely grateful that you have broken it down in easy to follow steps. My ultimate goal is to have a homemade indoor gardening appliance like Samsung revealed at CES 2020. but i'm afraid I still have much to learn! right now, im battling with spindly weak seedlings and fungus gnats. I hate fungus gnats. im also trying to do it as economically as possible, but trial and error has proven to be wasteful and expensive. I originally thought my plants were spindly because they needed more oxygen (before I knew about Kratky) and thus bought a couple of air pumps that I won't need (thankfully I figured I can use them to make compost tea!lol) now i'm finally starting to figure out that its the lights! (I can be dimwitted that way, lol) I have gardening led lights about 18 " from the seeds but apparently that's not enough! I wish I would have figured it out sooner. oh well, live and learn! eventually i'll have salad greens and microgreens to my heart's content!

Vanessa Alarcon wrote:well, I just might :) seriously, i'm extremely grateful that you have broken it down in easy to follow steps. My ultimate goal is to have a homemade indoor gardening appliance like Samsung revealed at CES 2020. but i'm afraid I still have much to learn! right now, im battling with spindly weak seedlings and fungus gnats. I hate fungus gnats. im also trying to do it as economically as possible, but trial and error has proven to be wasteful and expensive. I originally thought my plants were spindly because they needed more oxygen (before I knew about Kratky) and thus bought a couple of air pumps that I won't need (thankfully I figured I can use them to make compost tea!lol) now i'm finally starting to figure out that its the lights! (I can be dimwitted that way, lol) I have gardening led lights about 18 " from the seeds but apparently that's not enough! I wish I would have figured it out sooner. oh well, live and learn! eventually i'll have salad greens and microgreens to my heart's content!

That is true! Air pumps are useful for way more than one thing.

I built a compost tea maker many years ago out of a 5gal bucket. Still have the bucket and have been using it as a stool for the kids to stand on by the AP system... as well as to fill the AP every few weeks. That was $3 well spent. I will brew tea in there from time to time as well. lol

For lights... during my recent info. dive... One tidbit of knowledge I gained is...

If you move the lights from 12 inches above the plants to 24 inches... you would think that the light intensity would be 1/2 as much. However, it is 1/4 of the intensity! So just a few inches can make a huge difference for that.

Also, keep in mind the temperature of the lights. Each light system puts out a different amount of heat. Too close and they will begin to show signs of burned/curled leaf edges.

I just had to back the lights off of my lettuce that I recently put into my AP system. I had left the lights at the same 6 inches or so off of the gravel. My plants were just getting tall enough to where they were about to touch the protective metal cage on the lights. I figured it was fine since the lights are COOL to the touch. However, it was too close and the leaf tips began to show signs of "burn" on the tips. I backed the lights off to around 2 or 3 inches above the plants and they seem to appreciate it.

I suspect that they were not getting enough airflow and could not transpire well enough to protect themselves. I am not using a fan... and that probably would have helped. However, raising the lights 2" was easier and more economical on power.

Pic Update:

It has now been a few weeks since I put up the last pic of the lettuce. It went through shock for a week and a half or so. Started taking off about a week and a half ago. Looking good now!

Getting ready to start picking off leaves soon for the wife.

yeah! see? that bit about the distance and the intensity is what I failed to understand!  I've finally learned it through trial and error! Plus lights as a whole are complicated! not only is there lumens and kelvins to consider but wattage and voltage, cfl and led. its enough to make one dizzy! on a side note im expanding my bearded dragon's enclosure from the 75 gal tank he's currently in to a 6 ft display case and so I have to get a high output 10 % uvb light since at a minimum the tank requires 2/3 coverage of uvb (along with lights for the plants and a basking spot. so I went looking for this uvb light and they only come in t-5 and t-8s, 48" are the longest (which is ok since I have 2 24" uvb fixtures already) and I was trying to save money and avoid buying the hood. I found a 48" t-8 fixture that would have been perfect for $19 EXCEPT it was rated for 32 W and even though the lighting company used to sell uvb HO t-8s rated at 32W, they got smart (since they want to sell their hoods) and only sell bulbs rated at 38w! These are CFLs so potentially there wouldn't be a problem since the fixture can only put out what it puts out, but it will shorten the life of the bulb (I think) and the output. I ended up buying the t-5 fixture with the bulb

BTW THOSE LETTUCE HEADS ARE TO DIE FOR!!! and you never have to worry about E. Coli! You give me hope that i'll get there one day! thanks!

Vanessa Alarcon wrote:yeah! see? that bit about the distance and the intensity is what I failed to understand!  I've finally learned it through trial and error! Plus lights as a whole are complicated! not only is there lumens and kelvins to consider but wattage and voltage, cfl and led. its enough to make one dizzy! on a side note im expanding my bearded dragon's enclosure from the 75 gal tank he's currently in to a 6 ft display case and so I have to get a high output 10 % uvb light since at a minimum the tank requires 2/3 coverage of uvb (along with lights for the plants and a basking spot. so I went looking for this uvb light and they only come in t-5 and t-8s, 48" are the longest (which is ok since I have 2 24" uvb fixtures already) and I was trying to save money and avoid buying the hood. I found a 48" t-8 fixture that would have been perfect for $19 EXCEPT it was rated for 32 W and even though the lighting company used to sell uvb HO t-8s rated at 32W, they got smart (since they want to sell their hoods) and only sell bulbs rated at 38w! These are CFLs so potentially there wouldn't be a problem since the fixture can only put out what it puts out, but it will shorten the life of the bulb (I think) and the output. I ended up buying the t-5 fixture with the bulb

BTW THOSE LETTUCE HEADS ARE TO DIE FOR!!! and you never have to worry about E. Coli! You give me hope that i'll get there one day! thanks!

Thank you for the compliment!

That is true. Not only do I NOT have to worry about E. Coli... my lettuce comes out perfectly clean. Not a spec of dirt on it. I used to spend some serious time washing the lettuce from the garden back when I had one.

As an added bonus for growing yourself, lettuce looses something like 80% of it's vitamins within 12hrs of being picked.

Aquaponics was a pain to learn, design, and build. However, much like learning how to read, it was well worth it and Super Simple once I got past the main learning curve. My first system was a bear for maintenance/problems. Learned from it. Now have virtually none. No weeding, fertilizing, tilling, or remembering to water/having to deal with watering equipt either. I am glad I gave it a go to see if I liked it.

These systems cost more up front and require more work to setup. However, the amount of time saved on the backside is IMMENSE. Well worth it.

I now have a major water feature in-house pretty much. The kids spend a lot of time every day looking and playing with the fish. I do too... but also spend a lot of time staring at the plants. lol

I can't wait to build a large greenhouse out back. I will put in some in-ground citrus (which will also aid greatly in thermal stabilization through their hydrology/root interaction deep in the soil) and probably 2 to 4 large 300 gal fish tanks (buried). I will maximize grow space. Going vertical on the North wall, ebb/flow gravel beds, and several soil based wicking beds. I tried them out and LOVE them as well. I will probably have them on wheels as well.

I am thinking some bluegill and catfish will make it into one tank. The rest will be koi and goldfish. I caught a wild baby bluegill once and it took to fish feed within one day.

EDIT:

I have one more peice of info. for you that may help!

When I was in LOWES the other day in the light bulb section... I saw that they had a MASSIVE amount of different light controllers that go inside the T fixtures. They had different ratings for the amount/size/and power ratings of bulbs. In the future it may be worth a try for you to see if they have a controller rated at the higher wattage you require. If you were to find one that is the right rating you could probably just swap out a $20 part. I bet Amazon sells them as well.

~Marty