Gotta up your hydroponics game bro! Raise fresh water prawns are bigger and you can grow hydroponic organic pesticide free greens over them which are sustained by the nutrients from the prawn waste.
They call those setups aquaponics. It’s a really cool system and one I would love to have as an indoor farming setup some day when I can finance it.
Currently I die a little inside when I do aquarium filter cleaning and water changes. The amount of nutrientns I cannot re-use is saddening. So much good fish poopy going to waste.
Another cost consideration is the food safety licensing and whatnot you would need to have.
So, forgive my ignorance, because I really don’t know what I’m talking about, but isn’t it possible to use oysters and/or snails to filter and clean your tank in lieu of a mechanical filter? Or does that have a lot of issues I’m unaware of along the way
Snails can eat leftover food waste so it doesn’t decompose in the water, but they still excrete waste of their own so it doesn’t completely eliminate ammonia. Filter feeders can help prevent algal blooms, but many have precise requirements that aren’t compatible with most tank set ups.
There is something called the wallsted method though, and the concept is to use a planted tank with low bioload and enough plants to consume the ammonia that’s produced. It doesn’t work for every setup though, it’s more of a niche thing that requires a bit of planning to pull off
A deep substrate can also help filter ammonia. My 75 gallon freshwater tank requires very little in filter cleaning and water changes thanks to a good cleanup crew, lots of surface area for bacteria, deep-ish substrate, and lots of plants.
Our marine tank is similar. That tank also has a second smaller tank beneath, called a sump, where there is extra rock and biomedia for beneficial bacteria. That tank has a second lighting system set to an opposite photoperiod from the main tank and has a specific type of macroalgae (chaeto) which gobbles up phosphates during the main tank’s night hours.
It can be a delicate balancing act getting it all working well, but when tanks get established it gets to be fairly routine keeping it all going.
My 75 gallon freshwater tank requires very little in filter cleaning and water changes thanks to a good cleanup crew, lots of surface area for bacteria, deep-ish substrate, and lots of plants.
(Emphasis added).
Yes, deeper substrates can support more beneficial bacteria, but without those plants it wouldn’t be enough to replace frequent water changes. That’s kind of the whole point. And the wallsted method does include deeper substrates than usual.
Also, you don’t want your substrate to be too deep, because it can cause anaerobic bacteria to bloom, and those aren’t the kind you want.
That sump filled with chaeto sounds like a cool setup though, especially with the inverted day/night cycle
Yeah, deep substrates without someone rooting around in them to aerate can be a time bomb. I got (un)lucky and have a massive malaysian trumpet snail population that keeps the bottom well churned. They’re considered a pest but I’ve recruuted some assassin snails and we have a spotted congo puffer that loves his crunchy snacks.
All the little white shells you see along the bottom here are trumpet snails. My substrate is a writhing mass:
I have a video of it moving but lemmy wasn’t letting me copy paste it like I can with pics.
On vacation with no pics of the sump on my phone but below are Fishadelphia (where It’s Always Sunny) 75g, Lady and Her Shramps 20g, and the School of Rock 125g:
Thanks! I didn’t know they were large until we had a visit from the local fish store for some maintenance help with the marine tank. 12 and 13 inchss puts then at the top end for tank raised dojos, so we’re doing something right.
They’re such fun fish. They’ll swim right up to your hand and let you pet them.
Thanks for reminding me that we should know if our hearty fig tree made it through winter. We’ve had hearty hibiscus for several years so I’m optimistic.
If you pick up coco coir (an inert medium for hydroponics when plants need a bit more rooting structure) you can dump that sludge right over top to water whatever plant you have growing in it.
If it ends up getting kinda gross, take it outside and hose a bunch of water through it to rinse it, good to continue. But mostly it just causes the coir to break down a bit faster than it otherwise would, due to the bacteria, so this is basically like adding compost continuously.
Doesn’t work for every plant, but does work for a lot of them! I have potatoes in such a setup right now, and it’s pretty swanky.
Nice! I do dump my buckets into some of our garden beds on occassion. I was a little shy about using it after I watered a houseplant and it grew some kind of fumgus on the soil but that cleared up. I’m guessing that might be the kinda gross you mentioned.
I really hope to get some raised beds for food plants this year but already have a greenhouse needing that needs to be built.
Yeah fungus, but also the sludge sometimes forms a crust on the top inch or so of whatever you dump it on, especially if you do it repeatedly or your water is super sludgy (like my turtle filter produces some crazy sludge). It can also end up with salt buildup, not necessarily sodium salt, but just any sort of mineral residue that builds up and crystallizes. An occasional soak and rinse will clear all that stuff out, and leave you with reasonably clean coir once more.
As for the fungus, that’s super normal, but if you want to avoid it potentially being a problem, you can pick up some soil amendment that contains beneficial fungus (the sort that works with plant roots to increase nutrient and moisture absorption) to outcompete the nasty stuff you don’t want. You’ll want to look for a Mycorrhiza mix, which means symbiotic relationship between fungus and plant. There are tons of options available, I’ve used a powder variety to great effect.
soil amendment that contains beneficial fungus (the sort that works with plant roots to increase nutrient and moisture absorption, rather than trying to consume the plant)
I’ve looked into mychorizal innoculations to help new trees get established when we’ve planted them. Hadn’t considered it for preventative maintenance to freely dump aquarium water, though, so thanks for the idea!
You can add a third tier to the system: fresh water tilapia. The waste from the tilapia feeds the shrimp and the water from both fertilize the plants. The idea is to replicate natural nutrient cycles. The whole setup can be done outside in warmer climates, or indoors using LED grow lights. I’ve seen outdoor grow setups done in old in-ground swimming pools.
I was going to say CRAYFISH BOTTOM FEEDERS but in trying to educate myself i learned that they would be competing with the shrimp. so instead of shrimp farm, Crawdad farm! you do one, i’ll do the other, we’ll be neighbors, we can ride ponies to work, mine will be named Snuffles and yours will be named Clip Clop (Clip Clop loves salt licks so don’t let her near the tank) and we can put it right next to the cheesery and cafe that i just decided is part of my fantasy.
I am so down with this fantasy, but I might be too heavy for a pony. I’ve always wanted a donkey though because I found out they can be friends with dogs. My poodle/sheepdog would love a donkey buddy named Clip Clop.
Gotta up your hydroponics game bro! Raise fresh water prawns are bigger and you can grow hydroponic organic pesticide free greens over them which are sustained by the nutrients from the prawn waste.
They call those setups aquaponics. It’s a really cool system and one I would love to have as an indoor farming setup some day when I can finance it.
Currently I die a little inside when I do aquarium filter cleaning and water changes. The amount of nutrientns I cannot re-use is saddening. So much good fish poopy going to waste.
Another cost consideration is the food safety licensing and whatnot you would need to have.
So, forgive my ignorance, because I really don’t know what I’m talking about, but isn’t it possible to use oysters and/or snails to filter and clean your tank in lieu of a mechanical filter? Or does that have a lot of issues I’m unaware of along the way
Snails can eat leftover food waste so it doesn’t decompose in the water, but they still excrete waste of their own so it doesn’t completely eliminate ammonia. Filter feeders can help prevent algal blooms, but many have precise requirements that aren’t compatible with most tank set ups.
There is something called the wallsted method though, and the concept is to use a planted tank with low bioload and enough plants to consume the ammonia that’s produced. It doesn’t work for every setup though, it’s more of a niche thing that requires a bit of planning to pull off
A deep substrate can also help filter ammonia. My 75 gallon freshwater tank requires very little in filter cleaning and water changes thanks to a good cleanup crew, lots of surface area for bacteria, deep-ish substrate, and lots of plants.
Our marine tank is similar. That tank also has a second smaller tank beneath, called a sump, where there is extra rock and biomedia for beneficial bacteria. That tank has a second lighting system set to an opposite photoperiod from the main tank and has a specific type of macroalgae (chaeto) which gobbles up phosphates during the main tank’s night hours.
It can be a delicate balancing act getting it all working well, but when tanks get established it gets to be fairly routine keeping it all going.
(Emphasis added).
Yes, deeper substrates can support more beneficial bacteria, but without those plants it wouldn’t be enough to replace frequent water changes. That’s kind of the whole point. And the wallsted method does include deeper substrates than usual.
Also, you don’t want your substrate to be too deep, because it can cause anaerobic bacteria to bloom, and those aren’t the kind you want.
That sump filled with chaeto sounds like a cool setup though, especially with the inverted day/night cycle
Yeah, deep substrates without someone rooting around in them to aerate can be a time bomb. I got (un)lucky and have a massive malaysian trumpet snail population that keeps the bottom well churned. They’re considered a pest but I’ve recruuted some assassin snails and we have a spotted congo puffer that loves his crunchy snacks.
All the little white shells you see along the bottom here are trumpet snails. My substrate is a writhing mass:
I have a video of it moving but lemmy wasn’t letting me copy paste it like I can with pics.
On vacation with no pics of the sump on my phone but below are Fishadelphia (where It’s Always Sunny) 75g, Lady and Her Shramps 20g, and the School of Rock 125g:
Nice loaches
Thanks! I didn’t know they were large until we had a visit from the local fish store for some maintenance help with the marine tank. 12 and 13 inchss puts then at the top end for tank raised dojos, so we’re doing something right.
They’re such fun fish. They’ll swim right up to your hand and let you pet them.
I use my used aquarium water for our fruit trees, and they love it.
Thanks for reminding me that we should know if our hearty fig tree made it through winter. We’ve had hearty hibiscus for several years so I’m optimistic.
If you pick up coco coir (an inert medium for hydroponics when plants need a bit more rooting structure) you can dump that sludge right over top to water whatever plant you have growing in it.
If it ends up getting kinda gross, take it outside and hose a bunch of water through it to rinse it, good to continue. But mostly it just causes the coir to break down a bit faster than it otherwise would, due to the bacteria, so this is basically like adding compost continuously.
Doesn’t work for every plant, but does work for a lot of them! I have potatoes in such a setup right now, and it’s pretty swanky.
Nice! I do dump my buckets into some of our garden beds on occassion. I was a little shy about using it after I watered a houseplant and it grew some kind of fumgus on the soil but that cleared up. I’m guessing that might be the kinda gross you mentioned.
I really hope to get some raised beds for food plants this year but already have a greenhouse needing that needs to be built.
Yeah fungus, but also the sludge sometimes forms a crust on the top inch or so of whatever you dump it on, especially if you do it repeatedly or your water is super sludgy (like my turtle filter produces some crazy sludge). It can also end up with salt buildup, not necessarily sodium salt, but just any sort of mineral residue that builds up and crystallizes. An occasional soak and rinse will clear all that stuff out, and leave you with reasonably clean coir once more.
As for the fungus, that’s super normal, but if you want to avoid it potentially being a problem, you can pick up some soil amendment that contains beneficial fungus (the sort that works with plant roots to increase nutrient and moisture absorption) to outcompete the nasty stuff you don’t want. You’ll want to look for a Mycorrhiza mix, which means symbiotic relationship between fungus and plant. There are tons of options available, I’ve used a powder variety to great effect.
I’ve looked into mychorizal innoculations to help new trees get established when we’ve planted them. Hadn’t considered it for preventative maintenance to freely dump aquarium water, though, so thanks for the idea!
Wow! Tell me more!
You can add a third tier to the system: fresh water tilapia. The waste from the tilapia feeds the shrimp and the water from both fertilize the plants. The idea is to replicate natural nutrient cycles. The whole setup can be done outside in warmer climates, or indoors using LED grow lights. I’ve seen outdoor grow setups done in old in-ground swimming pools.
I was going to say CRAYFISH BOTTOM FEEDERS but in trying to educate myself i learned that they would be competing with the shrimp. so instead of shrimp farm, Crawdad farm! you do one, i’ll do the other, we’ll be neighbors, we can ride ponies to work, mine will be named Snuffles and yours will be named Clip Clop (Clip Clop loves salt licks so don’t let her near the tank) and we can put it right next to the cheesery and cafe that i just decided is part of my fantasy.
I am so down with this fantasy, but I might be too heavy for a pony. I’ve always wanted a donkey though because I found out they can be friends with dogs. My poodle/sheepdog would love a donkey buddy named Clip Clop.
We could also get you two ponies you could landski