Aquaponics lesson 2

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Once you have your setup, water is ready for fish and plants....

Types of Medium to use to place your plants in for your growbed:

Expanded Shale – Mine from a quarry with its origins from the United States, expanded shale is pH neutral and has more rounded edges which makes it easy on the hands and plant roots.

Expanded Clay (Hydroton) – Also mined from a quarry but usually imported from Germany or China, expanded clay is pH neutral and is easy to handle, but quite expensive.

River Stone – Mined near local rivers, the river stone is heavy but easy to handle. It’s relatively cheap but may contain limestone which will gradually increase pH levels over time.

Crushed Stone – This consists of crushed river stone so it’s also quite heavy and will have the same pH issue. Though crushed stone is very cheap, it usually has sharp edges which will affect plant roots and will be hard to handle.

You can also use some Sand and Ground Shell mediums.


Best types of fish for farming or just pet fish if you don't want to eat them:

Tilapia
Blue Gil
Sunfish
Crappie
Koi
Fancy Goldfish
various ornamental fish such as angelfish, guppies, tetras, swordfish, mollies
Carp
Catfish

You should study up on how to sex fish if you are going to be farming them as well as how to separate them once they lay eggs and have been fertilized so they do not get sucked into your filtration system! Tilapia are generally best for farming as they are very hardy and yummy.

How many fish you have depends on the size of your tank system. If you are farming fish a 200 gallon tank at the very least will do well in my experience.


Plants that are/have been successful:

Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Peppers
Beans
Peas
Squash
Broccoli
Kale
Cauliflower
cabbage
Lettuce
Sweet Corn
Beets
Radishes
Carrots (they grow all funny and not straight due to not growing in soil but taste SO much better!)
Strawberries (need a lot of sun)
Many herbs will also do very well

These are just a few, feel free to experiment! However, do not try Blueberries! You need 2 bushes and they need to be planted in more acidic soil, not good for aquaponics as they do best in a garden.