First Aquaponics Grow

noble5052 I didnt see any signs of stress after transplanting which was exciting considering i added pure ammonia earlier to cycle my aquaponics. We have other autos and fems in no-till soil so this was more of an experiment for a larger aquaponics system next year. I have about one gallon of Roots Organics on top, burlap, and the bottom of the container is filled with hydraton as part of a flood and drain bed. Only hoping for an ounce or two :) and I will be trying to grow a few veggies in the flood and drain as well.

noble5052 Seemed to bolt up this week. I alternated fish emulsion with recharge whenever the first inch of soil was dry. Also removed the cover crop and straw as it was getting into the fish tank. She started to flower and developed a faint smell that was almost sweet. System is done cycling and the fish are in. They had no more goldfish at the store so I went with tetras instead.

noble5052 I started making teas using Recharge, Fish Sh!t. liquid fish emulsion and seaweed, worm castings, and molasses. I haven't noticed any signs of deficiencies or stress. I did find some mites and used some diamatacious earth at the base of the plant. I ended up squishing most of the mites as there are not many leaves and it didn't take long. I have not seen more mites since so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

noble5052 I continued feeding with the teas. Trimmed up any damaged fan leaves. Starting to bulk up and is getting frosty.

noble5052 All of the fish have died. I'm not sure why but I found them all dead inside my small solids filter around the pump. I made a new one with no possible entrances so none should get trapped. I think I unintentionally made a fish trap. I am keeping to the same compost tea and might get some goldfish but it seems as though the buds will fatten up in the next couple weeks and I don't plan on using this system in the fall as the temperatures will be too low. I have also defoliated leaving only the leaves around the bud sites. I can't wait for the chop :)

noble5052 I put new fish in the system and went with guppies instead of tetras. There was some rot and spider mites so I chopped some lower buds early. Put in another fan to get more airflow which seems to be working. I am still making the same compost teas and watering the top of the soil every other day or so.

noble5052 I had to chop the top of the main cola because of rot :( . I'll be chopping next week and I'm still feeding from the top with compost tea. The fish are fine and I had to feed them less for the water quality.

noble5052 This grow was better than I expected. Controlling the water chemistry with only 7 gallons was very hard but I kept the plants alive. Unfortunately I lost the first school of tetras but the guppies were hardy and are still alive. I would like to attempt a larger aquaponics grow using maybe 25 gallons and possibly indoors if I can control the mold. The container was about three gallons and I only had four small fish so was not expecting great results. It was a pretty small yield but I am still satisfied.