This is some extreme gardening. [I Am Become Derpth] didn’t let lack of space or tillable soil stop him from growing a bountiful harvest. Instead of cutting though prairie sod to begin the farming he had to contend with the concrete expanses found in the NYC area. Here he’s nearing the end of an impressive aquaponics installation in Brooklyn, New York.
For a good overview of what aquaponics is all about we suggest you take a look at this Oakland, CA setup. The heart of the system is a closed loop that uses both plants and fish for balance. The byproduct is edible greens. The image above shows the growing beds through which water is circulated. They’re filled with clean gravel which keeps the roots happy. Once the water has made it through this system it is piped into the basement of the apartment where water tanks filled with fish reside. The system uses the fish waste (broken down by bacteria) to feed the plants.
It’s an efficient system but one thing’s for sure, you don’t just go out and buy a rig this complicated. We think you’ll really enjoy going through the build log linked at the top.
[via Reddit]
That’s a pretty cool project, I’m glad you featured it.
I’d like to try something like this in the future.
I’d like to have something like this but I would end up with one of two outcomes (if i where managing it) I’d end up with a miniature rain forest after not tending to it for an extended period, or an aquaponic alge farm, or even worse a bunch of half soggy/dry-husk dead plants reeking of dead fish.
Green thumb i do not have and fish aren’t my ideal pets =P
Excellent build :). I totally love the design.
I am finishing the grow house for my (much smaller) system this weekend. I live in central Oregon, and the last frost date here is the 5th of July so this is all being done indoors. I’ll only be growing about a dozen tilapia until I can get a larger tank. This is a heck of a way to produce food in a small space.
How bad is the fish smell in the basement? I can’t imagine that being the most pleasant thing. And why put the fish indoors? I think I missed something.
How bad is the fish smell in the basement? I can’t imagine that’s very pleasant. Also, why put them indoors? I think I missed something. Cool build. I’d love to do this in the future.
tilapia like nice warm water, that why I’m not doing this myself its to cold up here and I dont have a nice basement to hide the tanks in.
Impressive project. I sure hope he’s an owner, not a renter. Cuz if he was I suggest he change crops. http://JetCityOrange.com/MMJ/cultivation/
haha you were too quick, I was going to suggest the same.thing.
Awesome build, a great example of a very well planned/conceived and carried out project.
@ngcurrier I think the water was inside to help easily control the temperature of the water using the houses AC/Heater. A lot of fish cannot survive well in rapidly changing temperatures without anywhere warm/cold to swim and I imagine it helps the plants to keep their roots at a steady temp. All this is just me guessing though I could be wrong.
I dont think those were mosquitoes in your picture, I am pretty sure they are Chironomidae. The larvae are called bloodworms and are an awesome fish food if you can get them.
What a great use of space. Too bad about the aphid invasion, did you add the ladybugs or did they just arrive on their own. I am looking at building a greenhouse soon. I am going to take pics like this, thanks for sharing your information.
Nicely done Aquaponics design for limited space. What type of fish you use for this system?