Trying out aquaponics.

Aquaponics is something I have wanted to try for a long time. I have used watercress indoors growing in trickle-filters and in the stream on my pond, but would like to try to grow other plants using this method. It is also a practical idea because I have an overstocked aquarium (not my own doing, Guppies and cherry shrimp never stop breeding) and a pond full of fish. This means there is a lot of nutrient rich water available.

As a test with a look at making something larger for outside in the spring, I decide to make something small to fit on the top of my aquarium. I wanted something I could slot my existing 10cm self-watering pots into except instead of using pint glass reservoirs they would get aquarium water in a constant flow.

I started by buying a plastic trough tall enough to accommodate my 10cm pot, a gap and then enough of a reservoir to work. I then made polystyrene top out of a poly-box lid. this added another 2cm to the pot heights. I drew round the top of top of the pot and cut inside the line, to make three holes big enough to fit the pots but small enough for them to not fall through.

Lid with wholes cut and one plant installed

I used a drill to make a 22mm whole in the bottom of the trough. I bought a 22mm overflow plastic bulkhead fitting. I use this size because they are cheap being the standard fitting used on overflows on water tanks. the fitting stood just tall enough inside to leave quite a lot of room for water roots. it also had a cap that made it slightly taller. If I wanted to though I could always add always add a riser to make the reservoir deeper, as long as I leave some space above and don't dip the pot in the water.

Bulkhead drain

I made another whole in the side of the trough to act as both an entry point into the trough for the inlet pipe and air pipes, but also as an overflow if the bottom drain became blocked.

Inlet entry/overflow

I used a small aquarium filter (because i have many around the place) and a piece of tubing to pump water up into the trough.

 Once it fills the trough to the level of the top of the bulkhead fitting it overflows back into the aquarium. I added a couple of air stones on an air-pump because I had one spare and new it would help get oxygen around the plants roots.

Final view inside trough, showing air-stones, inlet and bulkhead outflow.

I Once all put together I have installed three of my Capsicum baccatum as they are two big for the grow areas and don't like the cold in the windows. I also picked plants that already had roots long enough to reach the water in the trough, also their wicks just reach the water. I have got a small light on there at the moment and they are near a window but I may swap some lights around and see if I can give them a bit more.

Whole tank with aquaponic trough installed

 (although I don't know where all the fish were hiding during this, there is masses in there).

I really look forward to seeing how the plants do in there and if they have any impact on nitrate/phosphate levels in the aquarium. if they do well, I will consider making a much longer version for the side of the pond in the spring.

Happy growing!

Chilli pepper update - Decorating reservoirs

All my peppers are doing well and starting to take over every window. As they get bigger they start to empty there reservoirs quicker and quicker. As I have mentioned in the blog before I will be using poly-boxes for multiple plants as larger reservoirs once they go outside. In the mean time someone on http://www.chillisgalore.co.uk/ forum (which I am now a posting member of, Hi guys) suggested using 2l bottles as bigger reservoirs. Luckily the pots I have spent a fortune on, when I have plenty of old pots, fit perfectly into both pint glasses AND 2l bottles. As they get much wider at the top. This makes me feel not so bad about buying so many of them just to have uniform plants.

Two Capsicum rhomboideum in my old (or now my beginner) reservoirs.

Capsicum pubescens "Mini rocoto" in new larger 2l bottle reservoir.

This has worked very well and saved me a lot of watering. The one issue with this (highlighted by some of the peeps on the forum) is that the clear reservoirs mean you can unwanted algae growth in the water/nutes. This was never really much of an issue in the cups as they would drain in a week or less and not have time to grow much algae. Now using the larger 2l bottles this could become more of a problem.

I decided I would use wrapping paper (lots left over after Christmas) to make sleeves to go over all my 2l bottle plants. Also one of my overwintered Aji lemon is one of the few plants in a different sized pot so wouldn't fit in a 2l bottle, so  I needed to find something with a slightly more narrow opening. luckily i found a vase that it fitted perfectly which holds even more than the 2l bottles.

Rocoto large red, Aji lemon, and Turbo pube in there new decorated reservoirs.

I was really pleased with how these turned out and will be making lots more.

This week I also decided to install a reservoir for my over-wintered second year Red Rocoto. It wasn't growing much and always seemed dry. I used polystyrene to make a "collar" to make the flower bucket its in sit nicely on top of a large ex-salt bucket. I hope this kick starts my Red rocoto as i would love a bumper crop this year, as I enjoy cooking with them.

2nd year Rocoto

That's all folks! Stay tuned for more updates. I have cut back my colt coral some more so the marine aquarium looks very different I will be sure to post an update soon. I am also currently finalizing my list of Capsicum annuums that I will be growing and of course there is all the pepper relatives that I am in the process of starting. 

Happy growing!

Capsicum wild species

It looks like I have finished collecting seeds for this year. I wont have time to start any more wilds even if I find them. I found seeds for all available seeds except flexuosum which I couldn't find this year. I am still waiting on tovarii and rocopica (eximium/cadenasii x pubscens) to germinate, and the cardenasii I have I expect will turn out to be eximium as most do. Below is a photo of eleven species together, once tovarii germinates I will have Twelve.

Eleven species of Capsicum in one photo

Back row - C. annuum "Tesco yellow"/ C.frutescens "tobasco/

C.baccatum "mini bonnet"/C.pubescens "montafur"/C.praetermissum "cumari pollux" 

Middle row - C.chinense "7pot bubblegum"/C. chacoenese "CAP 524"/

C.galapagoense "Long"/C.rhomboideum/C.eximium 

Front seedling - C.lanceolatum

My Capsicunm eximuim has been fairly slow and spindly growing. However it does now seem to be getting somewhere with shoots on it nodes, as can be seen below.

Capsicum eximium

Capsicum rhomboideum has been my favourite plant so far. Its so different to other capsium. its leaf shape, colour, and many other attributes. Its leaves and stems almost look like a succulent.

Capsicum rhomboideum

My two Capsicum chacoense varieties are very different which will be a subject for another post.

C. chacoenese "CAP 524"

 Capsicum lanceolatum is very slow growing and apparently the peppers are not very nice tasting but its worth trying to grow just for the flowers.

 Capsicum lanceolatum

That's all for now just a mini update. Lots more to come as I cut the coral in my marine aquarium back today. photos and an explanation to come.

New year update.

At the start of the year I have been very busy. My pepper grow is progressing and there are chilli plants all over the house. Most of my wild species have germinated and are thriving. 

Capsicum Rhomboideum                 Capsicum eximium

The other domesticated species are all doing well, except for a few of the overwinters which I think I cut back too heavily. This does not matter too much as I have more than enough plants.

Capsicum baccatum Aji omnicolor            Capsicum Chinense Habanero Hawaii Beach

 Capsicum frutescens Tobasco      Capsicum Pubescens Rocoto Mini

 Capsicum praetermissum Cumari pollux     Capsicum annuum Tepin

My first batch of pepper relatives is in the propagator. Solonum uporo, Solonum topiro and lycium chinense have all germinated already.

Coming up to its first birthday my marine aquarium is messy but healthy. There are too many fish and some of them are getting a bit large, I would remove them but it involves taking the rocks out because otherwise I will never catch them. this means its a massive job and I haven't got there yet. My colt coral has reacted well to its haircut so much so that I will have to take more off soon. I have yet to successfully stick any of the frags down but I have some hopes for the bit in the refugium at the moment.

Reef aquarium

My newest inhabitant is my short-spine urchin. It eats masses of algae which It scrapes of the rocks.  Some people are worried about the short-spine urchin as it can burrow into rock, indeed my one does scrape rocks very clean, like it scrapes of the top layer of rock as well. This does not really worry me because of the sheer amount of rock in the aquarium.

short spine urchin

That's all for now but I will be back with some more detailed updates soon!