Aquaponics? Interesting EcoQube tank!

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Brian_Nano12g

Aquarium Advice Addict
Joined
Jan 13, 2010
Messages
6,147
Location
Arizona
I haven't really heard of Aquaponics until now. Found this interesting looking tank that creates a mini eco-system in your house.

Check it out!

img_2702485_0_5f5a691971caf9442e643bfabf63c448.png


img_2702485_1_9377f0ea4d03eb506866a108e5bc8ec7.jpg


More info below:

ADI's Aquaponics Filter!

EcoQube | Support Us On Kickstarter!
 
My greenhouse is set up on a basic aquaponics model. This is an interesting filter setup, I saw a kickstarter last year for an all inclusive tank aquaponics thingamajig and it seemed neat although the size kinda prevents it from really having much viability. Great novelty factor, though.
 
I'm seriously thinking about picking one of these up. My parents love the idea. I would want to do shrimp though, so I'm not sure how well the concept would work since fish produce such a small bioload.

Where can I buy one, Brian?
 
My greenhouse is set up on a basic aquaponics model. This is an interesting filter setup, I saw a kickstarter last year for an all inclusive tank aquaponics thingamajig and it seemed neat although the size kinda prevents it from really having much viability. Great novelty factor, though.

That sounds cool... I'd love to see pics of your green house and aquaponics setup. Yeah, this EcoQube is somewhat in the novelty realm, but it looks functional... I mean, growing some herbs or something would be cool near the kitchen. You think there's a risk of contaminating food with some type of fish pathogen though? I know they stated there will be LED UV stabilizers built in.
 
I'm seriously thinking about picking one of these up. My parents love the idea. I would want to do shrimp though, so I'm not sure how well the concept would work since fish produce such a small bioload.

Where can I buy one, Brian?

I think the shrimp would probably produce too little bioload for it to work. Maybe shrimp and fish?

Not sure when and where to buy one? I wonder if they'd sell some soon since they have a kickstarter campaign? Might have to hit them up on their TPT sponsor forum.
 
I think the shrimp would probably produce too little bioload for it to work. Maybe shrimp and fish? Not sure when and where to buy one? I wonder if they'd sell some soon since they have a kickstarter campaign? Might have to hit them up on their TPT sponsor forum.

That's what I thought. Maybe just some CPDS and shrimp then. I'll see what I can do.
 
That sounds cool... I'd love to see pics of your green house and aquaponics setup. Yeah, this EcoQube is somewhat in the novelty realm, but it looks functional... I mean, growing some herbs or something would be cool near the kitchen. You think there's a risk of contaminating food with some type of fish pathogen though? I know they stated there will be LED UV stabilizers built in.

There's not a big risk of fish to person pathogens to begin with, many people run aquaponics setups on much larger scale with no issues to speak of. The size of the potential grow area is quite limiting as well as the prospective light source (ambient room light), so its not going to be sucking up nutes en masse. A dose of flourish weekly would likely do it in most cases.
 
Thanks... haha... my Swype keyboard on my phone chose to use stabilizers versus sterilizers with the auto spell check...lol
 
There's not a big risk of fish to person pathogens to begin with, many people run aquaponics setups on much larger scale with no issues to speak of. The size of the potential grow area is quite limiting as well as the prospective light source (ambient room light), so its not going to be sucking up nutes en masse. A dose of flourish weekly would likely do it in most cases.
I would be very very very catious dosing anything in a tank you intend to eat out of! I believe flourish is the one that says not for use in tanks with fish intended for human consumption. I would stick to basics.
If you are going to run this on ambiant or window light then shrimp and snails would provide enough bioload. Even with a light it will probably be ok as snails can be quiet messy. I wouldnt dose ferts as the fish should produce enough.
 
I would be very very very catious dosing anything in a tank you intend to eat out of! I believe flourish is the one that says not for use in tanks with fish intended for human consumption. I would stick to basics.
If you are going to run this on ambiant or window light then shrimp and snails would provide enough bioload. Even with a light it will probably be ok as snails can be quiet messy. I wouldnt dose ferts as the fish should produce enough.

Have you done an aquaponics setup like this? If so how did it go?

If you know what the ferts are comprised of then there's no need to be overly cautious IMO. The warning label, if there is one, would have more to do with legal liabilities than actual toxicity risk. However if it is still a concern beyond that you could get some maxicrop to supplement fertilizer.
 
Have you done an aquaponics setup like this? If so how did it go?

If you know what the ferts are comprised of then there's no need to be overly cautious IMO. The warning label, if there is one, would have more to do with legal liabilities than actual toxicity risk. However if it is still a concern beyond that you could get some maxicrop to supplement fertilizer.

I have not. I have a tank with emmersed plants currently hut not with crop. I would recomend looking into miracle grow organic potting soil for the tank. That should heop negate the need for ferts as well.
I am basing my suggestions based on the walstad methodolgy. I may be wrong in my thoughts howevernI would not dose a tank with plants intended for human consumption with anything I wasnt 1000% sure was ok.
 
I have not. I have a tank with emmersed plants currently hut not with crop. I would recomend looking into miracle grow organic potting soil for the tank. That should heop negate the need for ferts as well.
I am basing my suggestions based on the walstad methodolgy. I may be wrong in my thoughts howevernI would not dose a tank with plants intended for human consumption with anything I wasnt 1000% sure was ok.

Well there's a few things to consider. First, flourish ferts works in the same way as miracle gro, jobes, osmocote, etc. So it's not 'organic', but it doesn't necessarily mean it's toxic in any way. If you eat only organic labeled foods then I could see why it would be given extra consideration.

Second, if you are going down that road, then you'd only put gravel safe for human consumption in the tank, along with fish/inverts that have only been fed with foods safe for human consumption their entire lives, and so on and so forth. You'd also have to grow every potential plant from seed to be certain that it hasn't had these inorganic fertilizers in it's system, since store bought plants tend to have some kind of slow release fertilizer pellet or ball around their root base.

Also, the aquaponics setups rely on a hard substrate material to hold the plants in place, since water is flowing over it they don't typically use any kind of dirt or soil.
 
Well there's a few things to consider. First, flourish ferts works in the same way as miracle gro, jobes, osmocote, etc. So it's not 'organic', but it doesn't necessarily mean it's toxic in any way. If you eat only organic labeled foods then I could see why it would be given extra consideration.

Second, if you are going down that road, then you'd only put gravel safe for human consumption in the tank, along with fish/inverts that have only been fed with foods safe for human consumption their entire lives, and so on and so forth. You'd also have to grow every potential plant from seed to be certain that it hasn't had these inorganic fertilizers in it's system, since store bought plants tend to have some kind of slow release fertilizer pellet or ball around their root base.

Also, the aquaponics setups rely on a hard substrate material to hold the plants in place, since water is flowing over it they don't typically use any kind of dirt or soil.

Ok I disagree with you but thats ok. I think just about any natural gravel willnhave no effect on the water or food. Also plants will have to be grown in a foodsafe way.
I dont know about aquaponics enough to know about he substrate however.
 
Again, the fruit and vegetable plants that you find in garden centers are almost all grown with inorganic fertilizers of some kind, so what's the difference between miracle gro plant spikes, osmocote capsules, or flourish when it comes to being food safe?

I was being partly facetious about the gravel thing, but in the end who is going to deem things safe or unsafe if not us? Most fish food is labeled 'not for human consumption', so by that line of thinking if we've given any of this to anything in the aquaponics setup then we've ruined the entire crop. And I can tell you that pretty much every person I've read up on that does aquaponics uses some sort of fish-grade feed to some extent.
 
Again, the fruit and vegetable plants that you find in garden centers are almost all grown with inorganic fertilizers of some kind, so what's the difference between miracle gro plant spikes, osmocote capsules, or flourish when it comes to being food safe?

I was being partly facetious about the gravel thing, but in the end who is going to deem things safe or unsafe if not us? Most fish food is labeled 'not for human consumption', so by that line of thinking if we've given any of this to anything in the aquaponics setup then we've ruined the entire crop. And I can tell you that pretty much every person I've read up on that does aquaponics uses some sort of fish-grade feed to some extent.

Alright. There is a big difference in flourish and miracle grow ferts. I wouldnt use it. Other people can their choice not mine.
 
Whats the difference between the two other than miracle gro spikes utilizing urea/ammoniacal nitrogen (potentially harmful to aquatic life)?

One is listed as safe onenis specifically listed as not. I dont know every ingredient in either. Therefore I will trust the label.
 
Back
Top Bottom