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aquaponics effect on sealed room co2 levels?

B

bajangreen

Ok so we will go with 40g co2 how does that match up to what the co2 guys are using.


Later in the blog you post above it goes on to say.... '1.85 grams CO2 per square meter taken from the atmosphere on average' so based on these numbers I think it is worth a shot.
 
audiohi

audiohi

Well-known member
Veteran
Maybe this is helpful...

POXYGEN = -0.25 kg per kg feed consumed by fish
-.12 kg per kg feed consumed by nitrifying bacteria​
-.13 heterotrophic bacteria (estimate, can be as high as 0.5)​
________________________________________​
POXYGEN = -0.50 kg per kg feed for system


PCO2 = 1.375 grams produced for each gram O2 consumed
(both fish and bacteria)
 
Only Ornamental

Only Ornamental

Spiritually inspired agnostic mad scientist
Veteran
bajangreen said:
Ok so we will go with 40g co2 how does that match up to what the co2 guys are using.


Later in the blog you post above it goes on to say.... '1.85 grams CO2 per square meter taken from the atmosphere on average' so based on these numbers I think it is worth a shot.
Click to expand...
Ask the CO2 guys how much they use (new post in the indoor section?) ;) .
Didn't really read the whole thing but I think it was the mean value for forest or something... We're better in producing CO2 than plants in producing O2 (because they also use oxygen and produce CO2).
 
C

CaliGabe

I just spent a month researching aquaponics for a potential commercial venture so really know nothing. It's not really a closed system cause you're gonna have to constantly pump in outside air to provide adequate O2 for the fish. Others mentioned the fish O2 requirement. Air volume in ='s volume out. Have a hard time believing it's possible to generate enough CO2 from the system to grow plants without supplementation in a closed system. So you supply CO2 and it's constantly bleeding out cause of your need to keep the fish alive with outside air.

If you're gonna be pushing the system for something like CO2 generation I'd think you'd have to include a solids filter because your fish density would be pretty high. In a small setup a swirl (maybe also known as a vortex filter?) or radial filter should work fine. You might possibly need a mineralization tank (anaerobic processing) to deal with nitrate levels if they get out of hand. Then you need to bubble air through the water from the outlet of the tank to offgas the nitrogen gas before the water goes back to the fish. So to degas you need to pump more outside air in. You could also do a water change to reduce nitrates.

A better approach might be to have the fish in a tank outside the grow room, using the water to feed the plants in the closed room and supplement with CO2. Maybe I missed that part and that's what you're already doing.

I think if you can do aquaponics in a closed system without fish dying and produce quality buds you should get a Nobel prize or something.
 
2

2 Legal Co

Active member
Veteran
CaliGabe said:
I just spent a month researching aquaponics for a potential commercial venture so really know nothing. It's not really a closed system cause you're gonna have to constantly pump in outside air to provide adequate O2 for the fish. Others mentioned the fish O2 requirement. Air volume in ='s volume out. Have a hard time believing it's possible to generate enough CO2 from the system to grow plants without supplementation in a closed system. So you supply CO2 and it's constantly bleeding out cause of your need to keep the fish alive with outside air.

If you're gonna be pushing the system for something like CO2 generation I'd think you'd have to include a solids filter because your fish density would be pretty high. In a small setup a swirl (maybe also known as a vortex filter?) or radial filter should work fine. You might possibly need a mineralization tank (anaerobic processing) to deal with nitrate levels if they get out of hand. Then you need to bubble air through the water from the outlet of the tank to offgas the nitrogen gas before the water goes back to the fish. So to degas you need to pump more outside air in. You could also do a water change to reduce nitrates.

A better approach might be to have the fish in a tank outside the grow room, using the water to feed the plants in the closed room and supplement with CO2. Maybe I missed that part and that's what you're already doing.

I think if you can do aquaponics in a closed system without fish dying and produce quality buds you should get a Nobel prize or something.
Click to expand...

I think you've pretty well summed it up.

On a brighter note, IF you don't need to get maximum growth. It would seem that just having the volume of water for system stability would be a plus,,,, and you'd truly have an organic system as long as you fed the fish organically.

My little experiment last summer showed me the value of fish water for plant food. And it was only creek water! Of course 'creek water' can't be considered 'organic' once effluent from sewage plants have been included. Oh well.

Enjoy your experiment. I'll be rooting for you.
 
C

CaliGabe

One of the things we are looking at is setting aside a small portion of the 50' x 50' greenhouse to grow cannabis as an experiment.

A concern I would have in doing what you're talking about is when you yank your plants at harvest time then nothing to use up the nitrates. As plants get bigger you need more nitrates then pluck em and nitrate levels spike. This for a situation such as what typically happens in a hydro room where all plants in the system are on the same cycle. I guess this is where water changes and/or cranking up a mineralization tank would come in handy...or harvest a few fish and eat them :biggrin:

Anyway your thread is helping me think about some things we'll need to deal with.
 
C

CaliGabe

2 Legal Co said:
I think you've pretty well summed it up.

On a brighter note, IF you don't need to get maximum growth. It would seem that just having the volume of water for system stability would be a plus.

Of course 'creek water' can't be considered 'organic' once effluent from sewage plants have been included.
Click to expand...
As for the first part thx.

As for the second part true that. A larger water volume will act as a buffer against fast and wild swings. Fish density is an important part of the equation though.

As for the third part...ever hear of Milorganite? Lol...not exactly organic though with what people eat these days.
 
T

TheMole

Member
You might possibly need a mineralization tank (anaerobic processing) to deal with nitrate levels if they get out of hand.
Click to expand...

Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of making nitrates for the plants to grow on?

How about worms to supplement the co2 from the fish. If you feed all the plant waste to worms residing in the grow room, more co2. It's also a neat trick to make it a more closed system and a safe way to get rid of suspicious waste. Then the worm castings make for great tea. Low maintenance, pretty neat if it works.
 
C

CaliGabe

TheMole said:
Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of making nitrates for the plants to grow on?
Click to expand...
It doesn't defeat the purpose of generating nitrates. It can help with systems, that for whatever reason, are producing too many nitrates.

Even if you're filtering out solids, when using a media to grow in like gravel/hydroton/etc. instead of or with a float system (DWC basically), the media will collect solids from plant exudates/root die off/solids missed by the filter/etc. you'll eventually get an anaerobic condition in the grow bed then see things like nitrites, ammonia and pH spike higher.

Using worms in the grow bed itself will help extend the time before you need to clean out any accumulated material. If you're not prefiltering the solution before it hits the grow bed with a swirl/radial/drum filter then you'll see an anaerobic condition develop soon rather than later even with worms.

Something like that.
 
C

CaliGabe

In my research I watched a crapload of videos including everything Will Allen did. He was using a drum filter and running water through gravel beds with plants. I don't remember anything about cleaning the beds even though they must be doing some type of maintenance at some point.

I have seen, more recently it seems, where people are using red composting worms in the media in the grow beds with ebb and flow systems that use a bell siphon to cycle water levels. I was thinking about a combo float and media bed system so I could grow different types of plants.
 
grouchy

grouchy

Active member
I'm a little late to the party but I have aquaponic experience with mj (see sig). I would start by setting up a co2 meter in your grow area and seeing what your baseline co2 is with air exchanges. Then add fish and seal it up and take another measurement. I would bet that air exchanges would replace more co2 than the fish create.
 
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