December 2, 2014 The entire aquaponics system is more or less complete. There is a light stand made of PVC pipes, a 30 watt LED flood light shining at 6500 kelvins (K) and a timer set for 12 hours on, 12 hours off. The fish tank has fully cycled and the fish are looking healthy.
All that's left now is to wait and see what happens with the plants in the grow bed. The LED light is good for about half of the grow area. If results are positive for this light, a second will be placed next to it.
Basil sprouts are under the light and maybe some others will be added later. Until then, some research is going into how exactly to use soil with aquaponics. If there is a way to wick the water up to a layer of soil isolated from the system, and allow the roots to enter the pumice stone bed, this might give the best of both worlds in terms of indoor aquaponics and organic gardening.
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