Hi guys great thread, good to see more and more people experimenting and using aquaponics. i started researching and testing small set ups about 5 - 6 years ago, great fun and really inspiring stuff. Due to renting all my grand plans have fallen well short of what i would like to do but reading this thread has sparked my interest again!
One thing i would like to point out, i have noticed in some of the pictures some people are using what looks like the cheap black tubs from bunnings, if these are the ones im thinking of they're not food grade, but made of recycled plastic and produced in China (no i do not want to start another china bashing thread), there is a similar concern for the green 500 litre water storage units from bunnings. You should be using food grade materials, its good enough for your beer so it should be good enough for the food you put in your mouth. just some food for thought, yes pun intended! Bath tubs make good grow beds but be aware that some do leech lead, its in small amounts and wouldn,t effect an adult but for the kiddies it might be something you might want to consider (there are strips you can purchase to test for the presence of lead). IBCs are good also but if you buy second hand make sure you know what has been in it.
It doesn't get any better than walking out the back door to catch a fish that you reared, and to make a salad from your own garden that you grew, while drinking something you have created.
Cheers to you all, i look forward to watching this thread and seeing peoples systems grow!
as for the concern for rhizomes, there isnt one, the root will be exposed to more air than in soil, you dont have to have the system continually running, with the use of timers the rhizome would only be exposed to water from 10 to 15 minutes an hour, you adjust the system to what you are growing. i couldnt find the site but in the states theres a large hop farm using hydroponics with great success.