Okay... I got the demo system on a trial run.   One problem I am having is that I have some leaks... I've tried twice to fix the with aquarium cement, but still an issue, as there's an area of my grow bed that cracked.   It's a fairly small leak though, and I think I can work with it.   The bigger problem is that I can't get my bell to siphon.   Not sure what I did wrong.    Gotta fiddle around with it some more.    Our 4H gardening clinic is less than a month away now, and I'm getting a…

A while  back I read a blog on this site called "What I Learned After The Storm".  These words still ring in my mind "learn to grow 50 things people do not know are edible".  I have repeated this often to people and to people who tour the farm.  They have deep meaning to me.  Permaculture says "a weed is just a plant in the wrong place.  I have learned to grow many things people do  not know are edible.  I am not doing it to keep people from crashing my gates but to share with everyone what…

A Cooperative Program Between Midwest Permaculture and Center for Sustainable Community

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I have a portion of my bypass water going to the SS heater coil in my woodstove and since it goes high above the rest of the system in order to clear a doorway I ran into some issues. All goes according to plan once I force the water up and over. However if there is a power interruption either by me or the power lines I immediately loose the prime and the coil is emptied and soon overheats and melts the pvc fittings.

So what I needed was a check valve that would not create any back…

The trout kicked the bucket and now I'm left with an empty tank and two grow beds full of vigorously growing pea plants. I think I'd like to try a hardier fish next time like yellow perch. Unfortunately my local hatchery won't be selling perch until things thaw out around here.

Looking for anyone who's has a system in Kansas. Would like to meet and discuss your system, get pointers, prevent some mistakes  on my part, and get some ideas on starting a community. If there is anyone please contact me

Steve

Keep your system tight, and your food growing

 P.S. We are currently expecting about 15 inches of snow, I long for a green paradise in this winter wonderland...

We are assembling an Aquaponic Science Project for our home schooled children. I am a former missionary educator in English & Computer science.When the local Honduran school teachers asked me "If there was one subject that was most important to teach their students,what would I teach." I said, "How to grow food to survive" They expected a much different answer, and Before I knew their area, I would have given a more technical answer. But growing food and gaining basic survival skills is…

I'm about to embark on another deployment upon the Ocean.  My system is going back into the hands of my less than enthusiastic wife for at least 4-8 weeks.  I'm leaving her with a happy system.  Did a small water change today, mainly to remove some solids from the bottom of the tank.  Completed my monthly plumbing overhaul and serviced the pump and pipes.  Scrubbed the algae off the inside of the tank so things are crystal clear now.  Then just for fun threw some seeds into the media perhaps…

On Feb 10, 2013 I started the system with "feeder" goldfish.  I didn't think I needed the filtration set up at first, but the water stayed quite murky, so I did add the filtration

Filtration consist of 1 screen, 2 pebbles, and 3rd 2" thick mesh filter.  The water cleared up over night.

I added a few gallons of existing water, from a friend's system, to help the start up.

Today I set up the 40 feet of 3" pvc for the primary run.  The secondary run will be 20 feet.  I used…

(I wrote this post about a week ago and finally got around to putting the finishing touches on it today...Enjoy!)

I've been thinking this morning about aquaponics. Which is pretty typical for me, I guess. I just about use all of my excess mental capacity thinking about growing things. Mushrooms, chickens, goats, fish, plants, rabbits, bees...they are on my mind constantly. The thoughts for this morning were aquaponics, compost, and redworms.

I give people tours of my…

One of the biggest things that irritates me is Urban farming. Not talking about the practice of urban farming but of the lean that urban farming in New York State is just in NYC.  It is bothersome that NYC is all that folks think of when they thing of NY State, personally the are biggest social economical baggage that the state has and the state would be better off without it.  That being said, just do some research on Urban Farming in NY State.  Even Cornell University focuses in on the…

Today I have taken two baby steps forward. I have made some small tweaks to my system. #1: I rerouted my pipes so that they are now ziptied to my wire shelving unit rather than secured to the wall using pipe bands. This reduced ALL OF THE NOISE (YAY!) my system was making in my bedroom (minus the pleasant sound of flowing water, of course) because now the vibration from the pump is not transferred into the walls in the corner of my bedroom. 

#2: Repaired a leak in the system. I am…

so made a rocket stove to act as a water heater. used 4 inch thin metal pipe AC duct., Worked well first day test run.  ran for about 3 hrs.Today was working the a little better due to a shorter up pipe witch lowered the water pipes. After about 2 hrs running 30 min at max fuel scrap wood chopped up to the size of large kindling. I was able 150 gallons a hour up about 40 degrees (from inlet to output). 

Then disaster.

The metal lining melted and the…

I thought I kept the store bought fish in isolation for long enough.  Well I was wrong.  Now I have ICH in my tank.  This really sucks.  Since moving the entire colony into a hospital tank for two weeks is not really an option, I've begun treating (with heat and salt) directly in my AP system.  I'm very worried that I'm going to kill off my bacteria, worms, and plants.  I wonder if the fish are worth it?  I could just go get more and start all over.  hummm?

I think my bell siphon is alive and mocking me.  I can sit in the playroom where my aquaponics experiment is located all day long and it runs without a hitch.  No sooner than I leave the room and the cycle gets stuck at the end of the ebb.  The siphon won't stop.  I unplug the pump, let the siphon burp, expel a few obscenities, then get it running again.  Now I'm watching, intently.  Of course as long as I'm there it will run without fail.  I've even tried sitting just outside the room.…

Our system has been running for about five weeks.  We used an IBC tote, have 150 gallons of water with 10- 4" tilapia and 20- 2" tilipia.  We are growing lettuce, spinach, broccoli and strawberries in the grow bed.  Everything seems to be going well; fish are alive and so are plants.

I am driving myself crazy trying to understand the ppm of all these components.  I have read so many different things that I am having nightmares about numbers and ppm.

Using Ph down we have our…