Hello everyone,

I have just looked at the front page and I have to apologise for seeming to take up half of it with various photos, videos, updates etc... it seemed they were everywhere so sorry for hogging the white space!

As you may have gathered from previous posts, I am trying very hard to put together a micro system that could be used in schools in Japan, but particularly we want to donate them to schools in the regions that were severely affected by the…

Hi everyone, brand new to the community, been running an aqua farm since Feb 2010.  Wondering if anyone here has any experience revamping a portable farms system?  did some reading on the site and found a comment about a few others experiencing what I went through.

Thanks

A.N.N. test of "plan B" fishless system on Saturday, 26 Nov 2011. Have a few seedlings in the bed. Have been occasionally adding capful of seaweed extract. Shifted to Maxicrop with Iron (2%). Added 50 ML yesterday.  Noted that after over dosing with Muriatic Acid (75 ml) pH dropped to 5 range and water seemed to clear. Prior it was slightly murky in appearance. As pH…

Aloha All

David H said we haven't read our thankful posts we wrote in 2010 so I thought we should post our 2011 thoughts on thankfulness.  I have wanted to write a blog on how I feel for some time but never seem to get the time to do it.  I want to say that I am very thankful this Thanksgiving for many things,

I reached my 71 st year if life this month and discounting a few aches and pains am halthy.  I do wish my body felt as young as my mind.  I have the most wonderful…

OK, we've been up and running for two weeks now, bated breath, but starting to let it out, everything seems balanced in the system.

If you'd like to see one extremely conservative way to save space, search facebook (FB in future posts) for Lanai Aquaponics.

I've scored six IBCs and they're sitting in the driveway. Still working on the plan for my basement in Google Sketchup. There is a lot of planning still to do - and cleaning out the basement!

Photo below is of pea gravel in small laundry detergent bucket with holes drilled in bottom and around lower edges. Gravel came from AP community member Kip Edmond's system.  Rather than mix the pea gravel with the Hydroton, I thought I'd see if this approach might work to inoculate my grow bed.  

Also noticing wide swings in pH from a 6.5 at 9AM this morning to 8.0 at 5 PM. Will forego muriatic dosing this evening and take new samples tomorrow.  Photos of each test are on…

Learning from 'Mr Vertical'...aka... Sahib, The Urban Guru.

I've been having the pleasure of working with Sahib, 'The Urban Guru' for a few weeks now. I believe Mr. Cosmo 1st called him that, in one of his great blogs.

Sahib is busy adding a 'new section' to his 'urban experiment.'  He calls Phase 2...'Vertical Mania'....lol. I love it.

If anyone…

Recently uploaded photo of our tap water showing the results of a test my tap water and the API test kit.  Dark blue green test tube is the tap water.  The light yellow green is a 10:1 dilution with lemon juice.  Conclusion: tap water is slightly alkaline and API test kit is working.

On the advice of TCLynx, added 5ml of muriatic acid this morning (Thrs 11 Nov 2011) and when I tested this afternoon, it was in the 7.0-to-7.5 range (photo to follow).  Also added capful of…

For the last couple of weeks, mounting pressure from family commitments, work and research projects have been taking its toll on my “aquaponics time”.  Recently, these little distractions culminated in the news that a job that I have applied for months ago had finally come through, and that I will be heading off to Cape Town, 800 km from where I live now.  I do not have much time to get all my things in order, and part of what I would like to sort out are the pages that I have started over…

I'm looking into using aquaponics in psychological care, I just made an presentation about aquaponics to an organization that uses gardening/plants in indoor and outdoor designs for psychological and physical health.

They liked the idea of using aquaponics so much that they are using a system as the center of  a new design for the outdoor area in an psychiatric care hospital.

Added washed red lava rock to grow bed this afternoon. Also ran first pH test of the water.  Looks to be in the 8 range.  Will monitor this week to see if adding the lava changes the level.  

I set this system up in our kitchen last year to help hone my skills of growing lettuce and herbs using a 50 gal reservoir with the plans of switching to a 50 gal fish tank this year.  Just getting ready now  make that move, and trying to figure out what kind of filtering system would be best.  I used coco 3" cups in the gutters when doing "hydroponics" and I am wondering if I should switch to the clay in the gutters and add earthworms.  Am I barking up the wrong tree? Any advice out there?…

My school operates an aquaponic greenhouse with 2 systems per class. We seeded a month and a half ago and the tilapia are eating and the plants were growing like crazy. At one point the cucumbers grew 3cm (1.2in) in one weekend. All of our seeds sprouted and grew like crazy. We held the plants in egg-cartons (I only suggest this if you have the power to keep bad bacteria at bay) so they would germinate.

Soon it was looking like a forest with the beans and cucumbers towering; the…

I am pleased to report that the CHOP2 system using the Rubbermaid Ag tanks is now working as I write.  Glued everything together (boy it's hard to keep the purple solvent from running everywhere!).   Started water test with sump filling grow bed to see if the siphon worked.  Immediately discovered leak around 1" tank flange. let most of water drain and then siliconed the flange.  Discovered same problem as I next filled the 100 gal. fish tank.  It too leaked, so I bailout some of the water,…

Hi,

I am located in the south of India in Cochin. I have a 600 lt concrete tank with about 5o tilapia of different sizes. A pump works every 15 minutes to circulate water into a grow bed and to a 100mm dia pipe which is a NFT bed. Water in maintained at a pH between 6.8 to 7.3 and has a tendency to go alkaline very frequently. I manage pH with orthophosphoric acid. 

Fish thrive very well. I feed them with a home made food which is a mix of azzola, hen's eggs and…

Dear Aquaponics enthusiasts, I have  taken it upon myself to do my part in sorting out the financial crisis in Ireland. I strongly believe that it is possible to create employment from an commercial aquaponics setup. I have a background in hydroponics in Holland from my time there in the 1990's. I know how to do the plumbing but I am sure the more experienced members will know that plumbing skills are only a small percentage of getting things right.

After huge effort and…

Phase one now almost ready to run. All of the PVC plumbing fittings in place, metal halide light rewired back to 240V for lower current drain, new circuit box installed, power outlets for pump and bubbler GFCI wired. Will begin water tests this weekend.

QUESTION:  What is recommended lighting cycle? Run 24 hrs a day or should there be some X hrs of dark?  

Milwaukee - Monday morning at Sweet Water Organics.  Upon my arrival, I was struck by the artistic flair and earthy ambiance that is quintessentially Sweet Water.  From hand painted signs and colorful artwork through out, I was immediately impressed by the fact that Sweet Water was more than just a place where they grow fish and plants.  I wandered about and explored while I sought out my host, Godsil.  Upon finally encountering some monolithic work being undertaken outside, I found…