A Community and Forum For Aquaponic Gardeners

All Blog Posts (837)

Broke down and hired a handyman

I just couldn't seem to find time to finish the construction, nor did I have the right tools for the job, and I can't keep asking friends to bring their tools and work on it with me. So I hired a handyman to come do the construction. I've still got more work to do, but at least it's down to just plumbing work, and I can handle that. Heck, I'm getting pretty comfortable with it after all this.

So I had the Handyman come and build the center support, and replace the plywood…

Continue

Added by Andrea on December 20, 2010 at 9:00am — No Comments

Liability Insurance for Small Scale Commercial Aquaponics

Does anyone know of any insurance companies that will cover a commercial aquaponics system? I live in WV and am having a hard time finding a company that will cover it. Thanks for your help. Matt

Added by matt on December 19, 2010 at 5:25pm — 8 Comments

Cooler weater and lower nitrates

My systems have normally run fairly high nitrate levels but in the winter when the fish don't eat as much, my nitrate readings do normally drop down into the orange.

Even after removing the bananas, a week of the fish not eating much quickly brings my nitrate levels down into an easily readable range and I suddenly don't feel like my system is too heavily loaded anymore.

I expect that if I didn't have the washed shells in my system (and therefore the high pH)…

Continue

Added by TCLynx on December 18, 2010 at 6:34pm — No Comments

Okay I'm new at this

Basically my interests in aquaponics comes from a single phrase and my own self interests. The quote comes from a book I read a long time age. but this is it. THAT WHICH IS NOT ECOLOGICALLY FEASIBLE WILL NOT BE ECONOMICALLY FEASIBLE. That makes a man think.

I live and work on a small ranch with a pond. I like to fish on that pond using minnows and was basically trying to figure out a way to keep numerous minnows alive and happy. That pretty much led me here, because I'm also an avid…

Continue

Added by Robert Robertson on December 11, 2010 at 12:42pm — 3 Comments

Home Food Production

It isn't Just Aquaponics to me.

I'm also into many other things surrounding all sorts of home food production. I've spent much of the past several days canning and preserving. The need was twofold we need to make space in the deep freeze since citrus season is coming on and we need the space to freeze juice but also my stock of canned soup and chile was getting low. See when the cook is not around, I tend to warm up a jar of soup and make my meal that… Continue

Added by TCLynx on December 5, 2010 at 1:20pm — 6 Comments

NASA to Announce Success of Long Galactic Hunt

www.spaceref.com.png?width=721" alt="">

Added by M Cosmo on December 2, 2010 at 1:32pm — 3 Comments

cooling water

Hi.
What is the best way of cooling down the water coming out of the fish tank ( tilapia ) before it's reach the plants ?

Added by Chamsiddine Afraitane on November 26, 2010 at 8:40pm — 2 Comments

Some national advertising for Aquaponics

Hey everyone, I hope a blog post on here is a good way to get this out. As I'm stillnew to this community, most of you don't know that I am a personal chef in Seattle. I am in a campaign with HP & Palm (and got a free phone and service for awhile from Palm) that is not only highlighting my food & services, but also my experience with aquaponics and trying to spread the word about its benefits in Seattle, WA (where I live) They have a FB page set up for me (seperate from my own)…

Continue

Added by Ricky Flickenger on November 23, 2010 at 8:00pm — 2 Comments

A blog about blogs from the one who didn't want to blog in the first place

Crazy right, I don't really like writing and never thought I was very good at it being dyslexic and spelling challenged but luckily the dyslexia (what a terrible work to expect some one who is to write) I have is very mild and I've been able to cope and work around it (only thing I've never been able to cope with is flash cards,) especially with the advent of spell checking. I do like sharing and this is why I write things, to help teach those who are interested.

Actually, this isn't… Continue

Added by TCLynx on November 21, 2010 at 7:27am — No Comments

More About Indexing Valves

So I got some more questions about these indexing valve things so I figured I should go ahead and write a bit more about them. They may not be appropriate for every situation but they do have their place.

Want to sequence the flow of water into your grow beds to only flood one at a time? Want to avoid extra wiring and control electronics? Then consider an aquaponics indexing valve. All that…

Continue

Added by TCLynx on November 14, 2010 at 4:30pm — 8 Comments

Raft Bed Saga, New Liner

Raft Bed Saga Part 5

So Friday Afternoon I went down and picked up the new liner for the bed.

Yesterday, I spent the day installing that new liner.

First I drained the existing liner (involved setting all the grow beds to constant flood to hold the extra water so I didn't waste it all. I also filled up some other tubs with water to try and conserve. Even so, I of course lost some.…

Continue

Added by TCLynx on November 14, 2010 at 9:30am — 4 Comments

Raft bed saga continues part 4

Raft bed saga part 4

Got up this morning to check on the new bed, still leaking but the bowing problem seems solved.

I used the time while that part of the garden was sunny this morning to add the rest of the arches over the bed for holding netting or frost blanket to keep the leave out.

I fear the leaks are not going to be slime healed and the used billboard liner is just so brittle and easy to abrade that I'm either gonna have to… Continue

Added by TCLynx on November 8, 2010 at 8:00pm — 11 Comments

Direct flow through system??

Earlier in October I had the opportunity to do the tour at Growing Power's facility in Milwaukee. While everything together is very cool, I naturally left with more questions than when I arrived. The big question is what the recirc system they use is most like? Besides the biofilt from the plant beds; which is gravel, supplemented with compost, an primarily monoculture watercress, and strong aeration, the water goes up and comes down.

The raceways work out to 1 fish per… Continue

Added by David Nabong on November 8, 2010 at 4:28pm — 19 Comments

Got a lot done!

Everything is definitely taking longer than I expected, but then I guess that's one of the things I should expect. I have an overly full calendar already and neither the tools nor the physical strength to do some of the things myself. Nor the know-how to completely plan things out. Some a lot of stuff is being done, and adjusted, on the fly instead of being completely planned in advance the way I'd prefer.

Last weekend the water tested too high in nitrites, and my growbed was clearly… Continue

Added by Andrea on November 8, 2010 at 2:00pm — No Comments

Raft bed saga continues Part 3

Raft Bed Saga Part 3

Grrrr, Here is what I found this morning when I cam out to see how the raft bed did filled over night. The Stays didn't, stay that is, they sprung off. I must admit I didn't secured them very well.

The bed was bowing out even wider than before. So I set the pump to draining it to the sump tank. I set the main grow beds to hold water so hopefully I wouldn't loose too much to the sump tank overflowing and I headed to… Continue

Added by TCLynx on November 7, 2010 at 7:00pm — 7 Comments

My first AP winter without a greenhouse

My first two years doing Aquaponics, I had my structure over my main Aquaponic system which provided handy support for plastic to turn it essentially into a greenhouse.

However, as many know, last spring code enforcement came around and said I had to take it down unless I got a building permeit for it (to get a building permit requires drawings stamped by an architect or engineer.) I could have made drawings but I never figured out how to get the proper stamps. So, the "greenhouse"… Continue

Added by TCLynx on November 6, 2010 at 7:11pm — No Comments

Twas a little chilly Raft Bed Saga Part 2

Raft Bed Saga Part 2

This day in November, to be plumbing wet liner and splashing in water.

But once a project thus started, it must be completed, unless paying work is what is competing.

I'm sorry my poetry may not be compelling but here are some pictures to quell your misgivings.

Last night I did fill the liner with water to see what would happen.

Come morning I found that… Continue

Added by TCLynx on November 6, 2010 at 6:30pm — 2 Comments

Its Magic. Closing in the Greenhouse

Today the Magician team of Tonya and Gina come to help me close in the greenhouse. I was anticipating getting to work with carpenters again and it was all that I was hoping for. I bought a vinyl door at that hardware crack house Lowes. All went great. The dynamic duo installed the door in the greenhouse. You can see for yourself that it I now have a building. When there is a door it is called a building.

After the door install they had a quick salad and then…

Continue

Added by M Cosmo on November 6, 2010 at 6:07pm — 3 Comments

Uh Oh, I have another bit of material I probably won't resist trying to use. Raft Bed Saga Part 1

Raft Bed Saga Part 1

On my Visit to Cosmo Back in October to witness the install of the indexing valve in the Man Cave, Michael bestowed upon me one of his used billboard liners.

I'm often not good at leaving useful items just sit by taking up space, I tend to try and make use of them when I can. Anyway, we will see how it does for me.

The liner is folded in half in the picture below. …

Continue

Added by TCLynx on November 4, 2010 at 3:00pm — 8 Comments

Well THAT isn't going to work...

Progress report:

I'm still fighting with the rainbarrels. This time I invited a friend over to help me, and we removed the fittings, put rubber gaskets in on *both* sides of the rainbarrel wall so it was sandwiched in, reinstalled the fittings, and one of them *still* leaks. The other one sealed fine on the fitting, but it leaks around the actual PVC pipe. Sigh. So I'm going to pull them apart and put silicone into the sandwich on both sides, and some PVC glue, and if that doesn't… Continue

Added by Andrea on November 1, 2010 at 2:00pm — No Comments