Swirl vs. Plate filter

[Jeremiah Robinson]

I'm building a small DWC system, and am trying to decide what kind of filter to use for solids removal.

Is a swirl filter better, or should I use one of those filters with a sheet running through the middle the the water has to go under.

[Jeremiah Robinson]

That sounds great :)  It's an awesome thing you're building Larry.  Do you have pictures?

One of these days, we're going to have to learn to live in equilibrium with nature rather than as dominators.

One great step is to begin taking joy in the elegant beauty of ecosystems, to turn to nature for our primary source of peace, leisure, and to remind us of our humble place in the world.  Connecting with our food sources and participating in their nurture brings us "down to earth" (what a great phrase!) in a way that nothing else can.

For us urban guys, aquaponics provides an opportunity to bring this beauty and relationship with creation into the kinds of small spaces we can find in the city.

[larry poe]

I will take some and post them as it progresses......that would be kinda cool to go from "this" to "this".

we replaced all the windows and patio doors from my moms house a month or so ago. im using them to build this greenhouse. they  didn't like the aluminum ones and the sliding type patio doors and went for hinged type French patio doors and vinyl windows instead. I do have some pics of a brick patio/small gold fish pond I built though..

[larry poe]

one more.

[aquaman]

Very well said Jeremiah Just to many ppl completely detached from nature. Even ppl living in the country sometimes. It is my desire to help as many ppl as I can to get connected in some way or another. basically back to reality haha

[larry poe]

I grew up rural so a lot of "new fads" are things we done all our lives (jerry clower quote lol) I love the fact that I learned from a small age that eggs come strait out of a chickens azz for instance . that im at home in the garden and can grow about anything I decide to put there (for instance this year im growing tobacco, never grown it in my life but its thriving) we had "pets" all year who ended up with a side of potatos in the fall . pigs were always named pork chop or bacon.....calves usualy had a name like Tbone. We knew they were going to be on the dinner plate, or produce something that went on the plate (eggs from the hens, milk from the cows and goats ect ect) but that didn't mean they couldn't and shouldn't be well taken care of. we respected life for what it was, and I think that goes along ways towards explaining our position on the earlier gun debate. we were taught to respect life, and that there were only 2 reasons to kill. to eat and to keep from being eaten (killed ourselves/ self defence/ ect). In the Urban environment that's exactly what is missing. so far removed from the production of there own food that life sorta loses its meaning and by proxy the respect for it. not to mention the idea eggs come from the produce section and meat comes in plastic wrapped packages leads to a total detachment of the reality of the fact in order to live something else has to die. We understand lifes order and respect everythings place in it.

[aquaman]

Well Touche Larry Thanks for putting in words exactly what I was trying to say.

[Jeremiah Robinson]

@ Larry.  Is that patio going to be inside your greenhouse, or is that elsewhere?  It almost looks like it's begging for a waterfall :)

I agree with you guys that there are a lot of things that folks from the city can learn from farming, nature, and the country perspective.  It's so much easier to think where it's quiet.  Life is simpler and you can understand the world around you because it's understandable.

I think, though, that this very thing that is one of the primary advantages of the city.  We have to encounter complexities far beyond us.  We deal with people, every day, who are entirely different from us.  Different cultures, family backgrounds, religions, levels of education.  All of this diversity lives right on my block.  In a rural area (I would imagine) it would be easy to fall into thinking that your way is "right" and others are "wrong" and that you are fundamentally independent of other people.  In the city, it's apparent at every minute that we depend on each-other and have to trust each-other.

[Jim Fisk]

So well said Larry, I think that at a certain age every child who is going to eat meat, fish, etc. should have to slaughter and clean an animal or fish or chicken, etc. not to mention grow their own veggies, etc. We are as a people so far detached from reality it is probably why we are going so far astray in almost every aspect of life these days. That is true of guns as well. They are villainized without any proper perspective as to what they are and that is a tool like any other tool. I am willing to bet that Jeremiah would grab for that gun if someone were about to harm that new baby he is about to bring home for example. I know I would have no hesitation at all stopping some scum bag that was about to hurt or kill any one of my family or friends. I believe it is Sweden where every man has to serve, learn all about firearms, and keep his rifle loaded at at the ready in their home for the rest of there lives. Reality is there will always be people who want to kill or harm decent folks and I am not about to stand by and let them have their way if I am in a position to stop them. And I feel no reason to apologize for that belief.

My advice to anyone is to get as far away from the cities as they possibly can as soon as they can. If that means a longer commute, so be it. Our son just got a new job at 80k and we all live in the boonies. A 20 minute commute thru beautiful mountain switch backs. More and more companies are also getting away from the cities and all that goes with them. TN is a right to work state as well so we can thumb our noses at the unions.

Until I see signs to the contrary I feel this country is in for a world of hurt. The pressure here is so great because the elites that want OWO are well aware that the US is the only thing standing in their way and that is because we are used to freedom and our 2nd amendment. The left is trying their hardest to overcome that and this administration is trying their best to overwhelm the system (right out of Sol Alinsky's book "Rules for Radicals" on taking down a country) and the latest is what is going on at our Southern border where they are now busing thousands of illegals into Phoenix (he hates Jan Brewer) rather than turn them back. They just drop them off to fend for themselves. The states need to take back their rights that are systematically being stolen by Washington.

[aquaman]

Not really what I was saying my friend. Like I said even ppl in the country get detached. Truely its an epidemic of massive proportions. Also I actually work in phoenix during the week almost 5 million strong deal with what your saying every week. what works for one person doesn't always work for another. :D

[Jim Fisk]

Jeremiah, don't you have a baby to think about?

Hey, all your city neighbors that are as decent as you are are welcome out here in the mountains when the SHTF. Bring them along and we can all work together. I don't care a whit what color they are or what language they speak as long as they pull their weight according to their abilities. No commune here, just hard work and caring for one another and good times.

Hey ck out Local Salads out of Bahrain on FB. Wow, this guy has built quite a business. Jeremiah will take heart in his op. Just what you are dreaming of in your town. Still can't tell if it is AP or HP but the produce looks amazing. Just a good old boy starting small and growing to Biblical proportions.

[larry poe]

there is some truth in what jeremiah said about the mix of culture in the city vrs the rural setting where pretty much everyone has the same "ideals". IMO the difference is that as rural we see things as they are, and "urbanites" tend to see things as the wish they were. Nature for instance, since jeremiah already wrote a very nice comparison to our AP systems and an ecosystem in nature, and our ability to learn how things connect through them. when an urbanite sees or thinks about it, they see a balanced setting where everything depends on something else. for the most part that's true. what they don't see or think about is the exact things we rural folks know to be the truth. Nature isn't about balance, its a world of extremes. where a rabbit breeds to the point it depletes its food supply and overpopulation leads to plague and a crash....bobcats have larger litters from the excessive food supply while it lasts, only to starve out when disease hits the bunnys and there numbers crash too.

my grandmother taught me a couple storys that sorta puts all this in perspective....her mother was Lakota and these are ideas that got passed along....

an old man was sitting watching the camp around him when a young boy came up and asked him a question. "uncle (every male was Uncle rather related or not) will I be a good man or a bad one?" the old man answered " every man has 2 wolves inside him. a good wolf who cares for the pack, feeds his young, and protects the ones who cant protect themselves.........and a killer who takes without asking, kills with no remorse, and  preys on the helpless." "what kind of man you will be depends on what wolf you feed"

"when the animals first saw First Man, he was naked, cold, and helpless. they all got togather to talk because they felt sorry for First Man and wanted to help.

Owl said, "man is stupid, I will give him wisdom so he can survive"

Deer said "man is slow, I will give him my speed so he can survive"

Beaver said "man is cold, I will teach him to build a house and change the world around him to survive"

Real Cat (cougar) said man is weak and afraid. I will teach him to be brave and strong so he can survive"

Wolf said " I will teach him to hunt as a pack so he can survive"

Coyote said "i will teach him to be cunning so he can survive"

Later after all these gifts were given, the animals got back togather to talk about how they had helped First Man. Owl said " I saw man in the forest today. he is wise, he is fast, he is cunning, he is brave and strong, he hunts as a pack, and he changes the world to fit his needs. I am very afraid"

[larry poe]

almost forgot.....jeremiah, there is a small waterfall in that goldfish pond but a larger pond is planned nearby with a bigger fall (koi pond)......no its not where im building the greenhouse, its west of the house between the house and rabbit barn. it was accualy built to put the ashes of my all time favorite hound GRNTCHGRCH Robinsons English Looser. the dog I took to the finals of the world hunt in 2007. his ashes are under that goldfish pond.

I bought him from a guy named Larry Robinson in Boone IA......been meaning to ask if you were related to him but keep forgetting.