Aquaponic Gardening

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Anyone else had a problem with a mouse in your grow bed.  After a week I finally trapped it but it died in the grow bed.  Are there health implications with this happening?  I am considering re-doing my tank but really don't want to.  Any ides?  I am concerned about any pathogens that may be spread through the system.

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Did the dead carcass make contact with your system water? If it was on the top of your media bed, it might not be a problem.

It appears that it was only on top of the grow media.  I am just not sure how cautious I should be.  Is it no big deal or am I actually spreading something through my system?



Alex Veidel said:

Did the dead carcass make contact with your system water? If it was on the top of your media bed, it might not be a problem.

its no big deal.. fogetaboutit !



Rob Nash said:

its no big deal.. fogetaboutit !

LOL  ok.  I found it interesting that the 2 experts I contacted both said they never had this happen and that I was right to be concerned...so you have had this happen?  I guess my dislike of rodents has taken control of my reasoning but I think of all the diseases that rodents carry and then put that in a closed system- I just wondered if the bacteria in the grow beds is sufficient to clean the system.  Who would have known I would have a vegetarian mouse who turned down peanut butter and hot dogs in favor of swiss chard.

i have not had one die in the media.. but do know that they like most young veggies.

if you found it the next morning, and it didnt get the chance to drip grossness into the media, i would like to think its not a problem.

if it was poisoned and dripped into the media, that would be a problem.. maybe have to dump all the water.

if you were growing for the masses, it may be cause for a small remediation of that area's media.

I feel you on the uncertainty of the situation.. so, if it helps.. to my understanding, anything other poison really shouldn't be able to make it to the food.. ecoli, rabies, etc.

Also, aquaponic systems are microbially diverse, so there is going to be some competition for any harmful pathogens, unlike in a sterile system, where they could simply take over.I wouldn't worry too much. If you want to play it safe, change out your system water.

Mice in aquaponics are such a hassle.  I have them digging up my small plants in net pots all the time and scattering them around the grow bed.

Makes me want to add a hawk's nest in the corner of the greenhouse.  

You are the first person I have talked with that has had a problem with mice.  So do you have a good way to get rid of them or is it just a constant problem?  Have you had to take down a grow bed because of it or do you just replant?  The swiss chard that the mouse got has already starting sprouting new leaves so I am just waiting to see what happens.  My fish look great so I don't think there is anything nasty in the water. I really don't want to start all over.  Yeah, some kind of predator waiting in the greenhouse sounds like a good idea.  :-)

Jeremiah Robinson said:

Mice in aquaponics are such a hassle.  I have them digging up my small plants in net pots all the time and scattering them around the grow bed.

Makes me want to add a hawk's nest in the corner of the greenhouse.  

Nah, I don't do anything.  Except whine.

If I plant 4" seedlings they don't pull them up as much.  That's good enough for me.

If I got fed up enough I'd just set up mouse traps and feed them to the chickens.

I AM the predator in my garden. Bwahahahahahaha!!!!


Sue C. said:

Yeah, some kind of predator waiting in the greenhouse sounds like a good idea.  :-)


Right now I am having issues with gray squirrels burying black walnuts, butternuts and hazelnuts in my grow beds.  They out smart the have-a-heart traps and have learned that without my BB gun in my hand I they don't have to run that fast.  Tree rats.

One of these days we're going to have to confront the fact that squirrels are smarter than we are.  

We are their pets.  We exist only to provide them with nuts and candy bars. 

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