Readjusting measurements and putting in insulation

Although weve had some significant winds in the past two years since I installed my greenhouse there has been no problem with missing panels or wind damage.  I figure I should insulate the structure to provide for year-round aquaponics, however, I have to avoid any significant added weight to my plastic and aluminum greenhouse.  I used 1/2" x4x8 polystyrene foam to line the north walls and ceiling.  I drilled holes in the struts on either side of the ceiling in four locations and strung plastic coated clothesline wire across from wall to wall at ceiling level to support the foam against the ceiling.  I simply taped the upright panels to the north wall and taped all seams with some 3" wide industrial tape that seems to be holding very well.  On the south wall, from the ground to four feet up, the upper level of the grow beds, I used conventional sheets of foam insulation that I had in storage.  I also had some mylar/aluminum coated bubble insulation which I used on the west wall up to a level of four feet.  That is to protect my fish from getting too much light.  Above the insulation I used 1/2" interval bubble wrap that came in 30" wide lengths about 27 feet long.  I taped the pull-apart seams with postal tape and taped the several strips together.  The material is very light in weight, an advantage in the situation, and quite strong when the pull apart seams are taped.  I chose this material instead of using poly sheeting because of the additional insulation factor.  I had underestimated the width of the bins that I plan to use as grow beds which led to readjustment in the size of the supporting tables.  Im not using concrete blocks because of size constraints and my two level setup.

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The truth about the Aquaponics Gardening Course

Here is a review of the course that I had taken this winter. Its a nice and easy course, yet very informative.  I would like to take further in depth training at one of these facilities to have hands on training.  This lecture gives all the basics that one should know before getting into the aquaponics. I think aquaponics is very rewarding at the end of the day when you sit back and see what you have done and how a well tuned your system is and can be.

Please like and share this video

here is the link

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زراعة أسماك الحنشان بالمنازل

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?????? ????? ????? ????? ???? ??? ??? ???? ???????? ?????? ?? ??????? ???? ??? ?????? ??????? ???????? ?????? ???????. ?????? ??? ???????? ??? ????? ?????? ?????? ?? ????? ???? ???????? ?????? ?? "??????? ???????". ??? ????? ?????? ??? ?? ?????? ?????? ???? ???????? ????? ?????? ????? ???? ????? (????? ????? ?????). ????? ??? ??????? ???? ?????? ????? ?????? ???? ?????? ????? ????? ?? ?????. ??????? ????? ????? ?? ??????? ???? ??? ?? ???? ?????? ????????? ???? ??????? ?????? ?????? ???????. ??????? ???? ??? ??? ???? ?????? ?? ????? ?????? ???? ????? ??????.  

            

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1-  ???? ????? ??????? ??????? ?? ???????  ????? ??? ?????? ??????  ??? ??? ??? ????? ????? ?? ????? ??????? ?????? ?????? ??? ???? ????? ??? ?????? ??????? ???? ????? ???? ???? ??? ????? ????? ?????? ??? ?????? ?????? ??? ???? ?????? ?????? ??????

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???? 19 ??? ?????? ????? ??????? ?????? ?? ?????? ?????:

1-   ???????? ??????? ???????? ( Anguilla Japonica )

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3-  ???????? ??????? ???????? ( Anguilla Rostrata )

4-????????? ????????????????? ( Anguilla Autstralis )

?????? ?? ?? ????? ????? ??????? ?? ??? ??????? ?????????, ????? ????? ???????? (??????? ????????) ????? ?? ??????? ??????? ???????? ????? ?????? ???????? ???? ????? ???? ?????? ??? ????? ????, ????? ??????? ?????? ??????? ?????? ???? ???? ???? ?? ???? ????? ????? ?? ??? ????? ?? ???? 6 ???? ????.

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1-????? ?? ??????? ??? ??????? ?????????? ??????? ????????? ?????? ???????? ??? ????? ?? ??????? ??????? ?? ??? ??? ??????? ????????? ?? ?????? ???????? .

2?????? ?????  ??????? ????? ?? ????? ???? ????? ???????? ?? ????????? ??????? ????? ?? ????????? ??????? ????? ?? ????? .

??? ???????? ???? ????? ??????? ???????

1- ????? ????? ??????? : ??? ????? ??? ????? ??????? ???? ??? ??? ???? ?? 50 % ?????? ?? ???? ???? ????? ???? ??? ???  10 : 1 ?? ??? ???????

2- ?????? ??? ???????: ?????????? ?? ?????? ??????? ????? ??? ????? ?????? ??? ????? ??? 500-700 ?? ?????? ???????.

3-  ???? ???????: ????? ????? ?? ??????? ????? ??????? ????? ???? ?????? ?? ????? ????????? ???????? ??? ??? ??????? ??? ????? ?????? ???? ?????? ???? ???? ??????? ???? ?? ?????? ????? ????? ?? ???? ?????? ????? ??? ?????? ?? ?? ??????? ??????? ?? ????? ??????? ?? ????? ??????? ???? ???? ???? ??? ???? ???? ??????? ?? ?????  ???????? ????? ??????? ???????? .

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3-??????? ????????  ???  ????? ??? ??????? ???????? ??????? ?? ???????? ????? ??????? ?????? ?? ????????? ????? ??? ??? ????????? ???????? ??????? ????? ??????? ????? ?????  ??? ??????? ?????????? ?? ??????? ????????

4-  ???????? ????????? 25 ???? ????? ??? ??? ????? ????? ????? ?? ????????? ????? ??? ??????? ??? ???? ????.

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????? ????? ????? ????? ?? ?????? ???? ?????? ?????????  ??? ?? ????? ??????? ?? ??????? ??????? ???? ????? ??? ???? ????? ?? ?????? ??????? ???? ????????? ?????? ???? ??? ??? ?????? ?? ????? ??????? ?????? ????????? ??? ??????? ?? ???????? ?? ???????? ?????????? ?????? ?????? ???? ????? ??? ???????? ?? ???? ??????? ????? ??? ???? ????  ????  ????? ??????? ?? ???? ??? ??? ??? ????? ????? ???? ????.

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1- ??? ?????? ?? ?????? ??????? ????? ??????? ?????? ?????? ???? 24???? ??? ??? ?????? ?? ?????? ??????

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2-??? ?????? ????? ????? ????? ?????? ????????? ?? ?????? ???????? ???? ???? ?? ??? ???? ??? ?? ????? ??????

3- ??? ???? ????? ????????? ?????? ???????? ????? ?????? ?????? ??????? ??????? ???????? ??? ???? ??????? ?????? ??? ????? 24 ???? ????? ?? ??????? ?????? ???????.

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1- ??? ??? ???????? ????????(????? ????? 0.33 ???? ???????) ?? ?????? ????? (3-4 ????? ?????) ????? ????? ??????? ???? ??? ??????? 10-15 ???????? ????? ??????

  2-  ??? ??? ???????? ????? ??????? ???????? ??????? ?? ???? ?? ????? ?????.

3-  ???? ???? ??? ??????? ???? ???????? ???????? ??? ??????? ??????? ??? ??? ????? ???? ???? ???

4- ????? ??? ???????? ??? ??? 5 ???? ??????? ??? ????? ??? ???? ????? ?????? ?? ?????? ???? (6-8 ??? ????) ???????? ????? (50- 75 ???????? ?? ????? ??????).

5- ??? ??? ??????? ???? ???????? ????? ??? ??? ???? ??????? ?????? (1 ??????)

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7-  ???? ??? ????? ??????? ?? ??????? 18-25 ???? ?????

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???? ??? ???????? ?? ???????? ?? ??? 50 ???? ???? ?????? ??????? ?? ??? ??????? 100-150 ???????? ?? ????? ??????

???????

1- ?????? ?? ????? ????????? ?????? ??????? ????? ????? ??? ?? ???? ????? ??? ?????? ??????? ???????

2- ??? ??????? ???????? ??????? ??????  ?????? ??? ????? ??????  ? ??? ??????? ??? ???? ?? ????? ???? ?????? ??????? ???????.

??? ??????  

??? ?? ???? ??????? ??? ??? ?? ????? ?? ?????? ??? ??????? ???? ?????? ??????? ?????? ?? ??? ??? ?????

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Raising crayfish in Aquaponics

     My experience with using crawfish (or cray fish depending where your from) has mixed feelings.
Now I dont for some reason have any pictures of my set up but let me explain my pros and cons about raising Crawfish.

I was doing an experimental set up with a flood and drain system with a small deep well attached.

 not wanting to use any fish because of the cooler temps in NW Arkansas that time of year I decided on local creek cawfish. First lets just note that when catching these quick lil buggers it would help if you had a net. But caught about 20 small to medium crawfish and also a few tadpoles (different story) and one of those bottom sucker fish, and also 3 snails.
  
    I placed all in a small styrofoam cooler without a lid and placed them in the back seat of the truck. That was mistake number one, when I got home, half of the crawfish had escaped and were all over the truck. Took about an hour to find them.

   My patio is inclosed with a pool dug into the ground. I built everything the same level an currently pouring concrete around the pool.  Everything is closed in.

    Now to the point. Once placing the crawfish in the aquaponics. I built a wire box from old chicken wire so that they can climb on and also cut some pvc to place on the bottom for privacy.

   The next day, I discovered 2 crawfish in my pool, now remeber it is cool out, so off I go with snorkle gear and catch the 2 and place them back in the 75 gallon tank.
I thought well that was odd couldnt really see how they could climb out.
Next day same thing, but 4 this time. back with the snorkel gear to chase the crawfish down.

    So I watched them for a while noticed that when the water drains from the grow bed and the water table rises that its only 3 inches from the top, so I took out a few gallons until it was 6 inches thinking maybe that would do.

   Next morning nothing was in the pool, I was happy, until the next morning, 3 more were in the pool and was on its way. starting to almost enjoy the cold water swim now, but not quite.

    I realized then that they were climbing up the folded part of the liner. after a month of all this and modifications I gave up and brought them back to the creek, it was time to use my pool and didnt need them in it.

    But to the good part of it all. The natural habitat worked very well. I even dipped up duck weed from a local pond. The water stayed clear and I fed the crawfish fish pellets and they really loved the sweet feed that I still had from when I had a pig. I enjoyed having them and watching the lil habitat work. The plants seem to well too, the basil grew tall and had some cabbage taking off.
I think I would like to do this again but with a tank that has slick sides.
   The nutriets from the habitat looked to be balanced even though I never took any test.

So if you see a few crawfish in the creek and have a container that will hold them, do grab some, very beneficial, But if you have a pool close by and they can escape, well its best to just leave them where they are, lol

Oh! and about the tad poles, well they do grow! and it is so awesome to watch them get their legs and

see them change their heads and then next you see them sitting on the side of the tank and jumping, and then..... well then you see them under your lawn furniture are taking a dip in your pool. So maybe not the best idea, but it was fun.

If you have had any experience of raising craw-fish in aquaponics, please leave a comment, I would like to know how to do it without sharing my swimming pool.

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Aquaponics Ratio Simplified

Once you have your system up and running the key question on everything is how much?
how much feed  for my fish, how much fish for my system, how much ph, how much nitrates and so on.

Well lets just make it simple for you shall we?

    Lets start with feeding your fish since the feed is the start of it all.
Normally with adult fish they will eat about 1 - 2 percent of their body weight.
While young fish as in fry and fingerlings will eat about 6 to 8 percent of their body weight.
Now since most everyone is using the popular Tilapia, that is what we will base or numbers on, other fish may eat a lil more or a lil less, you will just have to test it for yourself. Easy way to do this is to start off with a 1/4 cup of food depending on how many fish you have. sprinkle that on the top of your fish tank and see if they eat that up within 15 minutes. Wasted food will hurt your system, so this should important to figure out. 

   Next we will learn the stocking density of your system. Based on  media or hybrid base system,
we will stock 1 pound of fish per 5 to 10 pounds of water in your tank, so if you have a 300 gallon stock tank, then up to 30 pounds of fish can be added, or if they are fingerlings or fry in a new system, just add 1 fish per every 5 to 10 gallons of water since usually they get upwards of a pound a piece.
Now! That being said studies are being made and stocking density can actually be made with less, basically unless you are aiming for high fish yields you can probably get by with half the fish, and still produce the same amount of nutrients needed for the plants and have a cleaner system.

   Your Oxygen level should be above 3ppm but would be better if it was 6 ppm, basically you can not really have to much oxygen.
Certain fish can withstand less oxygen like the tilapia as in raising trout, you need lots more, and dont forget the cooler the water the better the oxygen count will be.

   We want to target the PH level between 6.8 and 7 in your aquaponic system, this seems to work best for both fish and plants and should be checked weekly or more.. 


   Nitrite and Ammonia levels should not exceed .75.

If you see Ammonia levels rise suddenly, you may have a dead fish in

your tank. If you see Nitrite levels rise you may have damaged the bacteria

environment.

If either of the above circumstances occur, stop feeding

until the levels stabilize, and at the worse, do a 1/3 water

exchange to dilute the solution

   Nitrates can rise as high as 150 ppm without causing a problem, but much

more and  you should consider harvesting some fish and/or adding

additional plants  to your system

   Nothing is solid information and this should be used as a guide line,  everything can change the out put to your system like the type of fish, the water temperature (75 to 80) the type of plant you use, but it is imortant to start yourself a journal so that when you do find what works keep that info for the next system or the next grow bed, of if your father in law wants to build one you can come off knowing how it all works ( yes that is important too)

Please leave comments and questions down below and if you need test strips, look at amazon, or ebay or shop from the aquaponic source ( link above)

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New to look simple and elegant Aquaponics in Southeast Asia

Circular ponds for the cultivation of fish the respected catfish in those areas
......................
With Hydroponics surrounded by ponds its great works ther
.........................

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???????????? ??????? ???? ????? ????? ?? ????? ?????? ???????? ?????? ??? ?????   ???? ?? ??????  ???????? ?????? ?????? ?????? ??????? ???????? ??????? ???????? ???????
?????????  ??????  ???? ???? ???? ??? ????? ??????????? ???????? ???????? ??????? ??????....

??????? ???? ??????? ???? ?????? ?????? ????? ????? ????????????...????

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What Is and What Will Be In My Greenhouse

Beginning in April of 2011 I began to make plans to turn my existing greenhouse into an aquaponics garden.  At this point, late November of 2011 I have accomplished an initial harvest in the grow bins pictured on the lower part of the graphic above.  I am still harvesting tomatoes from the three bins pictured on the lower right and herbs including beet greens, mint, parsley and dill from the three bins pictured on the lower left.  I have yet to experience a success at growing fish.  State regulation of fish suitable for eating are a major block to stocking my pond with trout or other edible fish and since I have decided that koi will best suit, and I dont want to waste the lives of anymore fish until I have my other items in place, I have sustained my plants with occasional supplements of chelated iron and other minerals and soluble plant food. 
I am now ready to set up the next two sections of the growing area.  These include hanging tubes for vine plants along the north wall of the green house and trays for lettuces and similar plants along the center.  The growing trays are made of rain gutter with an electrical cable along the bottom to heat the water as it flows past the roots.  The lettuce will be planted in coco fiber contained in plastic cups. 

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Hi tech crown

Technology has made the dentists office an interesting place to hang out. Well, I can think of other places Id rather be, but as long as you have to be there . . .

Today I had to have a crown put on to replace the inlay that fell out again and broke off a bit of tooth on the way out. You might recall my initial visit to the dentist.

In the photo above is the computer imagery of the designed crown. The dentist took infrared photos of what was left of my tooth (which involved much internal swearing on his part no doubt; "patient" does not describe my attitude in the dentist chair), then manipulated the image with Sirona software. Its a magical process.

His thoughtful assistant showed me how the image becomes a real-life bit of enamel to put in my mouth.

The raw material is composed of different sizes and colors of enamel, to [hopefully] match the other teeth in your mouth.

The perfect piece is placed in a machine (below, right) that carves the enamel to the computer specifications.

The result is a tiny purple piece of tooth; the minuscule handle (left side) facilitates handling of this wee thing.

The enamel is painted much like pottery, with a dab placed in the middle groove to make the crown look more tooth-like. Here the dentist (left) looks on.

The crown is placed in a miniature kiln.

After about 20 minutes, it is finished but still hot. So it is placed on another, cooler surface (here, a mug) to await placement in the mouth.

Within 2 hours of arriving at the dentists office, I was driving off with a functional tooth. Amazing.

And thus this is another reminder to take care of your teeth so you can enjoy Montanas bounty. If you need a dentist in south central Montana, I can recommend a good one.

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Big Timber market opens in new location

Due to a short growing season, farmers markets in eastern Montana start rather late in the summer. Today the Big Timber farmers market opened just in time for the Fourth of July and in its new location in the city park at the south end of town.

It was a small market today, but vendors told me that customers were steadily passing through. I arrived at 10 am and saw Tom Tochihara, the 90-year-old Big Timber gardening legend, already packing up after having sold his much sought after spinach and tomatoes.

Sadly, Toms was the only produce today, but there were plenty of other goodies to enjoy. My personal favorite, maple sticks (also known as maple bars), were back.

Jackie was at market with homemade bread and cookies and her fabulous soap. Her daughter brought pet bunnies for sale, which were very cuddly; here you see one being admired by a young customer.

In addition, there were lovely baskets, potholders, and other crafts all waiting for some lucky buyer to take them home for reasonable prices.

The new setting in the park allows folks to sit in the shade and chat. If you do feel too hot, the parks outdoor swimming pool is a few steps away.

Also new this year is music in the gazebo, organized by talented local musicians. If you just want to come for the music, that would be well worth your time.

There will no doubt be more vendors in coming weeks. Stop by to see what might be happening when you get there.

Big Timber Farmers Market
City park, McLeod and 8th
July 2 - September 24
Saturday, 9 am - noon

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Tomatoes in December and a Primrose Bonanza

Through thorough insulation and the use of a small propane heater on nights that go below 30 degrees, we have been successful in maintaining growth in our mint, parsley and tomato beds, as well as some of the strawberry plants. As I worked in the greenhouse this evening I harvested a handful of cherry tomatoes from the somewhat struggling vines. Today we went shopping for some nitrogen absorbers. In other words, our fish are outstripping our vegetation. I have become familiar with the cold hardiness of primroses, mostly as I enter and leave the Provo LDS Temple where the winter plants of choice are the hardy little plants that almost seem overcome by a sharp frost or deep layer of snow, but which bounce back as soon as warmth returns, providing a green ground cover in the winter and giving a lovely floral display in early spring. Although so far I have avoided floral plants in favor of fruits, vegetables and herbs, our trout are growing and as they grow, they eat more and provide more plant food. Without an adequate amount of vegetation, they will end up with too much nitrogen in their water. Cooks nursery in Orem, west of the 1600 North interchange had mostly indoor plants and poinsettias for sale, however we found some flourishing primrose plants in a cool corner of a heated greenhouse. We placed them in the rain gutters that I used for float trays in the summer. I was pleasantly surprised to pay only a little over a dollar a plant for 18 plants.

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Food in the museum

Ill be honest here and say right out that a museum is not my favorite place to spend precious time. I prefer the present, alive with real people doing things in real time. Or else I like to spend my time alone, reading a favorite book.

But the Upper Musselshell Museum -- spread out in two buildings -- sounded like a worthwhile field trip. So while I was in Harlowton on business I stopped in to see their latest exhibits, "heritage rooms" created by area residents from items that represent their families and ranches.

Harlowton is a small town, with a sadly almost-empty main street. Some businesses do thrive on Central Avenue, like the Snowy Mountain coffee shop, Passage Creek Design, and Mugsys barber shop. A few miles north is a wind farm. Wind is a major crop in this flat land.

Inside the museum, I enjoyed exhibits showing arrowheads found in the area, old medical equipment used by a much-loved doctor, and military uniforms proudly worn by local veterans.

The museum is on the Montana Dinosaur Trail, so I spent a few minutes with the Avaceratops lammersi, a small horned dinosaur found on a ranch near Shawmut. In case you dont know, whoever finds a new dinosaur gets to name it. Ava was the wife of Eddy Cole, who discovered the fossil in 1981 on a ranch owned by the Lammers.

Just as interesting to me as the dinosaur were the things related to food. Near the bones, a popcorn popper from an old movie house and a peanut roasting machine from a long-gone drug store were on display.

Upstairs I found the heritage rooms so worth the trip. Following are some food-related photos, plus one of the model railroad (who doesnt love miniature trains?). If you squint and maybe stand on your head, you can see a wind turbine rising up behind the tracks to the left of the mountain, a tiny reproduction of the ones on the wind farm.

Upper Musselshell Museum

11 & 36 South Central

Harlowton, Montana

(406) 632-5519

Open Memorial Day - Labor Day

Tuesday - Saturday, 10 am - 5 pm

Sunday, 1 pm - 5 pm

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Blustery day in Big Timber

The rain fell is big squirts this morning but that didnt stop vendors and customers from enjoying the farmers market.

There were lots of treats, beginning with background music by Hannah. She told me shes been playing for "three or four years." I havent heard a piano at any other market, so this is a good reason to come here to listen for yourself.

Another rare sighting at farmers markets was of maple bars. When I got home, I hurriedly bit into one. I consider myself somewhat of a connoisseur of these delectable doughnuts, and these were . . . superb! In fact, best Ive eaten simply because they are homemade: chewy, doughy, and not overly sweet. Oh, yes, and there were other baked goods as well.

Ninety-year-old Tom was at the market, too, with a nice selection of his produce grown in the community garden. Toms section of the garden seems to expand over the course of the season; he cant stop hoeing and watering! Any leftovers of his market produce go to the local food bank, where it is welcomed with open arms.

The First Congregational Church decided to come to the market this year with organic free trade coffee and tea. They sell these items as a fund-raiser all year. Christy Mosness, who manned, or rather, womanned, the booth today explained that anything organic just seemed to belong at the farmers market. Next week she said they will try selling hot cups of coffee as samples and provide chairs so people can sit down and enjoy all the baked goods as well right on the spot.

You can see a lot of smiles in the photos I took today. It was a very happy atmosphere. Vendors told me they attributed that to Austin Alexander, who is managing the market for the first time this year as part of an internship for a college course. She isnt sure shell be able to return for the 2011 season, but the vendors I talked to hope she does. Its a small market, with an average of 10 vendors, but the role of the manager is huge.

In the photo, Austin is on the left, holding a loaf of Abbys (on right) popular zucchini bread. Abby has been bringing homegrown produce and her familys lamb meat to the market since she was 13. Shes off to college this year, so who knows what the future will bring, but eager customers -- while wishing her all success in life -- hope she will return to market with her fine products.

Big Timber Farmers Market

Grand Hotel parking lot, at Anderson and Second

July 10 - September 11

Saturday, 9 am - noon

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Aquaponics In a recycled Ice cooler

Here is just something I decided I had to do when the compressor shut down and was told that it was going to cost $300 to fix it!

 

After the snow and -2 degrees

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How to adjust pH in aquaponics systems

Here is a great video on how to adjust your aquaponic system naturally. I have been scared of the ph, this makes it easy to understand and can be done naturally without chemicals.

Please watch this video and go over to Grow Dinner Aquaponics channel and subscribe to his channel.

 

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مكونات نظام الأكوابونيك Aquaponics System

Aquaponics System ..?????? ????? ?? ?????? ?????? ????????? ?? ????? ???? ??????
1.Aquaculture   : ????? ???? ???????  ??????? ???????
2.Hydroponics  : ????? ?????? ???? ???? 
 ?????? ?????? ?? ???????????
....???? ??? ???? (  Aquaponics  )  ?? ??? ??? ???????? ??????
?? ???? ?????????...??????? ???????? ?? :
1. ????? ???? FT
2. ??????  GB
3. ???????? plants 
4. ????? ????? fray fish 
5.???????...??? ??? ??? ???????? 
6. ????? ???? ????
7.???? ???? sump tank
8.??????? ??? ???????
9. ??????? 
....??? ??? ???????....???????? ??? ?????? ????? ?????????...

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The Magical 100 Fish in 1000 Litres

You may need your foil hats on for this one.  There is an odd fish stocking density number of 1 fish in 10 litres of water floating about and new comers to backyard aquaculture and aquaponics are becoming baffled about how many fish to get and put in their systems.  To complicate this further there has been a few clumsy explanations of why you can stock this number of fish.  In this article, I will provide you will a less clumsy explanation why you should not attempt this 1 in 10 stocking density at home.
How many fish you want to grow or how many fish you need is the first thing on your plate.  At home, this will depend on how many fish you want to each each week and how many people you are feeding.  If you are attempting commercial growth, this will be worked out by how much weight of fish you can sell a year and your cost of production.  For this example we will use 50 fish.
The next thing to consider is how big you want to grow your fish.  Let’s say you like to eat fish at 500 grams each, this is a general market size for most species.  Some are smaller some are bigger, but you get to choose so it is up to you.  If you are growing fish to sell, the size will be driven by what you customers want to buy.
Then the tricky part is what weight of fish you will stock per volume of water.  This is the stocking density factor expressed in kg/m3 or lbs/f3 (kg per 1000 litres or lbs per US gallon), depending on which side of the planet you are on.  Converting backward and forward between these is simple multiplication.  To get lbs/f3 = kg/m3 by 0.0624 and to get kg/m3 = lbs/f3 multiplied by 16.02.
It is difficult to give a broad, general advice on density without knowing how your system is put together.  The 3 basic criteria below will improve the amount of fish you can grow and feed well and all 3 are related to the oxygen supply in your fish tank:

1. Do you have a minimum fish tank water exchange of 1 to 1.5 timers per hour?
2. Do you have adequate aeration either by air stones or water return?
3. Do you remove fish solid wastes and uneaten food  through the use of simple solids filtration?

1. If you have the first one only, a good place to start your adventure is 10kg/m3 or 0.63lbs/f3
2. If you have the first and second one, you may be able to use 15kg/m3 or 0.94lbs/f3.
3. If you have all three you may be able to achieve 25kg/m3 or 1.56lbs/f3.

Above 25kg/m3 is certainly achievable provided you tick all the boxes and have improved solids filtration.  As a beginner, you may want to leave the higher densities until you have grown out some fish and you understand your system and its limitations.
Now you have chosen your target density working out how much fish tank volume you need is very simple.  We will use 25kg/m3 or 1.56lbs/f3 for continuing our example.
If you are working from known tank volume for example 1000 litres.  It is important to work with the actual water volume of the tank when it is operating.  Avoid the mistake of thinking a 1000 litre IBC is a 1000 litre fish tank.  If you cut it down and then have the water below the top (freeboard) of 100mm your IBC may only contain 850 litres of water.
So using an actual tank water volume of 1000 litres you work out the number of fish like this: (1m3) multiplied by Density Factor (25kg/m3) divided by the weight of fish at harvest (0.5kg) will give you the amount of fish to stock with.  This example = 50 fish.
If you are working with the number of fish you would like to grow and want to know what tank volume you need use this: Number of fish (100 yes I am going use the magical number) multiplied by the harvest weight of the fish (0.5) divided by the density factor (25kg/m3).  In this example the answer is 2m3 or 2000 litres.
There are a range of other environmental conditions that dictate how many fish you can stock your tanks such as bio filtration but I am assuming you have a grow bed or a purpose build bio filter for that.  If not, are you mad or does your foil hat need replacing lol?  Sticking to the basics of 1 fish in 20 litres of water or less will see you harvesting plenty of fish while the 1 in 10 guys run out of wacky tobaccy bushes to bury their fish under.

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Diversion into Chickens

A week ago one of my daughters asked what she should do with her extra chickens.  Her municipality allows a family to keep eight chickens.  She had expected some die off of the chicks she raised, but all of them survived, leaving her with twelve chickens.  I volunteered to adopt the four excess chickens.  Some family members suggested that I look into the idea of a chicken tractors.  This is essentially a portable chicken coop that can be moved around the yard, providing many of the benefits of free range chickens without the need for lining the entire yard with chicken wire and setting up a video surveillance and slingshots to keep varmints like dogs, cats, and coyotes from disturbing the hens.  I had some 1" mesh vinyl fencing on hand and after browsing the internet I came up with the design that resulted in the structure shown above.  The roof is made of 1/2" corrugated plastic sheet which can be bent at a nice angle when the inside surface is cut through several cells.  I used 2" wide poplar planks coated with polyacrylic for the structure other than the floor beams which are in contact with the ground.  I had some square aluminum tubing on hand and used that for the floor beams.  Nesting boxes and roosting poles are hidden under the roof.  I had planned to put in ramps but the chickens quickly demonstrated a willingness to jump the less than 30" distance to the upper story of their cozy new home.

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For those who love music planner of Aquaponics

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A Warm Place In The Garden

I feel a garden should be made beautiful with flowering plants, patios, ramadas, water features, and comfortable retreats.

Rocket Mass stoves are a great way to retain the warmth of a fire. Broaudio has built this warm entertainment area where his guests will remain comfortable well into the evening

The mass surrounding the flue provides a warm place to sit

He has even come up with a great way to cast the fire box out of clay.

Of course Rocket Mass Stoves are a great way to keep your garden house warm too!
For more about Rocket Mass Stove Click Here

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Primroses Are Edible!

I felt like I had made a compromise when I added primroses to the greenhouse solely because they are winter hardy and provide a nitrogen absorber. Their efficacy has been proven by the smell test. With a proper balance of plants and fish, the air smells fresh. I decided to do some further research. I discovered that both the leaves and blossoms of the primrose plant are edible, having a taste ranging from mild lettuce to the more bitter herb. This makes them very eligible for a good aquaponics plant. Even though I plan to leave the leaves in place, once the blossoms appear I can harvest them and add them to a salad as a very pretty addition. Dandelion is another plant that can be eaten. My chickens prefer dandelion leaves over other greens. When they appear in my lawn this spring I plan to harvest some seeds and plant them in the greenhouse.

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