Easy anf Fun Make an Aquaponics

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Minggu, 15 Mei 2016

Update on the Wood Burning Pool Heater How Well Does it Work

Diposting oleh taba , di 15.44

I have had quite a few requests to provide some more detailed information on how well the wood burner works. I would like to share some temperatures with you using a AGPtek Dual Two Channel Digital Thermometer.

I have been very happy with how well this pool heater has worked for us this year. We have had such a cold summer here in Michigan this year and this heater has been one of the only reasons we have been able to enjoy the pool. Normally, the solar heater and solar cover can keep the pool comfortable but this year it has just not been adequate. I have run the wood burning heater only when needed, maybe once or twice per week at the most. We have been able to easily keep the pool temperature above 75 degrees so far this year.

The numbers and methods here are just for rough estimation of how well the heater works, this is not meant for the science books, but should hold true with a heater of similar size and efficiency.

I measured about 69 gallons per hour with a 33 degree average warm up to the water. This was with an average sized fire going as the temperature here will fluctuate as you add wood and let it burn through. I have seen it as high as 45 degrees and as low as 15 degrees, so it just depends on how much and what material you are burning.

Calculations I used: 15,000 gallon pool divided by 69 gallons per hour (filled one gallon in 52 seconds) gave me 217 hours to heat all of the water 33 degrees. Or if you reduce, it comes down to about 27 hours for 4 degree rise for the entire pool. You can also just divide 33/217 to get a coefficient that can be used to create a formula. Y = .15x where Y is the degrees you will heat 15000 gallons of water and x is the number or hours you run the heater. So if we plug in 24 hours for x we get y=3.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

Hopefully that makes sense to be used as a ROUGH estimate for calculating how much you can heat a similar sized pool.

Products:

This post has been shared at: The Homestead Barnhop, Simple Saturdays Blog Hop, The Backyard Farming Connection Hop, Natural Living Monday, Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop

Hanging It All On The Line

Diposting oleh taba , di 20.00

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Why build support posts when you can use a super-strong dome?!?!

I needed to come up with a way to support and spread out some of my vine plants in the greenhouse. By removing a nut on the hubs and installing a coupling and eye bolt, it is an extremely strong point for attaching a cable system to act as a trellis.

Installing it is very simple, loop the cable through on one end and clamp it, feed it through another eye bolt on the other side of the dome, and bring it to another eye bolt to figure out the final length. On this end, I loop it through a turn buckle.

Alright, moving right along….

Then just hook the turnbuckle into the last eye bolt and tighten the cable.

All that is left to do is to tie the plants on to the cables. I also run some twine down to the grow beds so that the cucumbers can grow up it and attach to the wire. Here’s a shot of the tomato and cucumber once they have really started to grow along the line.

Alternate Follow up To The Alternate Cloning Method It Worked!

Diposting oleh taba , di 16.36

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Here is an update to our original follow-up (confusing, we know!) of our attempt at an alternate tomato cloning method. Our tomato clones did fantastic last year and cloning was a great way to get a jump-start on our gardens here in Michigan. Well, we made some changes to our first attempt, thanks to some advice from a fellow gardener, and it worked this time!

We hope our trials (and errors) help you on your journey to grow your own food!

Watch this quick video for more details!

Theft!

Diposting oleh taba , di 14.01

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Hello to all my friends!

A follower has let me know that he saw one of my videos posted on another user’s YouTube channel. I greatly appreciate the fact that they brought this to my attention. I am always happy to produce and post videos which are always free for you to enjoy. What I don’t like is some scumbag ripping and reposting my videos under their own channel. It probably won’t be a surprise to you, but I am a YouTube partner and do receive some ad revenue from my videos. (It’s very little, but every penny helps!)

If you happen to see one of my videos posted, and it’s not from the Web4Deb channel, I would be very grateful if you notify me of this theft. Thank you for your support and I look forward to providing more videos in the future.

-Rob Torcellini

Geo thermal Cooling

Diposting oleh taba , di 09.14

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Its been extremely hot outside this week, and were suffering a significant drought in much of the country. The chart above shows the levels of streams compared to their historical levels for this time of month. Though some regions are getting a lot of rain (the deep blue dots), much of the center of the country is experiencing drought conditions reminiscent of those over sixty years ago. The Dustbowl, as the period from 1934-1936 became known, was a drought characterized by Roland Dewing as the "most extreme natural event in 350 years."

Back to the heat, I got thinking about the Underground Heating Exchange Systems (UHES) the Chinese developed a while ago. The idea to pump air underground was first patented in the United States in the wake of the oil crisis in the 1970s. But the Chinese picked up on this technology and highlighted it as part of an integrated agricultural approach to feeding the Cold North East.

When I saw the Chinese paper (republished on the UN FOA website), I thought it was amusing that theyd used clay pipes for their experiment. After all, folks in the US typically use plastic drainage tubing for this sort of heat exchange system.

Then I got thinking last night - a problem with the plastic is getting it to simultaneously drain the water that condenses and keep out roots and pests. Clay pipe didnt sound bad, after all. Then the light bulb went off.

What if I used cinder blocks underground for the heat exchange "tubing?" At $1.65 per linear foot, it is more expensive than the HDPE drainage pipe. But I wouldnt have to worry about water draining through the blocks (it would) and I wouldnt be worried about the "tube" getting crushed.

That took me on another little adventure of the mind, as I tried to figure out how deep to run the "pipes" underground. The Chinese used half a meter, but what if one went deeper?

The ground temperature at 30 feet below the surface is constant - which is why caves are cooler than outside in the summer and warmer than outside in the winter. How far below the surface do I need to go to get to that constant heat, I wondered?

Then I found out something really fun at the Build it Solar website. It turns out the temperature profile of the ground lags the air temperature profile. Air temperatures peak in July (in my area), but the soil temperature peaks in August.

Then comes the cool part. That peak heat migrates slowly down towards the earths heat skin, so that the date of peak heat level at deep depths lags the temperature of the surface soil by weeks and months.

So not only will deep Underground Heat Exchange Systems access a larger thermal mass, the ground around that thermal mass will actually be heating up when the rest of the world is cooling down.

Im not sure how practical it is for a home owner to dig down 6 feet or more, but this kind of effort would be within the reach of a minor business. I would love to experiment with this next summer, if I can find a lot where I could dig deep...

Aquaponics Does it Taste Like Fish Poop

Diposting oleh taba , di 11.48

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Youre growing food in fish poop? Yuck! This is a common misconception or question that many people have when first learning about aquaponics. In this video, I try to explain a few quick concepts and talk about what I have grown in my system and what we have liked. This summer, my family has been able to compare the taste of some of the things we are growing with our outdoor garden and have been very impressed with the aquaponics system.

The fish waste in an aquaponics system is almost immediately broken down and consumed by several types of bacteria that grow on the rocks (grow medium) in the system. This bacteria convert the waste into nitrite and nitrate which can be consumed by the plants. There is no real difference in how the plants uptake nutrients whether grown in a garden, hydroponics, aquaponics, or any other method and the taste should be similar. The only thing that effects the taste is whether the plants had all the things they needed to grow properly such as light, nutrients, and water. If they are short on those things or stressed during development you might get bad tasting food. It also depends when you harvest the vegetables as well.

I hope that this quick look at my aquaponics system gives you some insight as to what to expect if you are looking to build something similar at home.

This post has been shared at: The Homestead Barn Hop, The Backyard Farming Connection Hop, Natural Living Monday, Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop

Backyard Chickens Is it Really Worth it

Diposting oleh taba , di 10.16

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In this video, I discuss some of the benefits of having backyard chickens. About six months ago, we decided that we were ready to buy some chickens and dive into animal husbandry in our backyard. While my wife and I had discussed this idea in the past, we had always dismissed it since we live in a small suburban community.

Although we are not in a big city, we do have enough room, but it just didnt seem like something that would fit with our lifestyle or living environment. After all, what would the neighbors say? Dont chickens smell? How much time would be invested in cleaning and feeding the chickens? How much does it cost to feed them, heat the coop, and provide overall care? These were many of the questions that my wife and I had that made us reluctant to get into owning chickens.

After having these chickens for about six months now my views and opinions have changed quite a bit, and we feel many of our questions have been answered. In this video, I share some of my opinions about how the chickens have become a perfect fit into our family. If you have been thinking about owning chickens, I hope you find this encouraging!

Have a good one!
SSL Family Dad

Aquaponic Maintenance

Diposting oleh taba , di 01.40

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Heres a few things that I do for general maintenance in the aquaponic system. There really is little work that I have to do on it!

Complete Idiots Guide to Aquaponic Gardening it lives!

Diposting oleh taba , di 13.51

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Today "my book," the Complete Idiots Guide to Aquaponic Gardening, was officially launched. Around 4 pm today I finally got a hard copy to look at.

A year ago I got a random e-mail, which read:

"I am a literary agent scouting on behalf of a major publisher for an expert to write an introductory book on aquaponics. I found your site and wonder if you have interest?"

I responded, saying something to the effect of "Heck yes!" and began a whirlwind journey creating the book I wish I could have bought, back when I started into aquaponics in the spring of 2010.

The Complete Idiots Guide to Aquaponic Gardening (CIG to AG as I came to know it) was a labor of love. I did get paid, but this was a work for hire deal, which means I dont get royalties on book sales. Given the way my head works, thats actually really great for my sanity. The book pulls heavily from the collective wisdom currently available via online forums, innumerable scholarly articles, conferences, and endless youtube videos. So I would have felt guilty getting royalties for this book. However, I did put many, many hours into crafting the book, and that labor deserved some payment.

Its been interesting today, reading the book. I havent seen it for four months, so its kind of fresh. I find several instances where I wish I could edit the English just one more time to make it read more smoothly. And the glossary includes one problematic typo - nitrite misspelled as nitrate in the definition of cycling (p. 306), but the definition in the body of the text on page 126 is correct.

It will be interesting to see what folks say. I read this book knowing the hours I spent gaining the knowledge contained in each paragraph, not to mention the additional hours it took to distill that knowledge into comprehensible prose. Only I and a few others know how many authorial "darlings" were killed during the creation of this book. If you were one who read an early draft, I think youll agree the final product is far superior to what you saw.

I hope the book helps people make the transition from hearing about aquaponics to confidently embracing aquaponics as part of their lifestyle. In the mean time, Im thrilled to have the book itself, with an index! What I would have given for such an index three years ago! Its fascinating knowing how much of that information was unknown to me in March 2010 when I first tumbled across the word "aquaponics."

Lastly, I have to acknowledge again the amazing generosity of this community, and how willing people were to share their experiences and photos. I am humbled to know such wonderful, innovative people!

Now back to enjoying my own garden, and actually getting to tend it, unlike the neglect that writing the book necessitated last year. Beets, bok choy, spinach, radishes, and turnips are thriving, as are most of the plants that wintered over. All the fish are alive, and despite the cold, ammonia levels are nearly zero (a great thing). Its great to merely have to do the simply daily visit I mention in the book, to check water temperature and level, feed the fish, and notice what plants need nutrients or organic pest control. Its my happy place, where the world is simple, life abounds, and the speed of "information" is the rate at which spinach seedlings put forth their first true leaves.

If you have been thinking about aquaponics but havent yet set up a system, I invite you to take the plunge. Its well worth it!

How it all started in Australia

Diposting oleh taba , di 18.40

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Im writing about Australian Fish, and wanted to hark back to the 2006 segment on Gardening Australia that kick-started aquaponics in Australia. It was a five minute tour of Joel Malcolms backyard paradise, lush plants powered by silver perch and yabbies, all free of chemicals and enjoyed to the sound of constantly flowing water, yet far more water-efficient than any other form of gardening.

I searched my blogs high and low and couldnt find this video. Crazy! So here it is. If youve seen it, you know how delightful and relaxing Joels 2006 garden paradise appeared to a parched nation worried about chemical additives.

Enjoy!

Alternate Cloning Method Follow up Did It Work

Diposting oleh taba , di 18.57

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Here is a follow-up to our original post and video on our attempt at an alternate tomato cloning method. Our tomato clones did fantastic last year and cloning was a great way to get a jump-start on our gardens here in Michigan.

We hope our trials (and errors!) help you on your sustainable journey as well!

Creating an Aquaponics System

Diposting oleh taba , di 23.00

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Creating An Aquaponics System

We constructed two aquaponics systems over the course of three days. Building an aquaponics system required a lot of experimentation and trial-and-error in order to determine how to best assemble the systems so that they would operate efficiently. A lot of the materials that we used were common and reusable items, such as the buckets, tubs, and tubing. Using these materials makes the system more cost efficient and easier to repair for the residents that will be using it, and it also saves money to build.

Clay Bed System:

A group of students was in charge of the task of crushing large pieces of red clay for the Clay Bed System. Once we crushed the clay into smaller pieces, we washed them in buckets of water to rid the clay of the dust that had accumulated on them. This is so that the dust will not clog the system. We then placed the clay into a large rectangular container at a downhill slope. The reason we sloped the clay downwards is so that when the water enters the clay bed from the sedimentator and the collector, it will easily trickle down and exit on the other side. We also placed plants into the clay so that they will receive nourishment from the water. The fish-rearing tank, sedimentator, collector, and clay bed were all connected to each other with tubes to allow the water to flow through all of the parts in the system. The water continually flows out of the fish-rearing tank and into the clay bed where it is filtered. The water is then recycled back into the tank.

Nutrient Film Technique System:

The Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) system involved more experimentation than the clay bed system in determining how to best connect the various parts together. The first step in building this system involved assembling the smaller parts together. In one of the filtration buckets, we filled the bottom with large rocks and put a large sheet of cotton over it, then layered smaller gravel on top of the cotton, put another sheet of cotton on top of it, and so on, until the bucket was filled to the top. This allows the water to filter through the bucket. We also altered many of the materials in order to fit the various parts of the system together. We cut holes into the tall white tubes with scissors, which was a difficult task, so that we could fit and connect the pipes through it. We also had to cut the pipes with a saw so that they would fit with each other.

Once the NFT system was assembled, we experimented with how to best arrange all of the parts together, similar to putting together the pieces of a puzzle. When we turned the system on and the water began flowing through, we discovered some leaks in the system, but were able to fix them by raising or lowering the buckets or by patching up faulty holes in the pipes. In the final step, we placed the clay pieces that we crushed earlier into plastic cups and put seedlings on top of it. We then placed these cups into the holes in the large pipe. The water flows through this pipe and the clay cleans and filters the water, while the water sustains the small seedlings. Similar to the clay bed system, the water flows out of the fish-rearing tank and through the various parts of the system, where the water is filtered and goes back into the tank.

Finally, and most importantly, the aquaponics system involves raising fish! The tilapia was kept in a large tank indoors. We used a large net to catch them in order to weigh them and calculate the starting weight of the fish. The younger tilapia was kept in tanks outdoors with netting over the top to prevent them from jumping out of their tanks. They are fed about once every two to three hours, except during the night, to ensure continued growth. Once the systems were completed, the tilapia was brought over and put into the large tanks, where they will be reared to provide food for families.

Clay from old water filters is used as the media inside of the clay bed system.

Lisie, Allie, June, and Amanda hard at work breaking apart fibers to be used as media in half of the cups of the NFT system.

Easy anf Fun Make an Aquaponics

Minggu, 15 Mei 2016

Update on the Wood Burning Pool Heater How Well Does it Work

Sabtu, 14 Mei 2016

Hanging It All On The Line

Kamis, 12 Mei 2016

Alternate Follow up To The Alternate Cloning Method It Worked!

Senin, 09 Mei 2016

Theft!

Sabtu, 07 Mei 2016

Geo thermal Cooling

Jumat, 06 Mei 2016

Aquaponics Does it Taste Like Fish Poop

Selasa, 03 Mei 2016

Backyard Chickens Is it Really Worth it

Sabtu, 30 April 2016

Aquaponic Maintenance

Kamis, 28 April 2016

Complete Idiots Guide to Aquaponic Gardening it lives!

Minggu, 24 April 2016

How it all started in Australia

Jumat, 15 April 2016

Alternate Cloning Method Follow up Did It Work

Rabu, 16 Maret 2016

Creating an Aquaponics System

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