References for Aquaponic Beginners
July 31, 2014, 126 Pages – Data updates are in red – August 31, 2014, +135 total pages.
ERROR CORRECTION:
In various documents, I passed along false information, that mosquitoes are territorial and remain within 30 meters of their hatching location. I just found another document describing mosquito vectors and the following adds information modifying the previous information:
“Typically, the flight range for females is longer than that of males. One of the factors that affect mosquito migration patterns is wind. Stronger winds can carry mosquitoes greater distances. Most mosquitoes stay within a mile or two of their source. However, some will venture as far as 75 miles from their breeding source.”
http://www.mosquitomagnet.com/advice/mosquito-info/biting-insect-library/asian-tiger-mosquito/geography
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The University of Hawaii has published a useful pamphlet titled “On Farm Food Safety: Aquaponics,” free for downloading.
http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/FST-38.pdf
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Bright Agrotech Blog – Using Epson Salts for Magnesium Deficiency
http://brightagrotech.com/how-to-supplement-magnesium-with-epsom-salt/?inf_contact_key=9b979f0cf28285ed36f5b312d0816cd90671409ee120efc459c8904465f8d484
“Magnesium is Commonly Deficient in Most Systems
Magnesium deficiency is arguably the most common deficiency. Luckily, it is also one of the simplest nutrients to supplement- you can supplement magnesium with Epsom Salt.”
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Bright Agrotech is headed by Dr. Nate Storey, PhD in horticulture. Nate has great skill teaching the biology and chemistry of aquaponics. This public service “white paper” offers useful information for any school offering aquaponics as part of their education program. This could be of great public service for anyone spreading the word about aquaponics, whether for family use, emergency food supply during a disaster, or as a public service.
http://brightagrotech.com/teaching-hydroponics-in-the-classroom/?inf_contact_key=5361d4aa013b947043ab7ae4837634ab198a464e9c8a3f09fbca5f0fbe170309
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Business Factors In Aquaponics – Tim Mann, Friendly Aquaponics in Hawaii
(For Commercial Aquaponics Growers Wannabes)
Family aquaponics growers with family size installations (±100 sq. feet of grow beds to feed a family of four) are satisfied with their produce and fruit production. Some growers may have visions of an income producing business. Why not? But there are differences and the family unit is a great training center – a useful, go-slow training center.
A major difference is your mind set. Every decision, every change in operation, type of vegetables, growing system (raft vs grow beds), marketing method, labor input and other factors now must be judged from a commercial aspect, the famous “bottom line.”
Tim Mann explains some of these factors in his series, Business Factors in Aquaponics.
Tim is in Hawaii, and his economic factors are not the same as those in Denver, CO or Orlando, FL. The first step is to adapt any Friendly Aquaponics suggestions to your local market. You have to investigate (market research). You have to decide how to increase production of the most profitable produce for maximum aquaponics revenue. One beautiful papaya grown in a gravel rock grow bed may earn $4.00, but six harvests of specialty lettuce from a raft system that you sell to a gourmet restaurant may earn $1,000.
Part 10 — Harvesting and Processing Tips and Tricks
http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/527375/cf0173f5d1/1451002247/306429ea53/
“Cut greens and other vegetables with ceramic knives; the cut ends don't brown as badly as they do when cut with metal knives. Get everything you harvest chilled as soon as possible in an ice water bath; never let it sit in the sun!”
http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/527375/cf0173f5d1/1451002247/306429ea53/
Part 11 — Business Factors In Aquaponics
https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=ea8dedf1ee&view=lg&msg=14684d09299379d2
“How To Drive Success: Investigate all the possible products you can make with value-added processing from the produce you grow, then make an objective choice that takes into account the money you want to make as well as your resources.
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Friendly Aquaponics:
The five part, Learning to Build a Small, 64 sq. ft. Micro System, finishes with Part Five:
Anyone missing the first four parts can link from the following paragraph from Tim Mann.
The series starts with tool mastery and finishes with your complete system. Anyone can do this.
http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/527375/40a975b669/1451002247/004d3e18d7/
Those who have hesitated can be assured of success building this entry level system. A family of four needs approximately 100 sq. feet of grow bed. Every part is scalable.
“Aloha Friend:
Today we’ll wrap up how to build our 64 square foot Micro System; a productive, economical, and simple backyard aquaponics system. If you tuned in late to this channel and would like to catch up, you can read the first four newsletters in this series here: #1, #2, #3, and #4.”
For anyone anticipating commercial aquaponics using a small or a large system, start with a Micro System and evolve (grow) up to family size over a couple years as a learning experience. This is not rocket science, but mistakes cost money, some cost a lot of money. A small start avoids a big loss from mistakes YOU will make.
Thank the many successful aquaponics gurus who are willing to pass along their knowledge and willingness to share their experience.
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From Tim Mann - Friendly Aquaponics
Re: Small Commercial System (Interrupted!)
We'll have Part 6 of "Commercial DIY Aquaponics...in next week's newsletter, in which we cover assembling a 512 square foot, off-grid system.
Today's newsletter is a photo description of the step-by-step assembly of a prefabricated 512 square foot off-grid aquaponics system. This is still not what we'd call a "commercial aquaponics system" (because it's too small: a single person can easily handle 2,500 square feet of trough if they're a good worker), but it is a good place to start if you want to go commercial, or want more than just a small backyard system.
END: Friendly Aquaponics
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Temperature Control can be foiled by roots and clogging. Check out this site for “My Mistakes” articles:
http://inhabitat.com/how-can-an-outdoor-aquaponics-system-survive-a-frigid-winter-use-upcycled-fridges-as-tanks/
(Cold Weather) “Grow Beds
My grow beds took a fair amount of trial and error, and I filled a lot of round files with crumpled graph paper. I tried halved barrels like Travis Hughey, but their round sides, small size, and irregular shape made pipe inlet and drain penetrations awkward as well as difficult to insulate with waterproof insulation (all flexible insulation like fiberglass loses its insulating properties when damp). After six months of wrestling with wet insulation, over-flooding beds, and failing drain pipes, I decided to start over.
Demolishing my barrel-based beds, I rebuilt new beds entirely out of 2” extruded polystyrene (EPS) insulation board with a wood structure and pond liner for water sealing. This provides an R-value of 10 on the bottom and sides of my grow beds, preventing cold spots at the edges or corners. Using a 4” pipe with slits as a protective chamber for the supply and drain piping prevents roots and rocks from getting into and clogging the pipes as happened on all my other designs. It also allows access to the piping without digging through gravel. Adding a homemade charcoal bucket filter upstream of the pump helped with clogging as well.
For the bed tops, I made the wood structure as level and flat as I could. This created a flat surface for the top layer of insulation to press against, creating a somewhat-effective air seal. In the top layer of insulation, I cut 3” holes for net pots in which to plant my seedlings. Above the net pots I added plastic covers that keep as much of the humidity and heat from escaping through the plant openings as possible. The primary way that heat escapes my system is through the drain action sucking cold air into the beds, and flood action expelling the warmed heated air out. To help with this, I built low tunnels over each grow bed with #4 steel wire and Agribon draped over it. Next year I plan to drape plastic over the Agribon....”
Read more: Sunken Fridges are Ideal Outdoor Aquaponics Tanks for Frigid Climates | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building
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Chikungunya, Dengue, Elephantiasis, Malaria, Yellow Fever, and West Nile Disease are all transmitted by mosquitoes. Aquaponics growers can create mosquito free zones around their homes using mosquito fish in sump tanks. Remember to buffer as mosquitoes avoid flowing water.
Aquaponics is a proven method to eradicate mosquitoes cheaply, control mosquitoes in the future at no cost, and provide organic fruits and vegetables for the living.
Punjab, Pakistan used fish but produced no food:
2011– Over 20,000 dengue cases, over 300 deaths
2013 – Only 100 dengue cases, zero deaths
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/01/punjab-fish-dengue-mosquito
Sochi, Russia – 2010, Sochi erected a monument to Gambusia affinis (mosquitofish) after no malaria deaths since 1956. (Picture in Modular-Growth PowerPoint file.) —Wikipedia
Tim Mann (Hawaii) – within six months after installing commercial aquaponics farm on seven acres of mosquito infested land, no mosquitoes and they have not returned.
http://www.friendlyaquaponics.com/no-more-malaria/
Aquaponics feeds the living and eradicates mosquitoes, year after year.
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In North America, the Asian tiger mosquito is found in 32 states, from New York to Texas, and has been spotted in California, New Mexico and Arizona. The species is known to be widespread in Latin America.
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Gambusia affinis (mosquitofish)
If added to ornamental ponds, they are compatible with gold fish, carp, and koi. But they are not compatible with bass, bluegill, catfish, perch, turtles, crayfish, and frogs.
Dangers
When establishing a new pond, the Homeowners Guide to Mosquito Fish cautions against using copper pipes because they are lethal to mosquito fish. Plastic piping is safe. New concrete is also hazardous as it makes the water alkaline by leaching lime into it. To avoid this problem fill the pond with water, allow it to stand for a few days, then drain and refill it with fresh water. The appropriate pH should be between 6.5 and 8.0. Whiskey or wine barrels can also emit chemicals. Clean and soak them thoroughly before placing fish or plants in them. Predators of mosquito fish include raccoons, cats, possums, egrets and herons. Place large rocks on the bottom of the pond for protection. Certain plants and leaves are also harmful to mosquito fish including duckweed, pine, eucalyptus and oak.
Read more : http://www.ehow.com/about_6303684_mosquito-fish-information.html
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Rob Bob (Australia) demos two methods to use Uniseals and thin plastic pipe in Aquaponics to reduce costs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8ZIcT44rGw&feature=em-subs_digest
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Murray Hallam – Back to the Books
Discover the important parameters and better understand the role of natural processes in an Aquaponic System.
Aquaponics System Biology
We understand that an Aquaponics system produces fish and plants together in one symbiotic system, and we know that there are two major bacteria that convert the primary waste of the fish, Ammonia to Nitrites and then Nitrates, that is, plant food.
Just to recap on those two Bacteria families are:
1. Nitrosomonas bacteria
2. Nitrobacter bacteria
Bacteria of various types are all around us and in our own bodies. There are simply millions of different bacteria. In nature, bacteria perform many complex tasks taking one compound and by extracting energy from it for themselves convert it to another compound. The two bacteria groups listed above are particularly important to our needs and with the right conditions will work for us around the clock.
Bacteria need a food source, water, and live within a temperature and pH range conducive to their survival.
Temperature:
* The temperature for optimum growth of nitrifying bacteria is between 77-86° F (25-30°C).
* Growth rate is decreased by 50% at 64° F (18° C).
* Growth rate is decreased by 75% at 46-50° F. (8 to 10 C)
* No activity will occur at 39° F (4° C)
* Nitrifying bacteria will die at 32° F (0° C).
* Nitrifying bacteria will die at 120° F (49° C)1
Nitrobacter bacteria are less tolerant of low temperatures than Nitrosomonas bacteria. In Aquaponics systems, care must be taken to monitor the accumulation of nitrites especially when there is a change in water temperature of the system.
pH range:
* The optimum pH range for Nitrosomonas is between 7.8-8.0.
* The optimum pH range for Nitrobacter is between 7.3-7.5
Nitrobacter will grow more slowly at the high pH levels . At high pH Nitrosomonas will grow more slowly and increases in ammonia may become evident. On the low end Nitrosomonas growth is inhibited at a pH of 6.5. All nitrification is inhibited if the pH drops to 6.0 or less.
Care must be taken to monitor ammonia if the pH begins to drop close to 6.5 as it may not be being processed as quickly as it is at higher pH levels.
This information has been taken from standard texts on the subject and we have observed that the tolerance range is most likely wider than most texts suggest. 2
Beneficial Bacteria provide four main benefits for fish intestine lining and plant root tissue.
Beneficial bacteria help the balance of a system by: (Fungi help as well but that is another discussion)
* Preventing harmful bacteria from taking hold. If the system is already occupied by a
beneficial bacteria then the harmful bacteria have difficulty taking hold. The microbes
make Aquaculture and Aquaponics possible.
* Promoting system health. Beneficial bacteria play an integral part in breakdown of organic
material and actively assist plant and fish tissue health.
* Being antagonistic to harmful bacteria. Beneficial bacteria inhibit harmful bacteria from
taking hold. By actively antagonizing harmful bacteria, the harmful bacteria are held in
check in the Aquaponics system.
* Improving nutrient uptake and general system health.
Aquaponics Microbes:-
It is important to understand that many more natural creatures other than just the two bacteria groups discussed above are at work in the natural ECO system that we have pulled together in building an Aquaponics system. Fungi, algae, zooplankton, phytoplankton, protozoa, and nematodes are just a few. All of these micro-organisms are the “work horses” of the system. Bacteria process the fish wastes into products that are non-toxic to the fish and make these products available to the plants as food.
[And remember that Darwin labeled earthworms “the soldiers of the earth.”]
(1) Nitrifying Bacteria Facts – Bio-Con Labs. (n.d.).
Retrieved from http://bioconlabs.com/nitribactfacts.html
(2) Bhaskar Vijaya , Effect of environmental factors on nitrifying bacteria isolated from the rhizosphere of Setaria italica : Department of Microbiology, Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Anantapur 515003, AP, India. 2005
And Murray on Temperature
Keeping fish and plants together has some basic requirements and important parameters.
Water temperature is a very important parameter. If the water temperature gets too high it will knock the plant performance back. The ideal temp for both plants, Jade Perch and Tilapia is 23C (73F) as it goes higher or lower the performance of both plants and fish drops off. Tilapia will still be fine in water up to 30C (86F) and a little way beyond. Plants will also survive but produce much less, particularly lettuce and the like.