tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75703115266115374692024-03-05T07:04:06.450-08:00Aquaponic AdventuresAn aqua experiment with a ponic twist...Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14032239659229679615noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570311526611537469.post-42836309845851792952010-02-05T06:13:00.000-08:002010-02-05T06:13:08.510-08:00East High Presentation<div style="text-align: center;"></div><div id="__ss_3023256" style="text-align: left; width: 425px;"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/averbruggen/aquaponics" style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px 0pt 3px; text-decoration: underline;" title="Aquaponics">Aquaponics</a><object height="355" style="margin: 0px;" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=aquaponics-100129075708-phpapp01&stripped_title=aquaponics" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/><embed src="http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=aquaponics-100129075708-phpapp01&stripped_title=aquaponics" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><div style="font-family: tahoma,arial; font-size: 11px; height: 26px; padding-top: 2px;">View more <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/" style="text-decoration: underline;">presentations</a> from <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/averbruggen" style="text-decoration: underline;">averbruggen</a>.</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14032239659229679615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570311526611537469.post-81567587598346677112009-12-18T10:09:00.000-08:002009-12-18T10:09:36.740-08:00Day 69: Looks like a Christmas Salad is in my Future<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/?action=view&current=edited.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/edited.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Lovely lettuce.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/?action=view&current=P1010004.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/P1010004.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The Butterhead variety grew slower, but I think it tastes better and has better 'form'. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Whatever that means. ;o)<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/?action=view&current=P1010005.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/P1010005.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I think I waited too long to raise the lights and the small amount of heat coming off them was enought to dry out the tips on some of the leaves. Oops. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">All-in-all it was a fun experiment. I've already got some new seeds going in the mesh pots, and I can't wait to start up a new experiment at the local High School. When I get the Power Point I plan to use to present there all pretty and how I like it, I'll post.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">MERRY CHRISMAS!<br />
</div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14032239659229679615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570311526611537469.post-34788135457688994662009-11-26T20:03:00.000-08:002009-11-26T20:09:59.378-08:00Rave Reviews!Testing day was a success!<br />
<br />
For the test, I made a mix of my two home grown varieties and bought some organic lettuce from the grocery store. The three test groups consisted of a) Wild Harvest Organic <i>spring mix</i> lettuce, b) a mixture of the purchased lettuce and my lettuce, and c) my lettuce only.<br />
*For the mixture (group b), I picked out only certain varieties of lettuce from the spring mix and mixed them with my two varieties*<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/?action=view&current=P1010149.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" height="480" src="http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/P1010149.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
</div><br />
The 'competition'.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/?action=view&current=P1010152.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" height="400" src="http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/P1010152.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Apparently, Wild Harvest needs to work on the flavor of their lettuce. It did not get great reviews.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/?action=view&current=P1010148.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" height="480" src="http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/P1010148.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The Wild Harvest lettuce group was described as: bitter, salty, and just plain not the best.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The mixture of both was actually the favorite group. I can't say whether or not this was because of my lettuce or because of the varieties I picked out of the Wild Harvest lettuce. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">My lettuce was the second favorite. This is more than satisfying for me. The butterhead variety was the favorite among the two I grew, and both were tasty. I was assured that positively no 'fishy' flavor was detected. FANTASTIC! (I would have been happy even if my lettuce had not ranked highly, just as long as it wasn't deemed *funky* in any way.) <br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/?action=view&current=P1010147.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" height="480" src="http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/P1010147.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
A big THANK YOU to all who participated in the lettuce tasting study!!<br />
<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">*all faces have been conceiled to protect the identities of participants in the event of backlash from the Wild Harvest lettuce people after their poor reviews* <br />
<br />
HA! I crack myself up sometimes. ;)<br />
</div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14032239659229679615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570311526611537469.post-72243712002168546222009-11-25T23:04:00.000-08:002009-11-25T23:08:52.217-08:00A few things:First, harvesting lettuce in a container shoulder high and 3 feet deep is a giant pain in the butt.<br />
Second, the lettuce doesn't appear to be all that disturbed by being crowded. (but it does make harvesting a little more difficult)<br />
Third, I'm really hoping it works well to grow the plants in the pond baskets full of gravel - it will be so much easier in many ways. (I planted some fresh seeds in them today)<br />
Fourth, I tasted the lettuce and it seems just fine to me.<br />
Fifth, the lettuce on the back side, closest to the exterior window, is definitely bigger than the rest. Clearly natural light is a hot commodity.<br />
Sixth, I'm thinking about getting some more goldfish and putting them in the top chamber to see how they do. We'll see.<br />
Seventh, the lettuce is picked and washed and bagged up for testing tomorrow. I will provide a full report.Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14032239659229679615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570311526611537469.post-77934804849348708432009-11-24T20:14:00.000-08:002009-11-24T20:19:49.775-08:00Day 43: Nearing Judgement DayBelieve it or not, I have not actually eaten any of my lettuce yet. Wrong, so very wrong. I know.<br />
In fact, I haven't paid much attention to my 'garden' at all. I feed the fish when I feed the cats (and I must say - thank god I feed the cats in the same room or I probably would forget that, too). All I've really done is take some pictures on the weekends. Other than that, the system really seems to be running itself. This is a major plus, especially for the convenience of small scale home growing. (but don't tell my fish that - I think they want to go back in the pond in spring)<br />
<br />
I plan to perform my 'blind taste testing' (which, by the way does not mean I'm going to poke anybody's eyes out) on Thanksgiving. I'm at least fairly confident my family will willingly participate in my experiment, and I know at least my mother will be brutally honest (she is fully prepared to set off the alarm bells if anything should taste even the least bit 'fishy').<br />
<br />
I'll elaborate even more on the taste testing once I come up with an evaluation technique and pick the 'competition lettuce' at the grocery store. Yes, I know Thanksgiving is only two days away!<br />
<br />
Oh, the PRESSURE!! <br />
<br />
Until then, have a look-see at the day 43 pictures. (again, with no ruler - I'm working on it, I swear)<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/?action=view&current=P1010134-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="42" border="0" height="480" src="http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/P1010134-1.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/?action=view&current=P1010135.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="42" border="0" height="480" src="http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/P1010135.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/?action=view&current=P1010136.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="42" border="0" height="480" src="http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/P1010136.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/?action=view&current=P1010137.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="42" border="0" height="480" src="http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/P1010137.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Not real sure what's going on with the basil. It doesn't appear to be too thrilled with the environment I have provided for it.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/?action=view&current=P1010138.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="42" border="0" height="480" src="http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/P1010138.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Well, if I don't post before Thanksgiving - HAPPY THANKSGIVING!<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">(and wish me luck)<br />
</div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14032239659229679615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570311526611537469.post-21541508219313243322009-11-23T15:36:00.000-08:002009-11-23T15:39:23.131-08:00Day 35: Moving right along<div style="text-align: center;"> Things are coming right along in the 'garden'.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The gravel bed is by far my best hope for success right now. I have a very good feeling this has to do with the fact that these plants were sewn right into the gravel and never moved. I'm going to try to re-seed the basket planters in the lower chamber and see how those plants do if I just sew them and leave them alone. I hypothesize they will do much better.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Also, it just now occurred to me that it would have been a good idea to take pictures with a ruler next to the plants so you could actually tell how big they were at each stage.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Oh, well. Next time. Live and learn. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/?action=view&current=P1010128.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="35" border="0" height="480" src="http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/P1010128.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/?action=view&current=P1010129.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="35" border="0" height="480" src="http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/P1010129.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/?action=view&current=P1010130.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="35" border="0" height="480" src="http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/P1010130.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/?action=view&current=P1010132.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="35" border="0" height="480" src="http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/P1010132.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/?action=view&current=P1010133.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="35" border="0" height="480" src="http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/P1010133.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
</div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14032239659229679615noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570311526611537469.post-65855657667961497052009-11-09T15:47:00.001-08:002009-11-24T20:21:56.804-08:00Houston, We have a problem.<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/?action=view&current=P1010095-2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" height="480" src="http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/P1010095-2.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
</div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14032239659229679615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570311526611537469.post-81790570359713647892009-11-05T16:10:00.000-08:002009-11-05T16:10:34.398-08:00Day 25: ExperimentingMost of the lettuce is still doing pretty well.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/?action=view&current=P1010111.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/P1010111.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Salad Bowl<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/?action=view&current=P1010112.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/P1010112.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Butterhead<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">One of the rafts is not doing well at all. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/?action=view&current=P1010104.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/P1010104.jpg" /></a> <br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I suspect feline interference. Though it's not fair to blame it completely on the cats, though - I really don't think it was getting enough light. I'll be going to get more lights tomorrow afternoon.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The other raft is doing ok. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/?action=view&current=P1010106.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/P1010106.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/?action=view&current=P1010109.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/P1010109.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Look at those lovely roots!<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I am experimenting with a new idea just to see what happens.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I bought 6 of these a while ago at Stein's because they were on sale. I thought they might come in handy.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja9gTv45q0v44wZ10lV0FITnAEIPsjp09uK1vlnpuuJe6yhm98fSccbR24RyW20Z09dG9jb7VBpk8GogGljG3e2-wo8wgn7WhXqJz0lxPBUGD71UxSjuZprbJWyQtwfmgZglH8vTmZXJkR/s1600-h/51Hur9-WTKL._SS500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja9gTv45q0v44wZ10lV0FITnAEIPsjp09uK1vlnpuuJe6yhm98fSccbR24RyW20Z09dG9jb7VBpk8GogGljG3e2-wo8wgn7WhXqJz0lxPBUGD71UxSjuZprbJWyQtwfmgZglH8vTmZXJkR/s320/51Hur9-WTKL._SS500_.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> So, I thought I would give them a spin. I filled them with gravel and put a plant in each. This should help keep the weight down, but still allow for growing in gravel media. That's what I'm going with, anyway. <br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/?action=view&current=P1010115.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/P1010115.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/?action=view&current=P1010114.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/P1010114.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The basil is starting to give it a go as well.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/?action=view&current=P1010116.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/P1010116.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/?action=view&current=P1010117.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/P1010117.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14032239659229679615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570311526611537469.post-52269693158702876332009-11-01T13:01:00.000-08:002009-11-01T13:08:05.728-08:00Day 21: Status ReportI still don't have an air supply set up in my system. This is probably not a particularly good thing. Even still, the lettuce is doing pretty well. <br />
<br />
This is the "Salad Bowl" variety:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/?action=view&current=P1010095-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" height="480" src="http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/P1010095-1.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">And the "Butterhead" variety:<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/?action=view&current=P1010096.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" height="480" src="http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/P1010096.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Maybe it's just the fact that they are single plants, but the plants in the rafts don't seem to be doing as well.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/?action=view&current=P1010098.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" height="480" src="http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/P1010098.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Butterhead variety<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/?action=view&current=P1010101.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" height="480" src="http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/P1010101.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Salad Bowl variety<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I think the raft plants will probably benefit from an added air supply. I'm hoping to get something fixed up early this coming week. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">This is an individual Butterhead variety plant in gravel, for comparison.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/?action=view&current=P1010097-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" height="480" src="http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/P1010097-1.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">This Salad Bowl variety plant in the raft is doing pretty well. About half of them look like this and half are smaller.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/?action=view&current=P1010101.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" height="480" src="http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/P1010101.jpg" width="640" /></a> <br />
</div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14032239659229679615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570311526611537469.post-52509301099996524492009-10-25T13:26:00.000-07:002009-10-25T14:52:04.326-07:00System SpecsFirst, I have a confession to make:<br />
I was just looking at my earlier posts and discovered that someone commented on one. A real live person. A real live person that was not my mom. A real live person who might think I'm competent enough to pull this whole thing off. HOLY CRAP! (By the way, it just so happens I'm crazy enough to think I can pull it off, too.) <br />
I hadn't even really thought about the real live people. I mostly was thinking about getting 3 college credits for my independent study, and that if I put my pictures and notes on a server somewhere in space I wouldn't lose them. Because lord knows, if I kept them in my house, they would disappear (or have cat teeth marks in them) in no time.<br />
<br />
Soooo... for those real live people who may wish to know - here are the 'specs' on my current system.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: large;">The frame:</span><br />
</div>All wood. The outside posts are 2x4's, the cross bars were 1x4's ripped in half, the plywood for the shelves was laying around in my Dad's garage, and the 'cleats' on the ends of the shelves are the leftover ends of the ripped 1x4's. The whole thing stands 6' tall and is about 50" wide. Because I didn't have to buy the plywood, the lumber cost me only about $18.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/4002415269/" title="P1010091 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="P1010091" height="500" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2464/4002415269_b16bab0fb1.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The spacing between shelves is about 18". I figured about 12" of growing space for the plants would be sufficient for my purpose. This leaves 4" for the gravel (or whatever growing media I use in each) and about 2" for the lights between each shelf.<br />
<br />
</div><div style="color: #38761d; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">The lights:</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Plain old shop lights. These have been sitting in my dad's basement for many, many years. He used to start garden plants early with them in the spring. They don't have special grow bulbs in them or anything like that, just regular old fluorescent bulbs. (and they won't have special bulbs until they have to be replaced) I saw shop lights the other day at FarmN'Barn*....errrr, I mean Fleet Farm for about $10 each.<br />
The lights are attached to some really strong coated string my dad had. The shelf above has holes drilled in it so the string can slide up and down to adjust the lights. There are posts on the outside frame to attach the string to so it holds the lights at the correct level. Through past experience, we feel the plants do best if the lights are as close to them as possible - I wanted to be sure I could adjust the lights according to the plant height.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #38761d; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">The growing chambers:</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The chambers themselves are made from sterilite under-bed storage containers. They just so happened to be 60% off at Shopko on the day I was out looking for some. THAT was awesome! I think they regularly go for around $15.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4lIOsM-es61CeGA10R7RUK7T_NJ8w8rghke8wKuHJy-XXV7aq9lnvmbAScntff8R_P9IqWnO38dMIBjZGrnvM7irjMj0EqmiSOznEI_d1fvfaPDIItTbVWel-3OTo5veajDRenw6OED74/s1600-h/box.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4lIOsM-es61CeGA10R7RUK7T_NJ8w8rghke8wKuHJy-XXV7aq9lnvmbAScntff8R_P9IqWnO38dMIBjZGrnvM7irjMj0EqmiSOznEI_d1fvfaPDIItTbVWel-3OTo5veajDRenw6OED74/s400/box.bmp" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I used a borer bit to drill 1 1/4" holes in each side to fit my plumbing. That was stressful, but it did work. (I only screwed up slightly once.) The PVC piping I used is 1". This is mostly because I had it laying around from building agility jumps for my dogs. 3/4" PVC would likely work ok, but I think the 1" is actually a good choice. For the fittings on each side I used one male and one female fitting. I coated the opening of the sterilite container with some sealant and screwed the two pieces together, one on each side. This is what the fittings look like:<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio2UdLWarZ-57wvPIqCuFvqwlYltw-woNvDWSSbnZPkSCDzgVM9Att5v88gxmjwKTfhiAS2KLNUCZohATKoXX2EW31cdG24SD8Lx7C5EnnrTkaIqaCQyx_iV384BdQp1Q18jx6Uo7x0GS8/s1600-h/famale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio2UdLWarZ-57wvPIqCuFvqwlYltw-woNvDWSSbnZPkSCDzgVM9Att5v88gxmjwKTfhiAS2KLNUCZohATKoXX2EW31cdG24SD8Lx7C5EnnrTkaIqaCQyx_iV384BdQp1Q18jx6Uo7x0GS8/s320/famale.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">See how the ends of these fittings will accept a section of pipe? On the outside, I just attached the inflow or outflow pipe. After assembly, I did have to gob some sealant on the outside of two of the fittings because where the fittings met the hole in the storage box leaked slightly. It was fairly easily fixed, though. I'm sure there is a better sealant for this purpose than I used. If I had it to do again I would have just bought a tube of tub caulk. I think that would have worked better. I used 'rain or shine' pvc cement to connect the sections of pipe. (I figured that would be a smart thing to do) <br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Two things:<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Did you know the outside diameter of 1" pipe is actually 1 1/4"? Jerks! They probably think it's funny to screw with people who don't know any better. (This cost me two trips to FarmN'Barn.) <br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you've never worked with plumbing stuff before, you will notice that the label on plumbers PVC pipe cement says a couple things: a) work quickly, this cement will set hard and fast, b) use in a well ventilated area. <br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">THEY ARE NOT KIDDING!<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/4002419381/" title="P1010096 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="P1010096" height="375" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2465/4002419381_e4a2e8035b.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The gravel is 'decorative stone' pea pebbles I bought at Home Depot in bags. I hate Home Depot. I only went there because they were close by. This past weekend I was at Willums landscaping for something else and saw a big pile of pea gravel out in the yard. I asked the guy, and he said I could buy it for about $1.50 for a 5 gallon pale. That will be where I get it from now on. In the past, my dad has gotten gravel we used for our aquariums at the local stone/granite place. That's probably a better bet for 'prettier' stone, but I don't care what it looks like. I tried posting on craigslist for aquarium gravel - that was a total waste of my time. There were actually people that thought I was going to drive to their house and pay $3 for a 'couple baggies' of aquarium gravel. Lunatics! As I said above, my gravel bed is 4" deep. My dad thinks this is deeper than necessary. I disagree. And since it's in my house, I'm the decider. :o)<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #38761d; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">The rafts:</span><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Go here to learn more about the raft system I am using:<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">http://aquaponicadventures.blogspot.com/2009/10/day-8-growing-raft.html<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #38761d; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">The fish:</span><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/4043114739/" title="P1010133 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="P1010133" height="375" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2517/4043114739_0ea0774a95.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The fish I am using right now are the 8 goldfish from my backyard pond. Here in the frozen tundra, their pond is nowhere near deep enough for them to be able to survive outside. Plus, they have an important job to do in the house now. Eventually, I do want to give Perch a try. Perch are my target audience.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #38761d; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">The food:</span><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/4043113199/" title="P1010131 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="P1010131" height="500" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2466/4043113199_2266061c81.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Right now I am NOT evaluating my fish food productivity. The food I am using is left over from when my dad and I had lives (other than work, school, and football coaching), and beautiful fish tanks. See?<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/3962865554/" title="untitled by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="untitled" height="187" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2456/3962865554_d092259c0b.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The aquadine mix we used is really primarily targeted for guppies (my dad's fish of choice). This should be a pretty good diet for the goldfish because they, like guppies, are vegetarian fish. When I start looking into raising perch, the food issue will have to be addressed further. <br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #38761d; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">The pump:</span><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/4043858690/" title="P1010134 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="P1010134" height="375" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2530/4043858690_e9159344b2.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The pump I am using is the pump (and pre-filter) taken directly from my pond. Two reasons: 1) I have it, and it would be stupid not to use it 2) the filter media in the pre-filter I 'MacGivered' for it is established with good bacteria which helped the fish with their transition into the house.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here is the actual pump as listed on Amazon.com (not where I got mine because, again, I got a killer sale price on mine at Menards):<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp-0my_T7gux32Oq8PIJAg_Rz0bOLg_hpSp9Dub2BHsCzL6E0zfUddPBinbWE_PfyBnOCPDoBlcyNrE2BJ750QYHpok5ogcPcryRUM-7khfFUpgHxPkBlTXzJ-KpZezmx2vvYAp9fhEzeO/s1600-h/pump.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp-0my_T7gux32Oq8PIJAg_Rz0bOLg_hpSp9Dub2BHsCzL6E0zfUddPBinbWE_PfyBnOCPDoBlcyNrE2BJ750QYHpok5ogcPcryRUM-7khfFUpgHxPkBlTXzJ-KpZezmx2vvYAp9fhEzeO/s640/pump.bmp" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>I have my pump set up with 3/4" fittings and tubing. It's running just shy of wide-open. This means the water really flows pretty good through my system. (this is partly possible because I have fairly large PVC piping) I used the 3/4" tubing because I don't want the water to come out under very high pressure, I wanted good flow without a pressurized jet of any kind. (particularly because I may eventually use the top chamber for plants)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As you can see, I have a home-made pre-filter around my pump. This is made from an aquatic plant container. I placed the pump inside the container, surrounded it with pouches of (GAC) granular activated carbon (which by now is long since 'activated', but is still a good place for good bacteria to live), filter floss, and filter foam. Then, I took some screen material and cut a hole in it so the riser off the pump could poke through, and attached it with zip ties. (I'm starting to use binder clips to hold the screen on now because re-doing the zip ties when I clean it is a pain in the butt - it seems to be working)<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is what the aquatic plant baskets look like. I used a square one like the top right.<br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkEPQnztBE-INGvXTjPCnG-V8pp293qtb1Wn7YTLg-sSPvg5JdylRz51XzHE7Lo-Sdexe9dlhUrBO_OQZX3R94Kllk4PaQHXmb-JzxfoKikUORqgVE7ArUnyGUx_n7myJUcdYM-_U0_yqk/s1600-h/aquatic+plant+baskets+lg%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkEPQnztBE-INGvXTjPCnG-V8pp293qtb1Wn7YTLg-sSPvg5JdylRz51XzHE7Lo-Sdexe9dlhUrBO_OQZX3R94Kllk4PaQHXmb-JzxfoKikUORqgVE7ArUnyGUx_n7myJUcdYM-_U0_yqk/s320/aquatic+plant+baskets+lg%5B1%5D.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #38761d; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">The plants:</span><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I chose a terrible time to start this as far as locating seeds to start WITH. I was able to track down a couple seeds at my local garden store. I'm pretty much just using what I was able to get my hands on for now. <br />
</div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK4berO33aaHSg9bFVJPzxwVk1QUUJLNVuntBFW2bMAEipl_MpyHxrhWTfygLIgdTcE19yG5zzYj30z1QgmzvbV-eLXAsBQu79rFduQu6cFLY9Ca3cHVlu-mx-WwPoS520twuyEdDxJy96/s1600-h/P1010137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK4berO33aaHSg9bFVJPzxwVk1QUUJLNVuntBFW2bMAEipl_MpyHxrhWTfygLIgdTcE19yG5zzYj30z1QgmzvbV-eLXAsBQu79rFduQu6cFLY9Ca3cHVlu-mx-WwPoS520twuyEdDxJy96/s320/P1010137.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFeKQFAXhmEDJDm5XbtCd9aAaOryDTiVgiZPQf-VIljwicUAtUOjrevE34APhTnGHEOKlO9ZUpq9zz01zEKgExIwprtcyTSQkg9yOGtX5KFyQftRMuX3C43r_lm3-7DrlNK0_l8SD6rdQw/s1600-h/P1010138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFeKQFAXhmEDJDm5XbtCd9aAaOryDTiVgiZPQf-VIljwicUAtUOjrevE34APhTnGHEOKlO9ZUpq9zz01zEKgExIwprtcyTSQkg9yOGtX5KFyQftRMuX3C43r_lm3-7DrlNK0_l8SD6rdQw/s320/P1010138.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Notice the words "reliable" and "easy to grow" on each of these packets. I figure that part sure can't hurt. :o)<br />
</div><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfGmHU6gc05Sg6ki0as9O6sAC5uj7IKsXSQ1PZsxUE4tJkitLCLOeVs4COkol8w-URuwLVKWSFD-hAoa8zhlt_b7pP0Ds3eVbLDO2fwXTZPNnF8XVDiipXB-KB624pwsg7DEOLs1bZDxu/s1600-h/P1010140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfGmHU6gc05Sg6ki0as9O6sAC5uj7IKsXSQ1PZsxUE4tJkitLCLOeVs4COkol8w-URuwLVKWSFD-hAoa8zhlt_b7pP0Ds3eVbLDO2fwXTZPNnF8XVDiipXB-KB624pwsg7DEOLs1bZDxu/s400/P1010140.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
The lettuce is the primary concern for my system, but I had the Cilantro, Basil, and Oregano seeds left over from summer so I figured what the heck. The lettuce has been doing great so far. The Basil and Oregano are doing so-so. The Cilantro is a big fat flop. I haven't seen a single one sprout yet, at 14 days.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, there you have it. My aquaponics system.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If there are any 'real live people' (or my mom) out there who wish to know more, please feel free to let me know. ;o)<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">* FarmN'Barn is one of my favorite places. It's actually called Fleet Farm. My brother and his friend (who worked there) always call it FarmN'Barn, and I happened to like it... so, it stuck. :o)<br />
</div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14032239659229679615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570311526611537469.post-28480527949538117952009-10-25T11:40:00.000-07:002009-10-25T11:46:09.262-07:00Day 14: Thinning the HerdThere's been a whole lot of growing goin' on.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/4043535132/" title="P1010120 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="P1010120" height="375" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2795/4043535132_f519d0d86c.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">"Salad Bowl" variety<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/4042786297/" title="P1010121 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="P1010121" height="375" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3236/4042786297_9c10ffe528.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">left: "Butterhead" variety<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I really had no idea how things would go with this new system, so I *may* have sewn a bit much seed. Lettuce doesn't really like to be crowded (or so I've read), so I must now thin them out. This process makes me a little sad.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">First, I picked out some nice plants for transfering to the rafts. I filled a second raft, and also replaced some of the cells in the first raft that did not do so well. I found that the root systems on these, now 14 day old, plants were substantially larger. I would definitely say that I feel 14 days would be a better time to transfer to rafts than the earlier 8 or 9 day stage.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/4042773509/" title="P1010123 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="P1010123" height="500" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2471/4042773509_9f4e4ae328.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Pulling out all those adorable little plants made me sad. Just look at all those cute little guys with their nice root systems that will never get to reach their full potential.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/4042769639/" title="P1010124 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="P1010124" height="375" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2766/4042769639_21dfbb36f3.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">THAAAAT's right! I'm sad about killing baby lettuce plants! Is that a PROBLEM!?<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Didn't think so. :o)<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/4043521984/" title="P1010125 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="P1010125" height="375" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2709/4043521984_5ce1f7d373.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">On one side of the gravel chamber the plants are nicely spaced.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/4042795299/" title="P1010128 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="P1010128" height="375" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3496/4042795299_83dc3e23e3.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">That's tiny Oregano plants in the middle...I think.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">(this is why we label things) :o)<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">On the other side, the plants are only partially spaced. I want to see how they do slightly crowded. (and also this allows me to have more plants to pull if I have any die off in the rafts)<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/4043526752/" title="P1010127 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="P1010127" height="375" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2508/4043526752_7f5cbdeb73.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14032239659229679615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570311526611537469.post-11566869610406449312009-10-25T11:18:00.000-07:002009-10-25T14:26:41.256-07:00Day 8: Growing RaftThe most common commercial growing system for aquaponics is the raft method. So, of course, it would be silly for me not to give it a go.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/4043515074/" title="P1010118 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="P1010118" height="375" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2596/4043515074_6316a8ec6b.jpg" width="500" /></a> <br />
</div><br />
The only major problem I have with this method is that the current 'norm' for this process is using rockwool as the growing media for each plant 'pod' in the raft. Rockwoll is made by heating rocks such as basalt and chalk and actually making a wool-like mat. I'm concerned about the way these rocks are mined, and about the sustainability of such a product. Also, I have read that rockwool can pose a problem in that it must be pH buffered before use. Again, this usually requires chemicals. Eventually, I intend to look into coir (recycled coconut husks) for this instead of the rockwool. But, for now, I don't have any coir so I am using plain old polyester fiber fill.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/4042796169/" title="P1010114 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="P1010114" height="375" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2767/4042796169_e6c82241be.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
</div><br />
I actually find this to be a great inexpensive filter media (though I realize it's probably not the most sustainable material that ever existed, either).<br />
<br />
The raft itself is simply a piece of styrofoam cut to fit the water chamber with circular holes cut in it for each plant. These styrofoam rafts should be able to be reused for years to come. <br />
<br />
The plants were transfered to the raft on day 8. About 3 of the plants shriveled and died. I later determined this was because the roots did not reach the flowing water below. The polyester fiber fill does a great job of holding the plants in place, but there is not enough in each cell to really be able to wick much moisture up to the plant. By 14 days, I found the root systems were much larger and far more viable for transfer to the rafts.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/4043509882/" title="P1010116 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="P1010116" height="375" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2538/4043509882_9f22565072.jpg" width="500" /></a> <br />
</div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14032239659229679615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570311526611537469.post-46746488181736948052009-10-15T14:30:00.000-07:002009-10-15T14:30:58.424-07:00Day 4: Holy Moses!<div style="text-align: center;">According to the package, these lettuce seeds have a germination time of 7 to 14 days. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I don't know how accurate that estimate is, but in this system I have seen germination of these seeds in 3 to 4 days. Cool!<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/4014528869/" title="P1010110 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="P1010110" height="375" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2634/4014528869_41c0dfeebf.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Just look at all that root growth in the matter of a day!<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/4015293052/" title="P1010112 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="P1010112" height="375" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2444/4015293052_45b586c2cb.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The lettuce seeds (both varieties) are the only seeds that have germinated. Many of the basil seeds appear to be getting almost moldy. I'm unsure as to whether this will cause them not to germinate, or if it is just a deceiving appearance. Time will tell.<br />
</div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14032239659229679615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570311526611537469.post-19665316842424513172009-10-15T14:23:00.000-07:002009-10-15T14:23:37.468-07:00Day 3: Lettuce Germination<div style="text-align: center;">Horray! I spotted some tiny lettuce sprouts on Wednesday morning!<br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/4015295716/" title="P1010104 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="P1010104" height="375" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2430/4015295716_769a6d2334.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">They're tiny, but if you look closely you'll be able to spot them!<br />
</div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14032239659229679615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570311526611537469.post-17461228856099170142009-10-14T17:17:00.000-07:002009-10-14T17:24:10.875-07:00Assembly - Complete<div style="color: blue; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/4002415269/" title="P1010091 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="P1010091" height="500" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2464/4002415269_b16bab0fb1.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
</div><div style="color: blue; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="color: blue; text-align: left;">Finally, my aquaponics system is built and partially set up.<br />
</div><div style="color: blue; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: blue; text-align: left;">The frame is wood. I decided this would not only be less expensive to construct (than to buy a metal shelving unit), but also easier to set up exactly how I wanted it.<br />
</div><div style="color: blue; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: blue; text-align: left;">There are 4 water chambers within the unit. The top receives the water pumped from the fish tank, and the lower 3 units are gravity fed with drains and pipes. <br />
</div><div style="color: blue; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: blue; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/4002416675/" title="P1010097 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="P1010097" height="375" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3436/4002416675_25d04c1a37.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
</div><div style="color: blue; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: blue; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/4003181324/" title="P1010098 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="P1010098" height="375" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2548/4003181324_531ccf12f1.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
</div><div style="color: blue; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="color: blue;"><br />
</div><div style="color: blue; text-align: left;">The bottom chamber drains back into the fish tank by gravity as well.<br />
</div><div style="color: blue; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: blue; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/4002422281/" title="P1010093 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="P1010093" height="375" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2423/4002422281_41638c95e7.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">(the water is cloudy from the addition of the gravel media - it was cleared up by the filters in 12hrs)</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #38761d; text-align: left;">There is currently nothing in the top chamber. I may eventually hang lights from the ceiling to operate this chamber as a growing chamber, but right now I don't have enough fish to make this necessary. At this point, I intend to add bio balls to the top chamber to utilize it soley as a biological filter.<br />
</div><div style="color: #38761d; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #38761d; text-align: left;">The second chamber is a gravel media growing chamber. It has been planted with two varieties of lettuce and various herbs. These seeds were all sewn on 10/11/09.<br />
</div><div style="color: #38761d; text-align: left;">Sewing seeds has definitely been a learning experience. Because the water line must be very close to the top surface of the gravel, even very slight adjustments in water flow can cause the seed to be washed away. It is likely the lettuce seed that was sewn closest to the in-flow side of the chamber has been spread throughout the gravel media. I will definitely work on developing a better seed sewing procedure.<br />
</div><div style="color: #38761d; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #38761d; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/4003184088/" title="P1010094 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="P1010094" height="375" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2658/4003184088_52b0b83c5f.jpg" width="500" /></a> <br />
</div><div style="color: #38761d; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #38761d; text-align: left;">The third chamber will be set up to be a gravel media growing chamber. Because the gravel was so dirty, even after cleaning, the third chamber currently serves as a filter. I do intend to plant this chamber after I have partially grown out the second chamber to get an idea of new techniques to try (the filter floss on the left will likely eventually be replaced with gravel media).<br />
<br />
Only the second and third chambers are currently supplied with grow lights. The fourth chamber will also have lights before it is seeded. <br />
</div><div style="color: #38761d; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #38761d; text-align: left;">The fourth chamber will likely be used for a raft growing system. Currently I am searching for a sustainable alternative to rock wool to start the seed in. I am also researching good materials for the actual construction of the raft. (I am considering insulation board) Until the raft is constructed, the fourth chamber will be utilized solely as a filter. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14032239659229679615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570311526611537469.post-7709305639101218182009-10-11T17:14:00.000-07:002009-10-11T17:14:35.556-07:00Field Trip: Growing PowerOn Saturday, September 5, my Dad and I went to the Growing Power greenhouses in Milwaukee. They have a tour every day at 1:00, and we thought it would be a good weekend to go since everybody else was headed "up north" for the holiday weekend.<br />
<br />
Growing Power does lots of cool stuff at their greenhouses. You should check out their website if you're interested. (link on the left)<br />
<br />
I'm mostly interested in their aquaponics system. There are plenty of things I would choose to do differently, but just by seeing their system I learned a lot.<br />
<br />
Here's how their system works:<br />
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The 'tank' is 4-5' deep, and is dug right into the floor of the greenhouse. then lined with a membrane much like a pond liner.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/3890693363/" title="P1010001 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="P1010001" height="500" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2551/3890693363_7d7239d2d3.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;"><br />
<br />
That white container suspended over the tank is an automatic fish feeder.<br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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Thousands of fish live in this tank. This is where the 'aqua' part of aquaponics comes from.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/3890682797/" title="P1010006 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2497/3890682797_a6eeeb2eb2.jpg" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">These are Perch in this tank</span><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/3890682797/" title="P1010006 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><br />
<br />
</a>Plants have no use for ammonia, and at high enough levels it is very toxic for fish, too. So, if you don't have a nice colony of good bacteria in your system, and you pack your tank full of fish - you're just facilitating a fish massacre. I think this is probably the number one thing people mess up with raising fish. It's BIOLOGY, people! Embrace it!<br />
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Here is a lovely diagram showing how the toxic ammonia is converted to nitrogen. This is why supplying a nice place for the 'good bacteria' to live is so important in an aquatic environment.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/?action=view&current=Nitrogen_Cycle_Diagram.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/bailntigg/Nitrogen_Cycle_Diagram.jpg" style="height: 423px; width: 668px;" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Once the ammonium has been converted to nitrates, it becomes VERY useful to plants. This is where the 'ponics' part of aquaponics comes in. Using that nitrogen rich water, you can grow plants hydroponically.<br />
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The water from the tank is pumped through pipes up to the growing beds above it.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/3891477340/" title="P1010024 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="P1010024" height="500" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2454/3891477340_cb161d1581.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/3891478000/" title="P1010026 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="P1010026" height="500" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3518/3891478000_d4210c2b7c.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">Then, by gravity, the water travels all the way to the other end of the bed.<br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">At Growing Power, the growing beds run the full lenth of the tank, which runs almost the full length of the greenhouse. I highly doubt this is the way I would do thing if it were my system, but it seems to work for them.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/3891480082/" title="P1010029 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="P1010029" height="500" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2529/3891480082_d82639d35e.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">Once the water reaches the other end of the bed, it is drained back into the tank.<br />
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<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/3891479458/" title="P1010028 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="P1010028" height="500" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2469/3891479458_ff8c24f7d9.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">This tank is prepared for Tilapia. They are vegetarian fish, so they like to eat the duckweed that is floating on the top.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/3891476716/" title="P1010023 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="P1010023" height="375" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2540/3891476716_fb80946f26.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">Growing Power also does a lot of vermicomposting. Here is one of their outdoor composting piles. They use this pile for 'worm breeding' though I'm not entirely sure why that would be necessary. Either way, it's a nice compost pile.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/3890687253/" title="P1010027 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="P1010027" height="375" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2547/3890687253_618978bb8e.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">Here are some of their vermicompost bins inside the greenhouse. Again, not so sure that's how I would do it, but if it's working for them that's great.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/3891475912/" title="P1010017 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="P1010017" height="375" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3501/3891475912_13bbfc6de7.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">They also harvest honey. <br />
Dad says he wants to do this. I think that's great - I'll be happy to eat some of his honey.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/3890689455/" title="P1010034 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="P1010034" height="375" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2506/3890689455_744d9ae005.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Here's another part that gets me all excited.<br />
They have chickens, ducks, and goats. I want me some chickens! I'm still pondering goats, sheep, etc. I think sheep would be a great route as far as my interest in herding dogs goes.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/3891481502/" title="P1010037 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="P1010037" height="375" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2599/3891481502_30f29903e8.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">Help me, Rhonda! Look at these adorable babies.<br />
</div><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/3890690803/" title="P1010039 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="P1010039" height="375" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2539/3890690803_c78887f646.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/3890691547/" title="P1010040 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="P1010040" height="375" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2458/3890691547_1178513e9e.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">They can keep over 100 chickens in one end of a hoop house. Chickens also generate lots of heat, which is great for winter heating of the hoop house.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489462@N03/3890692483/" title="P1010041 by bail4tigg4, on Flickr"><img alt="P1010041" height="375" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2553/3890692483_163c1a0352.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Yay for fresh eggs! Growing Power produces 20 dozen a day.</span><br />
</div></div></div></div></div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14032239659229679615noreply@blogger.com0