Aquaponics Digest - Thu 01/20/00




Message   1: Trout Sand Fecal Filter
             from Bill 

Message   2: Re: nutrients in fish waste
             from "Mark Brotman" 

Message   3: Northern US - greenhouses
             from S & S Aqua Farm 

Message   4: RE: Northern US - greenhouses
             from "Ron" 

Message   5: Natural Feeds for fish.
             from Robert WALKER 

Message   6: Re: Natural Feeds for fish.
             from Marc & Marcy 

Message   7: Unsubscribe
             from Dave Miller 

Message   8: RE: Northern US - greenhouses
             from wills/nachreiner 

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| Message 1                                                           |
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Subject: Trout Sand Fecal Filter
From:    Bill 
Date:    20 Jan 00 00:02:31 PST

>I too use net pots with rafts.
The net pots I am using are both types, the 2x 2 and the 3 x 3,

>I did not want to place  the rock wool into the net pots
of fear that the break down of the rock wool would eventually
end up in the trouts gills.
Any advice or comments are always greatly appreciated.
Marc Laberge

*There are ways to remove the solid fecal matter.
Mightn't this be simply done, then pump this to the plants,
substituting sand for rockwool?  Decomposition, with very
low water flow, might allow the nutrients to be largely
absorbed by roots, before return to tank.

Water flow would have to be on a Fill/Drain cycle, to allow
roots air, but w/o constant water pumping to supply air,
thus removing nutrients not only from the root area, but
worse, back into the tank?
(Timing or sensing would be important.)

Naturally the sand must be coarse and retained via net bag...
Bill

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| Message 2                                                           |
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Subject: Re: nutrients in fish waste
From:    "Mark Brotman" 
Date:    Thu, 20 Jan 2000 09:20:37 -0500

Marc,

You are right on track with several points here.  Longer "soaking" or residence
time of the collected solids will not only promote greater leaching of
nutrients, but a mineralization process can occur where bound or trapped
nutrients can be released as well.  Jim Rakocy reports that the anaerobic
processes have an important role in this.  Nutrient content of trout and tilapia
feeds do differ, most significantly in the protein content.  For example,
typical tilapia grower feeds may be 28-32% protein, whereas trout may get 38-50%
protein.  This translates into far greater nitrogen into the system when using
trout as compared to tilapia.  In addition, as you noted, the temperature does
have a dramatic role in the rate of bacteriological processing of the wastes.
Lower temperatures will of course slow things down for the bacteria, and I
suspect just slows the general kinetics of leaching as well.  All this would
point to using lower biomass of trout relative to plants, or employing a greater
surface area to compensate for the slower processing of increased nitrogen.

Mark Brotman

Marc Laberge wrote:

> Hello Ronald,
>
>     Im not sure if I agree with you on the nutrients left over in fish feces
> ; in recirc aquaculture systems 80% of phosphorous and 20% of ammonia can be
> removed with proper filtration. i.e. this means 80% of phosphorous  and 20%
> of ammonia is in the solid form. The longer the solid is left in water , the
> more P and N will leach out ( and probaly many more goodies ), by allowing
> the waste to be cleaned up on a daily basis and "socked" for a certain
> period of time I would expect to leach out the most I can for the plants.
> The cycles you mention about your lettuce is exactly what I want to prevent
> by controlling the duration of time the waste sit in the water. I am not
> planning to try to get everything out of the waste, soacking time and
> temperature will be monitored carefully.
> I know nothing about tilapia which I figure around 99% of everyone is using,
> ( am learning all the time ), I wonder if the nutrient content of tilapia
> and trout waste differ greatly. As I understand the temperature of tilapia
> culture is around 25C ( 78F ), trout is around 12-15C, the leaching from the
> fish waste I take it is extremely influenced by this, along with the fish
> itself.

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| Message 3                                                           |
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Subject: Northern US - greenhouses
From:    S & S Aqua Farm 
Date:    Thu, 20 Jan 2000 08:53:54 -0600

We've had an inquiry about design and cost of greenhouses for the northern
US - most specifically Chicago.

Any growers from the colder regions that would like to share some
information on their experiences?  We'd appreciate it.

Paula
S&S Aqua Farm,  http://www.townsqr.com/snsaqua/

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| Message 4                                                           |
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Subject: RE: Northern US - greenhouses
From:    "Ron" 
Date:    Thu, 20 Jan 2000 19:18:54 -0500

Well I use on of the hoop greenhouses that cropking sells. As far as cost
goes I think I paid a decent price with it. I have been happy with it. If I
had to do it differently I would probably redo it so that the north wall was
solidly insulated and that one of the short end walls would open up into a
small enclosed structure to act as a airlock and potting area / catch all
type . As my main crop at the moment is orchids all the tanks help as
thermal mass and I have been able to reduce my heat bill 30%.

Ron

-----Original Message-----
From: aquaponics
[mailto:aquaponics]On Behalf Of S & S Aqua Farm
Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2000 9:54 AM
To: aquaponics@townsqr.com
Subject: Northern US - greenhouses

We've had an inquiry about design and cost of greenhouses for the northern
US - most specifically Chicago.

Any growers from the colder regions that would like to share some
information on their experiences?  We'd appreciate it.

Paula
S&S Aqua Farm,  http://www.townsqr.com/snsaqua/

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| Message 5                                                           |
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Subject: Natural Feeds for fish.
From:    Robert WALKER 
Date:    Tue, 18 Jan 2000 08:52:57 +1000

Hi,

        I have been experimenting with Crayfish & Strawberries.

        The Strawberries have been loving the Fish water. Especially in
        the summer conditions where nutirent value should be less (I
        believe). Fruit is coming on thick & fast and better than that
        of soil. I am using flood & drain, with the sump filled manually
        with fish water.

        However, my question is related to natural feeds. My crayfish
        have been breeding madly in tanks in a shed, and I have some
        fish (Silver Perch & Australian Bass). As a treat for the
        fish I purchase now and then some black worms - these are expensive
        around $4 a shot (15 ml).

        To my surprise all the crayfish come out and start gobbling up all
        the black worms. With discussions from a fish farmer he has shown
        improved profits and superior taste from feeding fish more natural
        feeds rather than pellets.

        My questions here are where can I get black worms from in large
        supplys?, how can I farm them?

Regards,

Robert.

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| Message 6                                                           |
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Subject: Re: Natural Feeds for fish.
From:    Marc & Marcy 
Date:    Thu, 20 Jan 2000 19:26:56 -0700

>         My questions here are where can I get black worms from in large
>         supplys?, how can I farm them?
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Robert.

Here's a few worm links that may be of help.

I HIGHLY recommend you start with:

http://www.oldgrowth.org/compost/forum_vermi/

This is an excellent forum with a lot of info on how to do
worms, how not to do worms and the various scams meant to do
you. Please get familiar with the scams as there are several
out there.

I do not recommend or warn you away from any of the
following sites. Buyer beware!! I send these as they are
representative of what is out there. A little browsing can
undoubtedly find more web sites.

http://www.smartgardening.com/wormsuppliers.htm
http://www.dragnet.com.au/~lindah/worms.html
http://www.oldgrowth.org/compost/forum_vermi/
http://gnv.fdt.net/~windle/
http://www.unclejim.com/index.shtml
http://www.redclaw.com/
http://www.drylands.demon.co.uk/wigglers.htm
http://www.earthworm.net
http://www.ctvalley.com/nightcrawler.htm
http://www.wormfarm.com/
http://www.yelmworms.com/
http://www.kazarie.com/
http://www.nj.com/yucky/worm/
http://www.happydranch.com/
http://www.empnet.com/worms/resource.htm
http://www.mirinz.org.nz/penv/Publications/Composting.htm
http://www.wormwoman.com/commercial_vermiculture.html
http://www.vermint.com.au/growers.html.htm
http://sorrel.humboldt.edu/~ccat/
http://overton.tamu.edu/smith/oldsmith/vermiculture.html
http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/vermicom.html
http://uccecalaveras.org/compost3.htm
http://hopper.usfca.edu/env-safety/Compost/worm.html
http://www.smartgardening.com/wormcomposting.htm     

Marc S. Nameth

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| Message 7                                                           |
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Subject: Unsubscribe
From:    Dave Miller 
Date:    Fri, 21 Jan 2000 00:32:07 -0500

Aquaponikers,

No apologies here just that in the effort to downsize this year (and in
wanting to better at what I do do) I find the need to unsubscribe.

I may peek back in but for now I will compost into the sunset...
-- 
Drum In The New Century and Millenium!
_______________________________________
«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Recycler Dave, Judy, Lucky, Charm, Shush

A remodeler, drummer, farmer, soapmaker

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| Message 8                                                           |
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Subject: RE: Northern US - greenhouses
From:    wills/nachreiner 
Date:    Thu, 20 Jan 2000 23:55:05 -0600

We are using a greenhouse made of Lexon.  NOt cheap, but I have been quite
surprised at how well the tube structure functions as insulation.  Its
shirt sleeve warm inthe greenhouse (at the ground level) and the snow is
not melting off the top (where the air is probably much warmer on the
inside) with outside temperature around 15 F.

This greenhouse came, insanely, from montreal.  There is a more reasonable
source in eastern Minnesota, I can't remember the name but will look. 

Costs seem to depend more on whether the greenhouse will be on a
substantial foundation and what type of heating/ ventilating system you
choose.  The discussion a few months ago of the shell varieties and
inflation issues may be informative if you were not around for that
exchange.  

Have I told you guys that I love this group even though my last few
inquiries have been resoundingly ignored.  Sooner or later we seem to get
around to everything. 

Bob

At 07:18 PM 1/20/2000 -0500, you wrote:
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: aquaponics
>[mailto:aquaponics]On Behalf Of S & S Aqua Farm
>Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2000 9:54 AM
>To: aquaponics@townsqr.com
>Subject: Northern US - greenhouses
>
>
>We've had an inquiry about design and cost of greenhouses for the northern
>US - most specifically Chicago.
>
>Any growers from the colder regions that would like to share some
>information on their experiences?  We'd appreciate it.
>
>Paula
>S&S Aqua Farm, 8386 County Road 8820, West Plains, MO 65775  417-256-5124
>Web page  http://www.townsqr.com/snsaqua/
>
>
>
Box185 Plain,Wi 53577
(608) 546-2712


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