Aquaponics Digest - Sat 02/12/00




Message   1: Re: Fw: pump operations
             from "Sam Levy" 

Message   2: Re: Feeding options --- manure!!!
             from "Sam Levy" 

Message   3: Re: Feeding options --- manure!!!
             from "Sam Levy" 

Message   4: Re: dead fish
             from "Sam Levy" 

Message   5: Additives for Tomatoes in NFT system?
             from S & S Aqua Farm 

Message   6: volunteer: chairperson wanted
             from Jacky Foo 

Message   7: Re: Steve's DO problems, was Re: Fw: pump operations
             from Joy Pye-MacSwain 

Message   8: Automatic Vent Openers
             from S & S Aqua Farm 

Message   9: Can I feed raw manure and it's impact on sales!!!
             from Marc & Marcy 

Message  10: Re: dead fish
             from Nelson and Pade 

Message  11: Re: dead fish
             from dbenhart@essex1.com (David Benhart)

Message  12: Re: dead fish
             from dbenhart@essex1.com (David Benhart)

Message  13: Re: Automatic Vent Openers
             from "TGTX" 

Message  14: Missouri producers
             from S & S Aqua Farm 

Message  15: Question on S&S System
             from "Joe Insana" 

Message  16: Re: Fw: pump operations
             from Raul Vergueiro Martins 

Message  17: Re: Automatic Vent Openers
             from "TGTX" 

Message  18: Re: Introductions
             from Raul Vergueiro Martins 

Message  19: Re: Fw: pump operations
             from Adriana Gutierrez & Dennis LaGatta 

Message  20: Re: Fw: pump operations
             from "TGTX" 

Message  21: Alfalfa, was Re: Introductions
             from S & S Aqua Farm 

Message  22: Re: Fw: pump operations
             from Adriana Gutierrez & Dennis LaGatta 

Message  23: Re: Automatic Vent Openers
             from "Melvin Landers" 

Message  24: Re: Alfalfa, was Re: Introductions
             from Raul Vergueiro Martins 

Message  25: Re: Alfalfa, was Re: Introductions
             from Marc & Marcy 

Message  26: Re: Fw: pump operations
             from Raul Vergueiro Martins 

Message  27: Re: Alfalfa, was Re: Introductions
             from Bertmcl

Message  28: Re: Alfalfa, was Re: Introductions
             from Raul Vergueiro Martins 

Message  29: Re: Alfalfa, was Re: Introductions
             from Raul Vergueiro Martins 

Message  30: Re: Alfalfa, was Re: Introductions
             from "D.Bennett" 

Message  31: Re: Automatic Vent Openers
             from S & S Aqua Farm 

Message  32: Re: Fw: pump operations
             from "TGTX" 

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| Message 1                                                           |
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Subject: Re: Fw: pump operations
From:    "Sam Levy" 
Date:    Sat, 12 Feb 2000 00:28:41 PST

steve,

had an additional (belated) thought--are you using a blower & diffusers to 
oxygenate the water or pumping & splashing only?

if by splashing, an open contact column might improve your oxygenation 
during pumping (a wide diameter pipe filled w/cut pcs of polyethylene piping 
or other media w/a bottom support to let the water splash down & keep the  
media in the column).  a properly built column will create a film of water 
over the media & increase contact with the air

you might consider a blower w/diffusers either in constant operation or in 
operation only when the pump is down (if it's a dc model you can use it for 
back up in case of power outage or pump failure)

these are all general ideas and should be looked at critically relative to 
your system size, configuration, & capitalization.

you will lose some fish & it always hurts--the most important part is to 
accurately diagnose the mistake & try to prevent it from happening in the 
future

good luck

sam

>Subject: Re: Fw: pump operations

>
>Hi Sam,
>
>Thanks a lot for your time and your input. I'll try that. I cannot afford a
>$400/mo elec bill, but it would just break my heart to lose all of my
>beautiful babies.
>
>Steve

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| Message 2                                                           |
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Subject: Re: Feeding options --- manure!!!
From:    "Sam Levy" 
Date:    Sat, 12 Feb 2000 01:01:02 PST

donna,

mixed aquaculture/animal culture systems are more common in asia than in the 
west. i don't have specific references in hand but i know that in hungary (i 
think & might well be wrong) there was work done on co-culture of ducks & 
fish.  places to check for information:

elesevier publications-aquaculture site (use "aquaculture and related 
publications" option for your literature search) & you'll get whatever work 
they published (these are refereed scientific journals--that doesn't mean 
the everything they find will work in your pond)--the publications should be 
available in libraries--especially universities w/aquaculture programs)

iclaarm-in the phillipines published a number of things on co-culture

the fao (united nations) also published reviews of this practice.

if my memory serves, a lot of this was being published late 70s 7 into the 
80s

any book on traditional earthen pond aquaculture (boyd is a good one to look 
for, hepher also) will give an overview of manuring/fertilizing practices

these practices are generally suited for extensive fish culture, the 
nutrients support a food web in the pond that the fish harvest.  the 
classical chinese carp polyculture approach was effective as ti balanced 4 
species of carp, each of which grazed at a different trophic level keeping 
any one algal species from overrunning the pond. in israel, common carp, 
silver carp, tilapia, grey mullet were mixed in intensive & in some 
semi-intensive ponds.  intensive aquaculture relies of formulated feeds and 
monoculture in order to rationalise & control production and 
marketing--however, as the water will often be transported to less densly 
stocked earthen ponds ther is still some re-capturing of nutrients

as i recall, animal fish co-culture was praticed in thailand, indonesia, 
malaysia, china--using (not on the same site) ducks (on the water), chickens 
(layers housed over the pond), pigs (at the edge of the pond w/ manure 
washed in at various intervals)

sorry if this was a bit long winded

sam

>Subject: Feeding options  ---  manure!!!
>
   On a chapter about Tilapia, the book talks of systems set up where 
animals
>are housed in such a way that their manure goes directly into the water in
>which tilapia are living.  :-)  but that in some other countries it is a 
>common practice.
>
     Donna
>

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| Message 3                                                           |
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Subject: Re: Feeding options --- manure!!!
From:    "Sam Levy" 
Date:    Sat, 12 Feb 2000 01:13:41 PST

marc,

while i can't give you the citations, i know of NO incident of the transfer 
of salmonella or e coli to humans through the ingestion of a prepared 
aquaculture product.  i believe that there were studies showing no internal 
presence of these "little beasties" in fish cultured in waters rich in them 
(and also low skin presence).

that being said, it is possible to get infections from puncture wounds while 
cleaning--although there have been many incidents of this involving fish NOT 
cultured in manured waters.

i would stay away from human manure as a precutionary measure--for the 
safety of any one handling the fish and to stay away from bad pr.

by the way, the major concern in using of municipal sewage/sewage products 
is heavy metal concentrations

sam

>From: Marc & Marcy 
>
>Subject: Re: Feeding options  ---  manure!!!
>Date: Thu, 10 Feb 2000 20:04:46 -0700

>The ABC TV show 20/20 a week ago got a lot of mileage
>AGAINST the organic industry due to the assertion that
>manure is full of salmonella and killer e-coli.
>
>
>Marc

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| Message 4                                                           |
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Subject: Re: dead fish
From:    "Sam Levy" 
Date:    Sat, 12 Feb 2000 01:37:09 PST

dave--

i once used a back up oxygen system that we rigged as follows:

2 bottles of oxygen hooked to a manifold (1" pvc pipe)
a solenoid valve
8 mm polyethylene pipe (black) to a flowmeter
8 mm polyethylene pipe (black) to a set of dedicated oxygen stones in the 
culture tanks

we opened the system to set the o2 pressure & the flow rate
the electricity feed to the solenoid was out of the overload attached to the 
blower

the result was that the solenoid would open automatically anytime the blower 
stopped functioning and the o2 would keep everything alive

we checked the system each day during the normal work hours to double check 
that it hadn't "forgot" why we built it.  we used two bottles to be able to 
empty one & let the new one start with no one present.  we also kept a spare 
in stock at all times (weekends can be long)

i imaging that you could also use a 12 or 24 v blower-battery operated set 
to start the minute your main blower goes off any good electrician should be 
able to explain to you the circuits needed--but check that whatever you buy 
for back-up will actually maintain your system (plan for a 24 - 48 hr 
stoppage)

hope this was clear enough to help

sam

>From: dbenhart@essex1.com (David Benhart)
>Subject: dead fish

>
>  fed fish this morning at 530 am, went to work, came home at 3 to find
>that a ground fault breaker had tripped this morning at 6 am!  lost
>every one of my talapia.
>  Can anyone help with a suggestion on a  battery type backup for my air
>stones?
>
>
>Dave Benhart
>Shore Acres Greenhouse.
>

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| Message 5                                                           |
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Subject: Additives for Tomatoes in NFT system?
From:    S & S Aqua Farm 
Date:    Sat, 12 Feb 2000 04:38:42 -0600

At 08:07 PM 02/11/2000 -0600, Steve wrote:

Hi Paula,
>"Quickie Question": I'm wondering if I should research my local hydroponic
>store for some P & K additive for my tomatos. (I'm sure he would love to
>sell me some!) Do you think this would benefit the tomatos and not harm the
>fish?...or just leave them with the fish effluent for feed. (Also, don't
>know how I would apply it even if I did need to...eyedropper to the base???)

Since you're using an NFT system, I'm not certain our experience would
apply.  We've not used amendments in our system for tomatoes.  My "instinct"
says that  you'd have to be very careful with additions that might disturb
the filtration balance you're getting now, but as I said, we've no direct
NFT experience.

Have you had your "irrigation" water analyzed?  There are tests that can
check for "suitability for crop irrigation" which would give you a more
complete picture of your "fertilizer components".  Then you'd be in a better
position to decide. 

I'm sure those with experience to share will jump in here and comment.  

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

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| Message 6                                                           |
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Subject: volunteer: chairperson wanted
From:    Jacky Foo 
Date:    Sat, 12 Feb 2000 12:40:51 +0100

Hello Everyone

As you may know, I am organizing the Internet Conference on Material Flow 
Analysis of Integrated Bio-Systems and I am looking for volunteers to chair 
the following paper discussion sessions which will most probably be held in 
August or October 2000. see 
http://www.ias.unu.edu/proceedings/icibs/ic-mfa.

(1) Shanta Saha and B. B. Jana (India) : Nutrient reclamation in wastewater 
fed facultative pond through management of fish-macrophyte combinations
(2) E.T. Puttaiah, Manjappa. S  & Yogendra. (India) : Increase of fish 
yield and planktonic diversity due to improved water quality in Navile Lake 
ecosystem, Shimoga, India.
(3) Khan Shahidul Huque & Huub J. Gijzen (Bangladesh/the Netherlands) : 
Mass balancing of duckweed and fish production systems of PRISM, 
Bangladesh.

Each paper discussion will have 2 chairpersons. As a chairperson, the tasks 
are simple and you will have the support from
a co-chairperson and resource people. Basically --
(a) to keep the interactions going during  the 4-week discussion period 
(see dates where available below).  Starting from the first week, it will 
be author-audience interactions which provides the opportunity for the 
author to convey whatever message s/he would like to convey to the audience 
and for the author to respond to questions that are directly related to the 
paper. This author-audience interactions may continue to the end of the 
discussion.

>From the 2nd week onwards, the discussion will be open, i.e. enabling the 
audience to raise issues or other project problems related to the topic in 
the paper.

As a chairperson, you dont have to pay the Conference Participation Fee of 
50-100 US$. We will also include your name in the homepage:
http://www.ias.unu.edu/proceedings/icibs/ic-mfa/acknowledgement.html

Kindly let me know if you can help.

Regards
Jacky Foo
Co-ordinator, Integrated Bio-Systems Network
http://www.ias.unu.edu/proceedings/icibs/ibs/ibsnet

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| Message 7                                                           |
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Subject: Re: Steve's DO problems, was Re: Fw: pump operations
From:    Joy Pye-MacSwain 
Date:    Sat, 12 Feb 2000 10:08:25 -0400

Morning Steve:

>
>
> "Quickie Question": I'm wondering if I should research my local hydroponic
> store for some P & K additive for my tomatos. (I'm sure he would love to
> sell me some!) Do you think this would benefit the tomatos and not harm the
> fish?...or just leave them with the fish effluent for feed. (Also, don't
> know how I would apply it even if I did need to...eyedropper to the base???)

Well, usually I only lurk on this list but in the case of this question I do
have some
practical experience.  My first recommendation would be to have your water
tested.
Before you add anything to your system you really need to know what is already
there.
By way of background we are using the S&S aquaponic system. When our
tomato plants started showing signs of Mg++, Ca++, and K deficiencies,
we tested our water we found that we had the softest water you could imagine.
The
fish feed was not supplying the enough of the necessary amounts of minerals.
Our crop
and therefore the bottom line, was being impacted, so the obvious solution was
additives....
Mg++ is easy in form of foliar spray, Ca++ as a hydrated lime put in the sumps,
and the
K in the form of potassium nitrate once a month.

Since I had no idea of what amounts of K I should add that would be `safe'  I
opted for
never adding more than a 2-5% solution to any tank.  Theoretically in
hydroponics
you do not need high concentrations of any one nutrient in the system.  As long
as it is
present in low amounts it will be available to the plant and therefore continued
growth.
Having been adding this now for the past 6 months, with no observable impacts to
the fish
and having harvested a very nice crop of tomatoes.......... I continue to
monitor the system
very closely- plant health, fish health and have the water tested regularly to
see where I am
with mineral concentrations.  So my best advice is test your water, if your
plants are showing
deficiencies add _carefully_ and monitor closely.   I hope this helps you a bit.

Joy Pye-MacSwain
Future Aqua Farms,
West Chezzetcook, NS

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| Message 8                                                           |
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Subject: Automatic Vent Openers
From:    S & S Aqua Farm 
Date:    Sat, 12 Feb 2000 10:33:36 -0600

Posting this question for a friend - I'll be happy to pass along any
comments you may have.  Paula
-----------------------------

Does anyone have recommendations for or against brands of automatic vent
openers for greenhouses?

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| Message 9                                                           |
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Subject: Can I feed raw manure and it's impact on sales!!!
From:    Marc & Marcy 
Date:    Sat, 12 Feb 2000 10:51:30 -0700

Sam Levy wrote:
> 
> marc,
> 
> while i can't give you the citations, i know of NO incident of the transfer
> of salmonella or e coli to humans through the ingestion of a prepared
> aquaculture product.  i believe that there were studies showing no internal
> presence of these "little beasties" in fish cultured in waters rich in them
> (and also low skin presence).
> 

Folks are aware of boiling water, not eating fish they
caught and not being able to swim because of high levels of
e-coli in water. The majority of folks don't know why it's a
bad thing and could care less why. They simply trust health
officials' judgements and have boiled their decision-making
process down to "e-coli is a bad thing."

In any buisiness there is the technical side and the people
side. Most succesful buisiness people tell me that the
people side is 80% of the equation toward a successful
buisiness.

Originally there were two questions. Making a living (people
side) and feeding raw poop (technical side).  

My response was in reference to marketing, the "people"
side. In sales "perception is truth". If you use raw poop,
you are not only making a technical decision, but also a
marketing decision with a high probability of negative
public perception that can kill your sales. 

The validity of the perception is irrelevant in sales. The
customer owns the content of their percepton and they open
their wallet.

The original question was from a person who was concerned
about making a living AND asked a question about using raw
poop. Those are TWO questions that need two answers.

Basically, if folks know you're feeding raw manure, they
would assume poop and e-coli is in their meat rather than
they are buying sanitary fish flesh. It's simply maketing
and perception.

Marc

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| Message 10                                                          |
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Subject: Re: dead fish
From:    Nelson and Pade 
Date:    Sat, 12 Feb 2000 10:25:34 -0800

A great crop-saving tool we use is a "Sensaphone."  It monitors 2
temperatures (ie:
tank water and air temp) and whether or not the power is on at the
outlet it is plugged into.  You set parameters for each probe and if any
one is one of whack or the power is out, it calls you. You can program
in four phone numbers and it will call each one until it reaches someone
to notify them of a problem.  In addition, you can call it anytime, get
the temps, a power report and listen in for 15 seconds (you can hear a
pump running, fan blowing, etc).

In our case, this unit has saved several crops and is well worth the
$399 we paid for it.  With it plugged into the outlet our air and water
pumps are plugged in, we know if a breaker blows.

We also have a generator with an automatic cut-over for power-outages.

Rebecca Nelson
Aquaponics Journal
nelson@aquaponics.com
http://www.aquaponics.com

> > Jim Sealy Jr wrote:
> >
> > > A simple fix for small systems is to use a battery operated pump
> > > normally found in fishing boats. Hook this to a deep cycle battery, and
> > > hook the battery to one of the small automatic battery chargers
> 
> I wanted to reinforce the concept of an "Automatic" battery
> charger. The common inexpensive type of battery charger will
> overcharge a battery and can damage it. The automatic
> charger will slow or stop the charging.
> 
> Marc

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| Message 11                                                          |
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Subject: Re: dead fish
From:    dbenhart@essex1.com (David Benhart)
Date:    Sat, 12 Feb 2000 12:38:12 -0800

thanks Vic and Sam
  I have only about 8 or 9 fish that somehow survived.  this week I have a
few days off and will put things in place so this will not happen again.  My
wife and I love eating Talapia and were very much looking forward to
putting lots of fish in the freezer.(oh well )    also  I have a large
motorcycle  that I bought a battery charger for. It keeps battery at full
charge then shuts down to maintenance charge so it will never boil over the
battery ( about 40 US dollars )  Will get another one of these and a deep
cycle battery to run a live well aerator, as in fishing
Thanks to all again!!!
Dave

Vik Olliver wrote:

> David Benhart wrote:
> > I think if somehow a relay of some type could be rigged to start a
> > battery run air pump none of this would have mattered.
>
> Two solutions:
>
> 1. If you've got an air pump that runs on 20-30W then you can power it
> off a computer real cheap UPS for 4-5 hours, more ofr a more expensive
> UPS. "Dead" UPS's that have been biffed can be revived by re-wetting the
> sealed batteries. If that works replace the little batteries with big
> ones and you have a helluva backup supply.
>
> 2. If you have a battery-powered pump and batteries, wire it through a
> suitably-rated relay so that the pump is normally on. Then use mains to
> supply volts to the relay (either use a mains relay or a "wall-wart"
> transformer) so that it is turned off by the mains. Mains fails, relay
> clicks in, air pump goes whirrr.
>
> Vik :v)
> --
> A member of The Olliver Family http://olliver.penguinpowered.com
> PGP signature available there.

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| Message 12                                                          |
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Subject: Re: dead fish
From:    dbenhart@essex1.com (David Benhart)
Date:    Sat, 12 Feb 2000 12:42:51 -0800

Rebecca
another excellent idea, but in my case I think my whole system cost me less than
that!
 Dave

Nelson and Pade wrote:

> A great crop-saving tool we use is a "Sensaphone."  It monitors 2
> temperatures (ie:
> tank water and air temp) and whether or not the power is on at the
> outlet it is plugged into.  You set parameters for each probe and if any
> one is one of whack or the power is out, it calls you. You can program
> in four phone numbers and it will call each one until it reaches someone
> to notify them of a problem.  In addition, you can call it anytime, get
> the temps, a power report and listen in for 15 seconds (you can hear a
> pump running, fan blowing, etc).
>
> In our case, this unit has saved several crops and is well worth the
> $399 we paid for it.  With it plugged into the outlet our air and water
> pumps are plugged in, we know if a breaker blows.
>
> We also have a generator with an automatic cut-over for power-outages.
>
> Rebecca Nelson
> Aquaponics Journal
> nelson@aquaponics.com
> http://www.aquaponics.com
>
> > > Jim Sealy Jr wrote:
> > >
> > > > A simple fix for small systems is to use a battery operated pump
> > > > normally found in fishing boats. Hook this to a deep cycle battery, and
> > > > hook the battery to one of the small automatic battery chargers
> >
> > I wanted to reinforce the concept of an "Automatic" battery
> > charger. The common inexpensive type of battery charger will
> > overcharge a battery and can damage it. The automatic
> > charger will slow or stop the charging.
> >
> > Marc

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| Message 13                                                          |
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Subject: Re: Automatic Vent Openers
From:    "TGTX" 
Date:    Sat, 12 Feb 2000 13:47:05 -0600

Try Skylids from Zomeworks Corp.
Or a variation on the old Skylids.

Skylids are insulated louvers which are placed inside a building behind or
beneath skylights, glass roofs, clerestories or vertical windows.  They open
during sunny weather and close by themselves during very cloudy periods and
at night.  Thy operate by louvers which move themselves by the shifting
weight/pressure of a freon-like gas in a cannister. Automatic.  Temperature
driven.  You can manually "override" them, apparently.

Zomeworks Corp.
1011A Sawmill Road NW.
Albuquerque, NM 87125
800-279-6342.

Something similar to the skylid is offered by Real Goods in Ukiah,
California, I believe, but I have misplaced their catalog.  If anyone can
verifiy that and get an address/contact for them, you may wish to plug that
in here.

Ted

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| Message 14                                                          |
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Subject: Missouri producers
From:    S & S Aqua Farm 
Date:    Sat, 12 Feb 2000 13:58:42 -0600

Any Missouri growers -- If you currently have market-size fish, please email
me privately at 

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

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| Message 15                                                          |
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Subject: Question on S&S System
From:    "Joe Insana" 
Date:    Sat, 12 Feb 2000 17:08:05 EST

Paula,

Is your hydroponics system a fill and drain (ebb & flow) type system or do 
you keep a constant water level in the pea gravel?  Also if you do keep a 
constant water level then how far from the surface do you keep that constant 
water level?  Do you distribute the water over the whole surface of the 
plants or is the inlet on one end and outlet on the other end.

Thanks
Joe Insana

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| Message 16                                                          |
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Subject: Re: Fw: pump operations
From:    Raul Vergueiro Martins 
Date:    Sat, 12 Feb 2000 20:22:21 +1300

Adriana Gutierrez & Dennis LaGatta wrote:

>   Hi, can anyone tell me if i really need a timer for the pump? Or can I
> operate the pump 24 hrs? Do the
> continuous flow of water affect plant growth?
>
> It depends on your system.  I run my pump 24 hours a day.
>
> Adriana

Hello Adriana:

What kind of system do you use?
NFT, DFT, Floating bed, or the gravel system used by our friends, the
Speraneos?
Do you control water flow in the biofilter?
If you do so, have you a value for that flow, in cu.ft/hour, or so?

Best regards:

Raul Vergueiro Martins
rvm@sti.com.br

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| Message 17                                                          |
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Subject: Re: Automatic Vent Openers
From:    "TGTX" 
Date:    Sat, 12 Feb 2000 16:43:29 -0600

> Try Skylids from Zomeworks Corp.
> Or a variation on the old Skylids.

I re-read the original question.  Sorry that I cannot recommend or endorse
the above since I have not tried it.  The idea is elegant, though, so some
investigation might be fruitful.

With respect to conventional automated ventilation systems, for my 3 bay
~8500 ft^2 greenhouse, I used a programmable environmental control system
with 3 cooling stages and 2 heating stages.  First stage cooling is vent
open plus 3 fans, set at some temperature, let's say, for example,  75
degrees at night, and 85 degrees in the daytime.  You can program the times
that you wish to define as day and night time (say 8:00 to 8:00 pm as day),
or you can patch in a light sensor and program it to cue off of the light
sensor for the day/night program change.  (Challenge to the group: why do I
want to set a lower night time temperature in my greenhouse during summer
months....think about it) Second stage cooling is vent open plus 6 fans on,
which kicks on at the set temperature plus about 2 degrees if stage one does
not keep it at 85 after more than about 3 minutes.  Third stage cooling is
vent open and all 6 fans on and the evap water pump kicking on to saturate
the evaporative cooler pad, which kicks on at set temp plus about 4 or 5
degrees after so many minutes of trying the first and second stages....see?.

Cooler pad is 4 feet high by 90 feet long.  (Hint: the 3rd stage evap.
cooler pump can also drive an overhead mist system simultaneously...the evap
cooler pump is NOT pumping aquaculture system water...it is potable water)

I grew great crops in the HELLISH Texas summer of 1998.  Outside tempertures
were well past 100 degrees F for many days....sometimes above 105, 107,
etc., some of the hottest I have ever seen here...and I am a native Texan,
by God.  I still have improvements to make with the new system...the key is
more automation, more automation, more automation, but this one described
above worked pretty well.

Ted

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| Message 18                                                          |
'------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------'
Subject: Re: Introductions
From:    Raul Vergueiro Martins 
Date:    Sat, 12 Feb 2000 20:49:42 +1300

Raul Vergueiro Martins wrote:

> S & S Aqua Farm wrote:
>
> > This list has been so quiet the last few days, I was beginning to think that
> > EVERYONE had unsubscribed.  But I checked the roster, and we're all still
> > here:>)
> >
> > This might be a good time for those who are new to the list to post a short
> > introduction and whatever question(s) are most important.  Let us know a
> > little about you and your plans (or status of your system); and if you have
> > questions, post them as well.  There is no shortage of expertise in the
> > group, and I think we'll see some interesting discussion.
> >
> > Paula
> > S&S Aqua Farm, 8386 County Road 8820, West Plains, MO 65775  417-256-5124
> > Web page  http://www.townsqr.com/snsaqua/
>
>  Hello Paula:
>
> Really too few messages during the last days.
> So, let me give you some work.
> I'm looking for details in the production of alfafa using the aquaponics system.
>
> Can you or anybody in the list help me?
>
> Greetings
>
> Raul Vergueiro Martins
> rvm@sti.com.br

 Hello Paula:

Did you receive my message dated January,26?

Best regards

Raul Vergueiro Martins
rvm@sti.com.br

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| Message 19                                                          |
'------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------'
Subject: Re: Fw: pump operations
From:    Adriana Gutierrez & Dennis LaGatta 
Date:    Sat, 12 Feb 2000 19:32:49 -0500

Hi Raul,

> What kind of system do you use?
> NFT, DFT, Floating bed, or the gravel system used by our friends, the
> Speraneos?

I have no fish in my system at this time.  I have a hydroponic system
with perlite filled trays on a slight slope with a dripper on one end
and a drain returning the nutrient to the tank.  The drippers are set at
about 1 gallon per hour, roughly one drip per second.  

Adriana

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| Message 20                                                          |
'------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------'
Subject: Re: Fw: pump operations
From:    "TGTX" 
Date:    Sat, 12 Feb 2000 18:33:16 -0600

> I have no fish in my system at this time.  I have a hydroponic system
> with perlite filled trays on a slight slope with a dripper on one end
> and a drain returning the nutrient to the tank.  The drippers are set at
> about 1 gallon per hour, roughly one drip per second.
>
> Adriana

Hi Adriana,

May I ask how that flow rate works out in terms of gallons per square foot
per hour?
1 dripper supplies a 1 foot wide trough that is, what...14 foot long?

So does that compute to  1 gallon per 14 square foot per hour of nutrient
supply?

Ted.

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| Message 21                                                          |
'------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------'
Subject: Alfalfa, was Re: Introductions
From:    S & S Aqua Farm 
Date:    Sat, 12 Feb 2000 19:24:13 -0600

I saw it on the list, but didn't see any response.  Here's the inquiry again.
Paula
-----------------------------
At 08:49 PM 02/12/2000 +1300, Raul wrote:

>> Really too few messages during the last days.
>> So, let me give you some work.
>> I'm looking for details in the production of alfafa using the aquaponics
system.
>>
>> Can you or anybody in the list help me?
>> Greetings
>>
>> Raul Vergueiro Martins
>> rvm@sti.com.br

> Hello Paula:
>
>Did you receive my message dated January,26?
>

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| Message 22                                                          |
'------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------'
Subject: Re: Fw: pump operations
From:    Adriana Gutierrez & Dennis LaGatta 
Date:    Sat, 12 Feb 2000 20:40:09 -0500

> May I ask how that flow rate works out in terms of gallons per square foot
> per hour?
> 1 dripper supplies a 1 foot wide trough that is, what...14 foot long?
yes

> So does that compute to  1 gallon per 14 square foot per hour of nutrient
> supply?
yes

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| Message 23                                                          |
'------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------'
Subject: Re: Automatic Vent Openers
From:    "Melvin Landers" 
Date:    Sat, 12 Feb 2000 19:40:50 -0600

Dear Paula,
  I see what you mean about the aquaponics mail group. Thanks. As
soon as I get my wife to fix my system, I will join in with my
question.
  By the way. If you would give your friend my Email address, I will
be happy to give information about our two channel Pinnacle
controllers which are the best quality at a very reasonable price.
  Thanks again, you have been a great help.
                 Sincerely
                 Melvin Landers
                 beaconhort@thecenter.zzn.com







Get your Free Website & Free E-mail at http://www.tcfb.com
_____________________________________________________
Get your own Web-Based E-mail Service at http://www.zzn.com

.------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------. | Message 24 | '------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------' Subject: Re: Alfalfa, was Re: Introductions From: Raul Vergueiro Martins Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2000 23:42:05 +1300 S & S Aqua Farm wrote: > I saw it on the list, but didn't see any response. Here's the inquiry again. > Paula > ----------------------------- > At 08:49 PM 02/12/2000 +1300, Raul wrote: > > >> Really too few messages during the last days. > >> So, let me give you some work. > >> I'm looking for details in the production of alfafa using the aquaponics > system. > >> > >> Can you or anybody in the list help me? > >> Greetings > >> > >> Raul Vergueiro Martins > >> rvm@sti.com.br > > > Hello Paula: > > > >Did you receive my message dated January,26? > > Hello Paula: Thanks for your kindness in answering me. Let us wait for someone with some experience in producing alfafa using the aquaponic system. Greetings: Raul Vergueiro Martins rvm@sti.com.br .------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------. | Message 25 | '------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------' Subject: Re: Alfalfa, was Re: Introductions From: Marc & Marcy Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2000 18:35:37 -0700 Raul, I got it but no experience here. Marc S & S Aqua Farm wrote: > > I saw it on the list, but didn't see any response. Here's the inquiry again. > Paula > ----------------------------- > At 08:49 PM 02/12/2000 +1300, Raul wrote: > > >> Really too few messages during the last days. > >> So, let me give you some work. > >> I'm looking for details in the production of alfafa using the aquaponics > system. > >> > >> Can you or anybody in the list help me? > >> Greetings > >> > >> Raul Vergueiro Martins > >> rvm@sti.com.br > > > Hello Paula: > > > >Did you receive my message dated January,26? > > .------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------. | Message 26 | '------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------' Subject: Re: Fw: pump operations From: Raul Vergueiro Martins Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2000 23:58:14 +1300 Adriana Gutierrez & Dennis LaGatta wrote: > Hi Raul, > > > What kind of system do you use? > > NFT, DFT, Floating bed, or the gravel system used by our friends, the > > Speraneos? > > I have no fish in my system at this time. I have a hydroponic system > with perlite filled trays on a slight slope with a dripper on one end > and a drain returning the nutrient to the tank. The drippers are set at > about 1 gallon per hour, roughly one drip per second. > > Adriana Hy Adriana: Thanks for your reply. Raul Vergueiro Martins rvm@sti.com.br .------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------. | Message 27 | '------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------' Subject: Re: Alfalfa, was Re: Introductions From: Bertmcl Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2000 20:57:15 EST I have not tried Alfalfa, however I did try several trays (regular GH growing trays 10" x 20" that started plants are sold) of Buckwheat,Sorghum,Oats and Corn. While it is not a 100 true Aquaponics situation I hand watered (sprinkled) the seeds with fish water several times a day and within 7 days most were 6" tall ,corn took another week. I was just playing around with another way of raising feed for a few beef cattle in the winter. The Sorghum grew the fastest and Buckwheat was next . I only have a 12'x24' homebuilt GH and it is pretty crowded, I put the trays on top of some 2 x 4s on top of the fish tanks so the excess fish water was returned to the fish tanks. As soon as I get my 30'x48' GH completed, I want to try one 2' x 8' x 1' grow bed and reseach this project farther. I will let you know of mu progress. The seeds were soaked for 24 hrs in Fish Water B-4 I put them in the trays. Bert .------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------. | Message 28 | '------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------' Subject: Re: Alfalfa, was Re: Introductions From: Raul Vergueiro Martins Date: Sun, 13 Feb 2000 00:07:06 +1300 Marc & Marcy wrote: > Raul, > > I got it but no experience here. > > Marc > > S & S Aqua Farm wrote: > > > > I saw it on the list, but didn't see any response. Here's the inquiry again. > > Paula > > ----------------------------- > > At 08:49 PM 02/12/2000 +1300, Raul wrote: > > > > >> Really too few messages during the last days. > > >> So, let me give you some work. > > >> I'm looking for details in the production of alfafa using the aquaponics > > system. > > >> > > >> Can you or anybody in the list help me? > > >> Greetings > > >> > > >> Raul Vergueiro Martins > > >> rvm@sti.com.br > > > > > Hello Paula: > > > > > >Did you receive my message dated January,26? > > > Hello Marc: Thanks for your interess in my alfafa question Best regards Raul Vergfueiro Martins rvm@sti.com.br .------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------. | Message 29 | '------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------' Subject: Re: Alfalfa, was Re: Introductions From: Raul Vergueiro Martins Date: Sun, 13 Feb 2000 00:11:05 +1300 Bertmcl wrote: > I have not tried Alfalfa, however I did try several trays (regular GH growing > trays 10" x 20" that started plants are sold) of Buckwheat,Sorghum,Oats and > Corn. While it is not a 100 true Aquaponics situation I hand watered > (sprinkled) the seeds with fish water several times a day and within 7 days > most were 6" tall ,corn took another week. I was just playing around with > another way of raising feed for a few beef cattle in the winter. The Sorghum > grew the fastest and Buckwheat was next . I only have a 12'x24' homebuilt GH > and it is pretty crowded, I put the trays on top of some 2 x 4s on top of > the fish tanks so the excess fish water was returned to the fish tanks. As > soon as I get my 30'x48' GH completed, I want to try one 2' x 8' x 1' grow > bed and reseach this project farther. I will let you know of mu progress. > > The seeds were soaked for 24 hrs in Fish Water B-4 I put them in the trays. > > Bert Hello Bert: Glad to see your answer in the list. Thanks for your kindness. Raul Vergueiro martins rvm@sti.com.br .------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------. | Message 30 | '------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------' Subject: Re: Alfalfa, was Re: Introductions From: "D.Bennett" Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2000 21:38:44 -0500 >I have not tried Alfalfa, however I did try several trays (regular GH growing >trays 10" x 20" that started plants are sold) of Buckwheat,Sorghum,Oats and >Corn. While it is not a 100 true Aquaponics situation I hand watered >(sprinkled) the seeds with fish water several times a day and within 7 days >most were 6" tall ,corn took another week. I was just playing around with > About what temperature were your flats of sprouts? I WANT to try this same thing to provide cheaper, more nutritional winter feed for my horses and goats. I was told barley was excellent to use for this purpose, and I think someone mentioned oats. Do you have, or know of a site that lists the nutritional values of sprouts from any of these seeds? Donna .------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------. | Message 31 | '------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------' Subject: Re: Automatic Vent Openers From: S & S Aqua Farm Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2000 21:07:08 -0600 I'll pass it along, Melvin, but I think we REALLY better wait until your wife can fix your email to send plain text before you write here again :>) For messages to the mail group, use For private email, please use . Thanks Paula -------------------------------- At 07:40 PM 02/12/2000 -0600, Melvin wrote: >
Dear Paula,
>   I see what you mean about the aquaponics mail group. Thanks. As
>soon as I get my wife to fix my system, I will join in with my
>question.
>   By the way. If you would give your friend my Email address, I will
>be happy to give information about our two channel Pinnacle
>controllers which are the best quality at a very reasonable price.
>   Thanks again, you have been a great help.
>                  Sincerely
>                  Melvin Landers
S&S Aqua Farm, http://www.townsqr.com/snsaqua/ .------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------. | Message 32 | '------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------' Subject: Re: Fw: pump operations From: "TGTX" Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2000 22:09:14 -0600 > > > May I ask how that flow rate works out in terms of gallons per square foot > > per hour? > > 1 dripper supplies a 1 foot wide trough that is, what...14 foot long? > yes > > > So does that compute to 1 gallon per 14 square foot per hour of nutrient > > supply? > yes Hi Adriana. What nitrate level do you maintain for the system in ppm? Ted
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