Aquaponics Digest - Thu 01/14/99




Message   1: 

             from "Palchik" 

Message   2: Re: rainwater microbiology

             from doelle 

Message   3: worms

             from William Evans 

Message   4: Re: rainwater microbiology

             from NCHWANG

Message   5: Re: rainwater microbiology

             from "Jorg D. Ostrowski" 

Message   6: Re: worms

             from "Palchik" 

Message   7: Re: worms

             from Michael Strates 

Message   8: Re: worms

             from "Ted Ground" 

Message   9: Re: worms

             from "Robin Jenkins" 

Message  10: Re: worms

             from Michael Strates 

Message  11: Re: worms

             from Michael Strates 

Message  12: H2S loving plants?

             from "Jorg D. Ostrowski" 

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| Message 1                                                           |

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Subject: 

From:    "Palchik" 

Date:    Thu, 14 Jan 1999 11:26:04 +0200

who has experience on the ensamble:

"peces-hydroponics-worms(red california)

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| Message 2                                                           |

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Subject: Re: rainwater microbiology

From:    doelle 

Date:    Thu, 14 Jan 1999 21:49:10 +1100

Ted and Norman,

I think we have to be a bit careful and not go overboard with sterile

requirements. As you said, Ted, we all have an immune system which is

capable of fighting off a certain amount of invasion into our bodies. In

order to foster that immune system we also have to get occasionally sick, so

we can develop our antibodies.

Although I am warning about recycling pathogens, I warn because they

multiply and if we get them into our system in large numbers, we are in trouble.

I drank plenty of times rainwater here and in Thailand. It certainly is

better than tap water, at least in taste. As you say, Ted, the occasional

'blip' from birds has not harmed our ancestors, but I agree a filter to get

the debris out is advisable.

Even a few salmonellas may not get astray in our guts, but the numbers are

the problems !

I still do not like the taste of ultrasterile milk. 

I think if we want to keep the balance, we have to walk the middle route or

slightly below. 

What do you think ?

Best regards

Horst

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| Message 3                                                           |

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Subject: worms

From:    William Evans 

Date:    Thu, 14 Jan 1999 05:26:20 -0800

Are you looking for manure (feces)    worms(red wigglers)?or info on

using worms in a hydroponic system as a food source?

> Palchik wrote:

> 

> who has experience on the ensamble:

> "peces-hydroponics-worms(red california)

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Subject: Re: rainwater microbiology

From:    NCHWANG

Date:    Thu, 14 Jan 1999 09:56:16 EST

Thanks for Mr. Horst's comment.  I never thought about been sterile, as I have

been living in rural Mexico, China, Thailand for the past 20 years, and it is

very normal to drink rain water directly.  You really don't have much choice

in rural area any way.  Just keep those Bactrium ready in case you may need

it.  It was just interesting to see people in America are starting to taking

the interest and going back to the natural way.   

Best regards,

Norman

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Subject: Re: rainwater microbiology

From:    "Jorg D. Ostrowski" 

Date:    Thu, 14 Jan 1999 08:33:37 -0700 (MST)

You said:"NASA Tech Briefs- (their technology transfer magazine)-

describes some

very remarkable iodine-based water treatment units- very simple, very

effective, low energy, etc...I think they use them in villages in Mexico

with great success- another great spin off from the US space program."

________________________________________________________________________

Ted: Where can we find more info on the above? In our home/office we use a

slow sand filter developed by Dr. David Manz to filter our rainwater off

our roof. Our greywater is recycled in one of 3 separate systems

(including a hydroponic/aquatic system) which also helps to grow food.

In this way we do not need city water or sewer services. Jorg ostrowski

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Subject: Re: worms

From:    "Palchik" 

Date:    Thu, 14 Jan 1999 18:36:54 +0200

I am looking on using as solution of the waste

(fish food remanin,feces,etc.)

sory "peces"fish

-----Original Message-----

From: William Evans 

To: aquaponics@townsqr.com 

Date: יום חמישי 14 ינואר 1999 16:23

Subject: worms

>Are you looking for manure (feces)    worms(red wigglers)?or info on

>using worms in a hydroponic system as a food source?

>

>> Palchik wrote:

>>

>> who has experience on the ensamble:

>> "peces-hydroponics-worms(red california)

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| Message 7                                                           |

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Subject: Re: worms

From:    Michael Strates 

Date:    Fri, 15 Jan 1999 18:31:23 +1100 (EST)

On Thu, 14 Jan 1999, Palchik wrote:

P> I am looking on using as solution of the waste (fish food

P> remanin,feces,etc.) sory "peces"fish

Then you'll want red wrigglers (manure worms). I have them in my nutrient

beds, and they've already infested my lettuce crop's beds, which is quite

good.. I use palm peat as a medium so the worms can eat it as well, and

give them handfuls of grassclippings to eat as well as the bacteria.

Or, you can keep them in a seperate box and feed them bits of fish, food

scraps, etc.. Which one of these are you after

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Subject: Re: worms

From:    "Ted Ground" 

Date:    Thu, 14 Jan 1999 16:22:15 -0600

Michael,

I want to say I always appreciate your contributions, especially about

worms.  I have not begun to explore these wonderful critters, but I sure

have a lot of them in my gravel beds- I think they are great! (I am

fascinated by the spud hydroponics that you mentioned earlier, as well and

I am thinking seriously about sweet potatoes, the perfect vegetable, but, I

will hold off on that right now..).

Gotta question or two for you.  I have a source of plain corrugated

cardboard scrap material- no ink or adhesives that I know of.  Now my

question is, the worms will obviously eat this fiberous carbon source just

like newspaper, right?, But what about the nitrogen? What ratio of carbon

to nitrogen do I need to feed them? Do you have any solid numbers on C/N

ratios or just some rules of thumb, feed recipes, etc? 

So many pounds of cardboard to so many pounds of....what?  I am also

interested in any information that anyone out there may have on HUFAs,

PUFAs, and EFAs (info about various classes of fatty acids) that earthworm

biomass offers as a fish feed source....

I know that the worm carcass is high in protein, so they must eat a lot of

nitrogen to make that- but I am off in unknown territory here....

Thanks 

Ted.

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Subject: Re: worms

From:    "Robin Jenkins" 

Date:    Thu, 14 Jan 1999 19:06:14 -0600

Ted,

    I keep worms known as red wigglers (Eisenia foetida) in square,

stackable trays with wire mesh bottoms.  I feed the worms lettuce and

potatoes I get occasionaly from a friend in the restaurant business.  I also

feed them rabbit manure.  Rabbits and worms were made for each other.  It is

my understanding that the worms don't eat the stuff you feed them,  they eat

bacteria that break down the foods you give them,  however they do eat fiber

and grit,  I use dryer lint and sand.  Worms grown in rabbit manure will

double every ninety days in number.

    I'm very interested in ways to incorporate worms into the greenhouse.

I'm setting up a small aquaponics system and want to explore ways I can to

make it a sustainable venture.  The small stackable trays have vents in the

sides and release carbon dioxide.  I think the plants would appreciate this.

Are the worms you mention in your gravel beds in your aquaponic growing

beds?  A good web site and supplier for real Eisenia foetida worms can be

found at http://www.happydranch.com.  Others on this list have talked about

worms and specificly the can-o-worms which my trays are modeled after.

    Good luck.

                        Robin Jenkins

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| Message 10                                                          |

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Subject: Re: worms

From:    Michael Strates 

Date:    Fri, 15 Jan 1999 23:16:40 +1100 (EST)

On Thu, 14 Jan 1999, Ted Ground wrote:

TG> I want to say I always appreciate your contributions, especially about

TG> worms.  I have not begun to explore these wonderful critters, but I sure

Thanks.. Glad to see that at least someone reads my postings :-) To have

red wrigglers in your gravel beds means that they are feeding on the

bacteria and nothing else. I guess you can call it `population control'

for your bacterial colony. The worms will turn the excess bacteria into

nutrients as well. Remember that your worms can survive in oxygenated

water if you want them to, and its a common myth that "worms drown".. Fish

will also drown if the O2 content of the water isn't high enough.

TG> Gotta question or two for you.  I have a source of plain corrugated

TG> cardboard scrap material- no ink or adhesives that I know of.  Now my

TG> question is, the worms will obviously eat this fiberous carbon source just

TG> like newspaper, right?, But what about the nitrogen? What ratio of carbon

TG> to nitrogen do I need to feed them? Do you have any solid numbers on C/N

TG> ratios or just some rules of thumb, feed recipes, etc? 

C/N doesn't matter that much with vermiculture, which is a plus compared

with normal composting. The cardboard sounds fine. I feed my worms

cardboard, and then sift the plastic out after they've fed.

TG> So many pounds of cardboard to so many pounds of....what?  I am also

TG> interested in any information that anyone out there may have on HUFAs,

TG> PUFAs, and EFAs (info about various classes of fatty acids) that earthworm

TG> biomass offers as a fish feed source....

Wheat is a great thing to use if you want to fatten the worms. I beleive

that quite a few worm people (http://www.earthworm.net/ is a good starting

point) have specific fattening recipies.

TG> I know that the worm carcass is high in protein, so they must eat a lot of

TG> nitrogen to make that- but I am off in unknown territory here....

Like I said, I know people who /just/ feed the worms newspaper. Just

newspaper! That's a whole lot of carbon, and little nitrogen. Diversity is

the key, but the critters don't mind it at all.

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| Message 11                                                          |

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Subject: Re: worms

From:    Michael Strates 

Date:    Fri, 15 Jan 1999 23:21:33 +1100 (EST)

On Thu, 14 Jan 1999, Robin Jenkins wrote:

RJ> my understanding that the worms don't eat the stuff you feed them,  they eat

RJ> bacteria that break down the foods you give them,  however they do eat fiber

RJ> and grit,  I use dryer lint and sand.  Worms grown in rabbit manure will

RJ> double every ninety days in number.

Worms can and do eat small scraps of food. They also eat the bacteria on

the food, but they can and do ingest small bits of food. Fresh mashed

potato is an example. Because it is so fluffy, the worms can digest it

without it being pre-digested by bacteria. The worm itself has lots of

bacteria in its gut which deal with the food, and convert it into that

brilliant black excreta (castings). Its therefore important that you

include about a tablespoon of sand every month or so, so that the worms

can use the grit. The worm "eats" food by putting a piece of grit in its

"mouth" and banging the food against it.

RJ> make it a sustainable venture.  The small stackable trays have vents in the

RJ> sides and release carbon dioxide.  I think the plants would appreciate this.

RJ> Are the worms you mention in your gravel beds in your aquaponic growing

Contrary to popular beleif, a worm can tolerate elevated CO2 levels by

excreting the CO2 as calcium carbonate (a chalk) from its skin. To do that

it uses calcium (duh!), and hence healthy worms have calcium. You can add

this by adding crushed bones to the worm farm if you want to, or even

small amounts of powdered milk.

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| Message 12                                                          |

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Subject: H2S loving plants?

From:    "Jorg D. Ostrowski" 

Date:    Thu, 14 Jan 1999 19:49:31 -0700 (MST)

Does anyone know of any plants that don't mind absorbing hydrogen sulfide?

Jorg Ostrowski



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