Just completing Aquaponics System

Discussion in 'Off Grid Living' started by Seacowboys, Feb 26, 2013.


Tags:
  1. Gunny Highway

    Gunny Highway Hard Work and Sacrifice blessed by God's Grace

    Amazing stuff Sea !!!
     
  2. Seacowboys

    Seacowboys Senior Member Founding Member

    everything seems to be growing well so far. photo (20).JPG
     
    Dunerunner and BTPost like this.
  3. Seacowboys

    Seacowboys Senior Member Founding Member

    I have added gravel beds in several pockets of the pond's waterfall for planting watercress. I Set green onions around the edges of the growing beds, and planted some celery roots to see if they'll propagate.
     
    Dunerunner likes this.
  4. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    :)
     
  5. Seacowboys

    Seacowboys Senior Member Founding Member

    Added watercress to the little pond's waterfall. photo (21).JPG
     
    Dunerunner and Ganado like this.
  6. Seacowboys

    Seacowboys Senior Member Founding Member

    The rabbit cages are in need of some serious maintenance and cleaning so I constructed this bunnycorral out of fiberglass floor grating and cut some plastic drums for temporary housing. photo (22).JPG
     
    Dunerunner and Ganado like this.
  7. Seacowboys

    Seacowboys Senior Member Founding Member

    photo (25).JPG Watercress that I planted from some wilted stuff I bought at Kroger's in a plastic bag, has started rooting and growing after less than a week.
     
    Dunerunner likes this.
  8. Seacowboys

    Seacowboys Senior Member Founding Member

    Tomatoes are doing very well, as is the lettuce and cabbages. photo (24).JPG

    photo (23).JPG
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 28, 2015
    Dunerunner likes this.
  9. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    :cool:[applaud]
     
  10. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    I got another headache... fell of the chair, trying to look at the pictures.... Nice job though...[chopper]
     
  11. -06

    -06 Monkey+++

    That is right BT, blame someone else for your imbibing condition. Quite a nice set up. Putting in a 14 X 20 green house this summer. Aqua ponics is a very interesting technique for food. Thanks for the pics and info. Please keep them coming.
     
    Ganado likes this.
  12. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    [lolol]
     
  13. DMGoddess

    DMGoddess Monkey+++

    When you can scratch your ankles without bending over, then your're in trouble! :D
     
  14. DMGoddess

    DMGoddess Monkey+++

    I'm going to watch this with interest. I'm thinking of an aquaponics system, but I'm still taking baby steps with my garden (I haven't gardened in 35 years). Fish will have to wait a bit.
     
  15. -06

    -06 Monkey+++

    DM, jump into that gardening as fast as possible. Grocery prices are going to become even more of a burden as mega food chains monopolize the markets. They control about 3/4s of our markets now. It will only get worse. Like that aquaponics solution. Rabbits, chickens, beef, pork, and wild game will keep us out of their greedy grasps.
     
  16. DMGoddess

    DMGoddess Monkey+++

    I'm actually leaning towards rabbits, since I'm in an urban area, but I had a neighbor with a chicken, so maybe ...
     
  17. -06

    -06 Monkey+++

    Rabbits are a lot quieter in case there is a zoning problem. You can always trade/swap/barter--lol. You can have chickens w/o the noisy roosters but they will not lay fertilized eggs for propagation.
     
  18. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    Not even easter bunnies....
     
  19. Seacowboys

    Seacowboys Senior Member Founding Member

    My fish population recently acquired another source of food, it seems that every toad for miles around, have decided that my pond is the perfect place to lay their eggs. The fish seem to really enjoy eating tadpoles and there are Brazilians of them!
     
    Dunerunner, Ganado, BTPost and 2 others like this.
  20. Seacowboys

    Seacowboys Senior Member Founding Member

    Had a minor catastrophe this weekend when a series of events conspired to create havoc. All week, there was a fire burning upwind of the house and pond as a contractor disposed of several dozer-piles of grubbed trees and underbrush. The ash accumulated atop my pond and created somewhat of an acidic environment The added insult to this injury, George ( the shed-queen of all Golden Retrievers), dropped enough hair around the pond to stop the impeller on the pump that circulates water through the growing beds and without this filtration, the water quickly became saturated with ammonia and nitrites, rather than the nitrates needed to maintain healthy fish. This killed hundreds of minnows, which quickly produced even more ammonia and several of the larger fingerlings succumbed as well. I estimate that I lost maybe two thirds of my recently stocked fingerlings before I discovered this and was able to begin corrective actions. I replaced the burned-out pump and replaced a third of the water in the pond with fresh well-water. This slowed the dying process of th fish, although many were greatly weakened by the exposure beyond recovery. I did not loose any of the more mature fish, including several large koi and goldfish but most of the bullhead minnow population was destroyed and most of the brim, as well. Several catfish fingerlings died, maybe more than half. The crawfish, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy the feast, although even a few of them died.
    Once the filtration returned to normal, most of the rest of the fish seem to be stabilized but I still have to address the PH. I added several lime-rocks to the pond and this seems to be sweetening the water. I also ordered a master test kit from Amazon and an enzyme that contains bacteria to speed the conversion of nitrites to nitrates. The fish fingerling delivery truck will be back in the area sometime in two weeks and should be ample time for me to return the pond to an acceptable environment. My next challenge will be to develop a means of backing up the filtration pump that will automatically take over in the event of the failure of the primary pump.
     
    Dunerunner likes this.
  1. Asia-Off-Grid
  2. Asia-Off-Grid
  3. janderson
  4. AxesAreBetter
  5. Asia-Off-Grid
  6. Asia-Off-Grid
  7. natshare
  8. Ganado
  9. Ganado
  10. Yard Dart
  11. Asia-Off-Grid
  12. Mindgrinder
  13. ditch witch
  14. ditch witch
  15. tacmotusn
  16. ditch witch
  17. surplus-addict
  18. hank2222
survivalmonkey SSL seal        survivalmonkey.com warrant canary
17282WuJHksJ9798f34razfKbPATqTq9E7