thesometimesaint Posted February 3, 2012 Posted February 3, 2012 (edited) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilapiahttp://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_tilapia_a_bottom_feeder_fish Edited February 3, 2012 by thesometimesaint
LeSellers Posted February 6, 2012 Author Posted February 6, 2012 Well, the doe we had on probation came through.She'd had two litters, but none of her bunnies survived until this litter on Friday (so far). We have at least six bunnies hiding under her nesting fur. (I don't like to disturb them for a week because a mother can be sometimes so protective that if we do take them out of the kindling [nesting] box, she'll abandon them. So we do a quick count without touching them and have been surprised to find one or even two more than the original count.) They look strong and healthy, so we're encouraged by that.The first time she had only three, who survived a week or less, and the second was a singleton that we never saw alive.There's snow all over the place here. We had 20~22" Thursday~Saturday, which has made working on the main ecoponics system impossible. It also made doing much else besides shoveling snow a non-starter. Tonight, though, I think I'll get my radial saw running again (it needed a factory recall applied), and we'll be ready to begin building the frames for the grow beds.Lehi 1
Matthew J. Tandy Posted February 10, 2012 Posted February 10, 2012 Probably going to try and start my aquaponis system in the next week. Looking at using IBC/Totes for an initial container. Any photos yet Lehi?
LeSellers Posted February 10, 2012 Author Posted February 10, 2012 Probably going to try and start my aquaponis system in the next week. Looking at using IBC/Totes for an initial container. Congratulations!They do work, but the size is a serious limit.I hope you visited Sylvia's website (I linked to it in an earlier post).Any photos yet, Lehi?"Photos", yes. Figuring out how to post them, not yet.Lehi
Matthew J. Tandy Posted February 10, 2012 Posted February 10, 2012 They do work, but the size is a serious limit.Yeah, they aren't huge, but since I just moved down to Texas and am in a rental for a bit, I don't want anything too hard to move in the future. Takes a bit to adjust to not owning the home I am living in!I hope you visited Sylvia's website (I linked to it in an earlier post).Sure did. And then some. Spent about 40 hours researching, watching vids, etc.:-)
LeSellers Posted February 10, 2012 Author Posted February 10, 2012 (edited) Sure did. And then some. Spent about 40 hours researching, watching vids, etc.I'd suggest, if you haven't seen them already, that you watch Murray Hallams's videos (from Australia). Hallams may be the world's greatest living expert on aquaponics.When you're ready to build your bell siphons, please don't do what I did for ours; I drilled 3/8" holes in the shroud. Use a table saw and cut a few dozen horizontal slots spaced vertically and circumferentially around it instead. We're always getting hydrocorels stuck in the holes, and often get some between the shroud and the bell. (Not a good situation.)Lehi Edited February 10, 2012 by LeSellers
Matthew J. Tandy Posted February 11, 2012 Posted February 11, 2012 I'd suggest, if you haven't seen them already, that you watch Murray Hallams's videos (from Australia). Hallams may be the world's greatest living expert on aquaponicsLol, I've discovered already it's hard to take more than a couple steps into serious aquaponics without bumping in to his materials, videos, etc. I've watched several videos and interviews with him in the last week.When you're ready to build your bell siphons, please don't do what I did for oursWell, I am not certain yet about going with an ebb and flow right off the bat. My concern is starting cost, and the substrate material can get a little pricey. I will probably go with a floating raft system and some leafy greens to start off on the basics. Since a bell siphon is simple enough to plug in to the drain hole later, it offers me the ability to expand as I learn on the job so to speak. But that is good advice on the shroud holes.
Matthew J. Tandy Posted February 13, 2012 Posted February 13, 2012 Lehi:For your basement trial setup, what did you do for grow lights? They seem to be the msot expensive element.
LeSellers Posted February 14, 2012 Author Posted February 14, 2012 (edited) For your basement trial setup, what did you do for grow lights? They seem to be the msot expensive element.We use standard four-foot T 12 florescents and several red "party lights" that I installed in ordinary Edison fixtures.You're right: they can be expensive, but high Kelvin (5000) values seem to cover the needed red and blue wave lengths the plants need to grow and flower. We added the red lights when winter came and we lost the red wave frequencies from the window next to the system. Lehi Edited February 14, 2012 by LeSellers
Storm Rider Posted February 14, 2012 Posted February 14, 2012 Tilapia is a bottom feeder like catfish. Some people claim it tastes muddy. But raised in clean water eliminates much of that taste.Nope; they are not bottom feeders at all and are not at all like catfish. They are closer to a brem or perch
Storm Rider Posted February 14, 2012 Posted February 14, 2012 We use standard four foot T 12 florescents and several red "party lights" that I installed in ordinary Edison fixtures.You're right: they can be expensive, but high Kelvin (5000) values seem to cover the needed red and blue wave lengths the plants need to grow and flower. We added the red lights when winter came and we lost the red wave frequencies from the window next to the system. LehiYou may want to check out a Dutch lighting product from Lemnis Lighting. It is an LED light, great power savings and will last 20 years. They have bulbs specifically for plants.
Calm Posted February 14, 2012 Posted February 14, 2012 so here is their website: http://www.lemnislighting.com/en/about_greenhouse.htmlI can't find any site for selling it in the US.
Storm Rider Posted February 14, 2012 Posted February 14, 2012 Our company is actually reviewing their products for the puprose of representing them here in the Middle East. I have been very impressed with them. The technology is leading edge and their quality is outstanding. I am pretty sure you can buy them in the US. Here is where you can find the head office in the US. Here is where you can buy Leminis lighting on the internet in the US. Here is another internet store to buy the bulbs in the US. Their main product is the Pharox line of bulbs, which is used for retrofitting. The payback for these is often in the months. I am not employed by them, but I have been impressed.
LeSellers Posted February 14, 2012 Author Posted February 14, 2012 You may want to check out a Dutch lighting product from Lemnis Lighting. It is an LED light, great power savings and will last 20 years. They have bulbs specifically for plants.Our company is actually reviewing their products for the puprose of representing them here in the Middle East. I have been very impressed with them. The technology is leading edge and their quality is outstanding. ...Their main product is the Pharox line of bulbs, which is used for retrofitting. The payback for these is often in the months. I am not employed by them, but I have been impressed.I've been looking for a good cheap source of LED lights.I will be making my own because at, for instance, $26 per lamp, with our needing no less than 45 lamps, the cost is far too high for us. I recognize the energy savings they provide, but the initial investment is great enough that a few months' payback seems unlikely.An LED is not hard to solder into a circuit. Hundreds of them, at a few cents a piece, will do all of my greenhouse set up (and the basement experiment, too) for $400 plus the cost of a power supply for each system. That's thousands less than the equivalent commercial products. eBay has 'em, and I have a soldering iron. That's all I'll need. Well, that and a lot of time. (Maybe I can recruit some of our grandsons to help out. Hmmm.... Girls, too.)Lehi
Calm Posted February 14, 2012 Posted February 14, 2012 (Maybe I can recruit some of our grandsons to help out. Hmmm.... Girls, too.)LehiInclude the girls....it took forever for my dad to get the message that I was interested in such things, he finally got it when I was at college in physics and electrical engineering (I switched to the second as a more "practical" major, should have stayed in the first as I didn't like EE for that very reason (I enjoyed the impractical much more than the practical aspects). I could have used much more background as I was great in the science and math stuff, but stunk in the technical stuff, didn't have a clue what they were talking about when it came to transistors and such. The professors just assumed that we knew it.
Calm Posted May 5, 2012 Posted May 5, 2012 Lehi, haven't heard from you for awhile, but this made me think of you:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-17861710
DispensatorMysteriorum Posted May 16, 2012 Posted May 16, 2012 Lehi, This is some cool stuff you've got going on! I'm not even close to as prepared as you are, but we're making progress. This year I have planted 10 blackberry plants (6 different varieties), 6 raspberry plants (4 varieties), one boysenberry plant, 4 Loganberry plants, 6 blueberry plants (all different varieties), 2 Lingonberry plants (2 varieties), 30 tomato plants (6-7 varieties), 10 pepper plants (4 varieties), onions (three varieties), garlic, 80 strawberry plants (four varieties), 5 grape vines (5 varieties), two peach trees, one plum tree, one apple tree, and three cherry trees.I like fruit, can you tell? haha I've thought about adding protein such as rabbits, but one thing at a time... Right now I'm looking into making a rain collection system to water everything.
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