Feeding my fish lettuce

   Sometimes I have extra lettuce  or some has gotten too big and bolted from the July heat so my Tilapia fish get the treat.  I have 2 tanks and they get fed 3 times a day. So once a day they get a dish of lettuce. They eat everything except the stalk if its too thick. they tug at the roots first.

   It gives them stuff to do for about 30 to 45 minutes.  I pull the stalk out when they are done to prevent rot and that part goes to the compost bin.

   This cuts down on my fish food a lil. 

  

Oh and dont forget to support the ASC Magazine.

Its all about sustainable foods for now and the future.

My Aquaponics green house update.

   Here is my new Aquaponics Green house. I recently moved from Arkansas to Alabama to assist family. So I ma having to start all over.

   The green house is a 10x20 hoop house with 6mil plastic. Seems to work well and holds up to fairly strong winds.

   As of this video, there is only one fish tank. will be putting in one more for the other side. That will make two separated systems to make it easier to control.

    The trays that I am using on this table is mixing trays that you can get from hardware stores, usually coast around 15.00 each.   Also there is a swirl filter but no bio filter at this time. 

There is a lot of plants inside that I am wintering over like the lemon and lime trees and some bananna trees too. They will be moved out soon and the rest of the aquaponics can be added.

I am planning on putting in 3 more 3x4 raft systems on the one side and a filtration system on the back side of the green house.

The only lights that are in here is 12 volts.  I bought some LED lights and built my own bulbs with water and coke bottles. They are run off a batter system that I have from solar panel.. Check my videos, you will see the  Solar generator.

2 fans are installed to move the fans, they are computer fans that run off 12 volts also.

The heater is  one that I made out of a barrel and built an oven on top! never know when you want to have baked fish right?

I will update soon with the next side of the green house. \

Thanks
and please subscribe.

Aquaponics Ratio Simplified

Once you have your system up and running the key question on everything is how much?
how much feed  for my fish, how much fish for my system, how much ph, how much nitrates and so on.

Well lets just make it simple for you shall we?

    Lets start with feeding your fish since the feed is the start of it all.
Normally with adult fish they will eat about 1 - 2 percent of their body weight.
While young fish as in fry and fingerlings will eat about 6 to 8 percent of their body weight.
Now since most everyone is using the popular Tilapia, that is what we will base or numbers on, other fish may eat a lil more or a lil less, you will just have to test it for yourself. Easy way to do this is to start off with a 1/4 cup of food depending on how many fish you have. sprinkle that on the top of your fish tank and see if they eat that up within 15 minutes. Wasted food will hurt your system, so this should important to figure out. 

   Next we will learn the stocking density of your system. Based on  media or hybrid base system,
we will stock 1 pound of fish per 5 to 10 pounds of water in your tank, so if you have a 300 gallon stock tank, then up to 30 pounds of fish can be added, or if they are fingerlings or fry in a new system, just add 1 fish per every 5 to 10 gallons of water since usually they get upwards of a pound a piece.
Now! That being said studies are being made and stocking density can actually be made with less, basically unless you are aiming for high fish yields you can probably get by with half the fish, and still produce the same amount of nutrients needed for the plants and have a cleaner system.

   Your Oxygen level should be above 3ppm but would be better if it was 6 ppm, basically you can not really have to much oxygen.
Certain fish can withstand less oxygen like the tilapia as in raising trout, you need lots more, and dont forget the cooler the water the better the oxygen count will be.

   We want to target the PH level between 6.8 and 7 in your aquaponic system, this seems to work best for both fish and plants and should be checked weekly or more.. 


   Nitrite and Ammonia levels should not exceed .75.

If you see Ammonia levels rise suddenly, you may have a dead fish in

your tank. If you see Nitrite levels rise you may have damaged the bacteria

environment.

If either of the above circumstances occur, stop feeding

until the levels stabilize, and at the worse, do a 1/3 water

exchange to dilute the solution

   Nitrates can rise as high as 150 ppm without causing a problem, but much

more and  you should consider harvesting some fish and/or adding

additional plants  to your system

   Nothing is solid information and this should be used as a guide line,  everything can change the out put to your system like the type of fish, the water temperature (75 to 80) the type of plant you use, but it is imortant to start yourself a journal so that when you do find what works keep that info for the next system or the next grow bed, of if your father in law wants to build one you can come off knowing how it all works ( yes that is important too)

Please leave comments and questions down below and if you need test strips, look at amazon, or ebay or shop from the aquaponic source ( link above)

How to adjust pH in aquaponics systems

Here is a great video on how to adjust your aquaponic system naturally. I have been scared of the ph, this makes it easy to understand and can be done naturally without chemicals.

Please watch this video and go over to Grow Dinner Aquaponics channel and subscribe to his channel.

 

Profitable herbs for aquaponics

   Well now your growing some plants and raising fish, but wish that you had enough money to  build and grow more. Obviously we know we can sell off some of our fish and even our lettuce, but everyone grows lettuce and most that have aquaponics have tilapia, check craigs list to see if anyone is selling tilapia, if not jump on it, it can be a gold mine.

  But I want to go over a few herbs that you can grow that you may already be growing or can easily grow that can make a small profit if you can find a buyer.

Cilantro is an excellent source of potassium, is low in calories, and is good for the digestive system. Expect to sell a good portion of this at the Saturday market. a lot of the latin restaurants will buy fresh Cilantro also. These are easy to grow in flood and drain systems and self watering buckets (dutch buckets) systems.

Make up your own salsa and sell that as well.

Basil is my favorite to grow! It is so easy and gives off a great aroma. I use it in everything I cook, and fresh basil makes the best pesto. Besides making every dish just fabulous, it also has great medicinal properties. It helps treat common colds, headaches, stomach disorders, inflammation, heart disease, various forms of poisoning, and malaria.
 Growing Basil is easy in flood and drain and I have good luck with it in rafts also. It supposed to help keep the flys down too, but havent had that kind of luck with it.  Keep fresh plants to harvest.

Oregano has a distinguish flavor that one just has to have if they are cooking Italian food. Fresh Oregano or dred can be sold to health food shops, since it is good for so much healthy properties, including colds and viral infections, digestive upsets, pain relief, and respiratory problems. Warming oregano can also be used to bring on menses and ease painful menstruation, even cancer.
I personally use the oil to keep from getting colds, just add a few drops to an ounce of water and drink, nasty as all get out but works.
It also works in flood and drain systems. I haven't tried it in float systems but would assume that it would do great.

Chives are a steady seller. These will start to germinate after a week or so. And unlike basil, these can actually do quite well in cooler weather.

I like to use chives in place of onion on a regular basis.

Every restaurant will use these if you can give a fair price on them. simple to grow in most mediums, and will multiply without assistance from you. Also puts on a pretty lavender flower.

Chamomile can all be traced to its effects on the nervous system and digestive system, as well as its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. Works great for a sleep aid and even has a lot of uses for skin and hair care. The market for this is easy to get into. Cant find it at the super market and everyone has an illness that this can help. I like it to help sleep, it seems this has been a small problem of mine. Grows in a flood and drain system, but should be given a lot of space.

Parsley is  a great cash crop because it grows so well. It is used in many dishes. Parsley leaves and root are high in iron content and rich in vitamins A, B, C and trace minerals. Parsley adds color and aids digestion of the foods we eat and acts to prevent gas and bloating. Its just an all around good herb. And can be grown in both flood and drain, or raft, or if you choose, it can be grown in a bucket system.

Catnip is great to sell at farmers markets. Most everyone has a cat. You can sell the whole plant, or dried in individual bags. But also have to let your customers know how good it is for them. It is a soothing sedative for humans. It has been known to provide pain and stress relief and to also help with flu and cold symptoms. Catnip leaves contain considerable quantities of vitamins C and E, both excellent antioxidants.  Grow these in a rock or shell medium.  Makes great Christmas gifts and can be sold at craft fairs as well as the weekend market.

Lavender Is usually done on a more commercial basis, but if you have a local florist or someone that makes home remedies using honey and such, this is a popular product. It can be added to tea and has a lot of medicinal gifts. Soaking in a lavender scented bath relaxes away mild depression and anxiety and may even lower high blood pressure and improve circulation. Helps with sleep aid also. Great to grow in an extra bed that has a lot of room, or you can lace these randomly in your other beds.

   When picking out herbs or plants to sell, try to use what people are familiar with. Exotic plants do good if you can find the right market. But some folks like to have what they are used to or what their grandmother used in her kitchen. Start small and investigate what you are growing. Its like Vanilla beans is a great cash crop, but they take so much care and time, that its only worth it if you have a dedicated green house just for that. So keep it simple and get ready to make a lil profit. and live a healthier life for a bonus. 

   If there is a plant that you think is a great profit plant, let me know, and would love to post it.

Please leave a comment and subscribe!

Thanks

Where to buy tilapia

   Well when we start off with auaponics its a blast! If your like me, you can't sleep at night with all the ideas in your head of building your own system. Lets face it, after looking at all the videos on You-Tube for an hour or so, we can definitely wipe out the hardware stores with our own ideas.

   And then we go to the local nursery or department store and buy some plants and seeds which gets us off to the right direction but now where do we get the fish?

   Well there is several places but choose wisely. First off I netted up several perch from a near by pond, and I thought that would be perfect, but I was mistaken. Because they were wild they would only eat real food as in worms, tadpoles, or even bread, but no store bought food. I would go out every day and dig worms but after a while that was too much work and less was being found every day, so I took them back to the pond.

I first would suggest to get your fish from a reputably source if possible. This way your guaranteed to get quality fish without the chance of disease.
There is several aquaponics suppliers that either carry the fish of know who to contact.
Aquaponic Store is one of the ones on my list. They have many options to choose from including other fish besides Tilapia.  

  Tilapia Depot from Florida has one of the widest range of fish that I know of.

   But I think first of I would Check Craigs List to see if anyone in your area has the fish you would like to try. chances are there is and you can drive to their place and see how they are doing it. If there isnt
then this would be a great opportunity for you to think of a business venture of selling some fish to help offset some of your cost.

   My last choice but one that I like to use more often is E-bay 
keep and eye on this, because there is always a good deal, even free shipping on some.
If there is not free shipping then try to get someone to go in with you to order your fish. its not the fish that cost so much, its the shipping, you can basically get 15 fish shipped for the same price as 50.

Hope this helps,
Let me know if you need any help, and I'll be glad to assist.

Step by step how I did my Aquaponics

   So I have been reading articles and watching videos, and I just couldn't take it anymore. I had to build my own Aquaponics! As for everyone, money is tight so I built it about as cheap as I could and I can upgrade as I go. I will Be building a C.H.O.P. System (Constant Height, One Pump)

First I had an old falling down building that I took apart and used what wood I could salvage to build a table. I built it 3 feet deep and 4 feet wide by 3 feet tall. I built it that tall because I wanted to be able to have easy access to the fish, and I measured the 100 gallon stock tank that I want in the future and it was 2 feet.

At Lowes I purchased a plastic mixing tray that is used for mixing concrete and mortar. They have two sizes. Small for $7 and the large for $14.00 I went with the large and I will need another one in the near future.

Then I stopped by one of the box stores and found a deep 30 gallon tote for my fish, and since it wasn't very big, and I wanted constant water level in my fish tank, I also bought a small tote for what I call a nutrients tank.  The large tote cost me $7 and the small one cost $4. I think you could could get away with just one large tote, but I felt it was safer to not pump water out of my fish tank just in case something happened and it wouldn't just continue to pump all the water out to leave my fish with some serious breathing problems.

So here we go, this what I did.

First I drilled a 1 inch hole near one end of the mixing tray.


I then wrap Teflon tape around the male end of a 3/4 slip coupling. then I place a rubber bushing over that. You can get a pack of bushings and washers from any hardware store. Its like $2.  I place the threaded end from the bottom through the hole in the tray. Then I put another rubber bushing on the threads and screw on the female slip coupling.


 I use teflon tape because I tried to just screw the couplings together and the friction just locked them together and I couldn't screw them together all the way, and I couldn't even get them apart.
So now you have the tray with a slip coupling on the bottom and the top of the tray.

Next I measure over to the hole on the bottom of the tray taking in account of the slight slope from the top and applying that measurement to my table. I use a 1 & 3/8" paddle bit to cut the hole so that I have plenty of clearance for the 3/4 pvc.

Here I  place about a 4 inch piece of 3/4 pvc pipe in the coupling on the bottom and then place the tray over the hole. That leaves me with a couple inches of pipe sticking out under my table.

Then I place a elbow on the bottom of that pipe. then a 3 inch piece of pipe and then another elbow which now will have a 12 inch pipe placed into that pipe facing down towards the floor.

Now the stem for the siphon. I use a 6 inch pipe and then I slip that into a 1 inch to 3/4 reducer coupling. then the whole stem is placed in the coupling that is in the bottom of the tray.

For the bell for the siphon (the piece that goes over the siphon stem) I choose to use a 2 inch pipe and cap. At the bottom, I drill several holes to about 1and a half inches up the bottom. This will allow water into the siphon stem, but as the water drops it will automatically stop the siphon once it reaches these holes.

Then the siphon guard as I call it will be a 4 inch in diameter pvc pipe cut the same as the bell siphon which in this case will be about 9 inches. I then drill half inch holes through out the bottom half of the pipe to allow the water to pass through but to not let our medium to get in the way of our siphon maintenance.

The fish tanks is next. I come down about 3 to 4 inches and drill 2 holes that are 1 inch.
This allows the water level to stay close to that level. You can use bigger pipe if you like but I just wanted to use the same pipe that I already had. I then use a 3/4 inch thread on one end and a half inch nipple on the other end. I place a rubber bushing around the 3/4 end, stick it through the wall of the tote and then another rubber bushing and then a 3/4 female threaded coupling with a slip end on the other side. Once you thread the couplings together the rubber bushings should not allow water to leak, but you may have to use a wrench to slightly tight them more. Then the slip a five inch long hose onto the nipple. Do all this for both holes in the fish tank

Now I take my smaller tote and mark where the holes should be so that the hoses line up and drill 1 inch holes into that tote. Now I slip the hoses through the small tote and that will allow the water as it rises in the fish tank to over flow into the nutrients tank.

I do want to make a small note. If I was to do it over again, I would just lift the fish tote a little higher off the ground and change out the hoses to just regular pvc that lets the water fall into the nutrients tank. This would save on having different fittings and hoses.

Now I cut a 3 inch pipe to place inside coupling in the fish tank, and add a elbow to that, then I add a 12 inch piece of pipe followed by a 45 degree elbow that should now be resting on the bottom. This will work as a suction as the water level comes up and it overflows to the nutrients tank it sucks the trash off the bottom, now keeping the fish tank clean. Which I think is pretty cool. Anything to keep the maintenance down. Do this for both holes in the fish tank.

The pump I use is just a simple submersible fountain pump that you can find at Harbor Freight or Big garden centers. The one I found was actually from lowes that was on clearance when the season started to get cold. I use a half inch hose to connect the pump to a half inch pvc that then goes to my bedding trays. You can skip that step and just run the length of hose strait to the bedding tray if you like. But since I plan on putting valves to control the flow later, I chose PVC.

I am using Lava rock for the first base and then will add expanded clay to the last 3 inches of my bedding trays. I could have went to the creek and got some  creek pebbles, but It was just easier to go to the garden center.

The system was then filled with water and ran for a couple days to make sure the chlorine was out and it was going to work ok before I placed the fish. For testing purposes and it was also going into winter I decided to go with local fish to start and then change them out to Tilapia come spring. You can read how to properly cycle your fish here on the blog if you are wanting to do it correctly.

The fish I chose were simple perch, and one crappie just happened to get caught so its in the tank too.

I feed them worms and crickets twice a day, they are very active.

This will I think pacify me for now until I can build bigger. I have so many plans for the system I sometimes lose sleep.  Buts that's what makes it nice. There is no wrong way to do it, just a better and more efficient way in doing it.

Please like share and subscribe to my blog and You-Tube Channel.

Any Question on what I did, feel free to ask.


I will add a video and some more pics soon.

How To Sex Tilapia

Left is male/right is female

Sexing tilapia is sometimes important. 
So once your aquaponics is set up and all the problems are solved and the vegetables are growing, the fish is happy and then...you think, well I think I am finally at a point that I can sell some of my fish. (note once you do this it might ruin the great hobby of it and turn it into business of it. you'll see) So to get the best results and profit you will need to figure out whats what in the tilapia sex world. 
 
Most farmers wish to only cultivate males. Male tilapias grow bigger faster and yield a higher profit for aquaculture's. So as soon as possible the males are recognized and the females are separated out. Sexing of tilapia is tricky and requires practice. Even experienced professionals will normally get a small percent wrong.

When a tilapia fingerling has reached a weight of 1 ounce it can generally be sexed by looking at the genital papilla. The genital papilla is located right behind the anus of the fish. If the genital papilla has one opening you are looking at a male tilapia.

 Males have only one opening and both urine and milt will pass through this hole. If you observe two openings, then you are looking at a female tilapi. This is because tilapia eggs do not pass through the same hole as urine. 

If you're inexperienced and are having a hard time, try placing a drop of dye, such as food coloring  on the genital region. The color should make it easier to distinguish the openings. 

 We usually place the females in another tank and from there we can decide to continue to let them breed (most of the time) or sell or give them away. If you have chickens, these small fish are perfect snacks and add high protein to the poultry's diet. It doesn't give the eggs a bad taste either as long as you are not feeding the chicken only fish for its diet. We suggest giving the females away to young people as a introduction to aquaponics and gardening.

If you are looking for tilapia, that is fairly easy.
You can find it in the search engines by putting in "where to buy tilapia".

I use two different companies and both seem to have good prices and great quality.

The aquaponic store

If you are looking for a specific kind or whole colonies, then use
  
Tilapia Depot

Please ask questions and leave your comments, and dont forget to subscribe!