CCRES Algae Astaxanthin

CCRES Algae Astaxanthin

Astaxanthins ability to scavenge free radicals in your body* is up to...

    550 times more powerful than vitamin E
    65 times more powerful than vitamin C
    54 times more powerful than beta-carotene
    5 times more powerful than lutein

CCRES ALGAE

It does this by quenching a molecule called singlet oxygen - a harmful reactive oxygen species formed through normal biological processes occurring in your body.* Singlet oxygen possesses a high amount of excess energy that must be released to keep it from damaging other cells.

CCRES Lab

Astaxanthin absorbs this energy and dissipates it as heat, thereby returning the singlet oxygen to a grounded state.*

Theres another way, too, that astaxanthin helps to protect cells, organs and tissues against oxidative damage from free radicals.*

CCRES Algae Astaxanthin

It traps free radicals at both ends of the molecule.* Once captured, the potentially harmful free radicals pass into cellular fluids where they become neutralized by vitamin C. In this way, astaxanthin is sometimes considered a ‘booster for other antioxidants like vitamins A, C and E.*

Whats more, astaxanthin cant act as a potentially detrimental “pro-oxidant” like some of the other carotenoids such as beta-carotene, lycopene, and zeaxanthin.

CCRES CO2

    Support your joint health, flexibility, and mobility*
    Support a healthy immune response*
    Support your central nervous system*
    Support your cardiovascular system*
    Support your brain and eye health due to its unique ability to cross blood-brain and blood-retina barriers*

CCRES ALGAE PROJECT

part of 

Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources (CCRES)

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Finally an Update!

It’s been quite a while since my last update, and I’ve had a lot of developments, so here we go!

The AquaFarm from Back to the Roots had been making a decent amount of noise as the air pump rattles against the plastic container.  I tried to adjust the foam insulation pad, but it was difficult to keep the thing quiet.  I was away from my apartment during my trip to Burning Man, so I moved the betta into a different tank and had a friend take care of him for me.  The wheatgrass grew well, but the basil and other herb didn’t grow very well.  Right now the system is empty, and I’m planning on starting it up again in the next few weeks.

The 105 gallon system at my friend’s apartment is still slowly moving forward.  My friend is taking a trip to Nepal, so his room got a new owner.  My buddy Saqib is going to look after the aquaponics system from now on, and I’m glad that he’s excited about it.  The seed plugs (coco coir, I think) started developing a white mold, so I broke off the plugs and planted the seedlings directly into my grow media.  I also installed a drain plug into my bell siphon to keep rocks from messing up the drainage cycle.  Pogo had bought 6 full grown tilapia for the fish tank before I left for Burning Man, but only one is still living.  I would have preferred to start with fingerlings, but one large tilapia will do fine for now.  His name is Hercules.  I think Saqib and I are on the same page, and want to eat Hercules and fill the tank with smaller, decorative fish.  I also want to cover the sides of the system’s frame with cloth to keep sunlight out of the filter and fish tank.  Some algae grew inside the filter, that I need to clean out, so hopefully the lack of sunlight will fix that in the future.  The pH seems to be slowly, but consistently dropping, so I’ve had to add pH up a few times.  I’m not sure what’s causing the pH drop, yet.  We’re working out the little kinks in the system, so I’m excited to see how it works out.  I’ll update when we have some new developments!

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Official Movie THRIVE What On Earth Will It Take

If you value what is presented in this movie, please go to http://thrivemovement.com/ where you can support Thrive Movement by making a donation. You will also find more in-depth information on each of the subjects discussed in the movie, learn about Critical Mass initiatives supported by Thrive, and connect with others who are waking up and taking action.

Film Synopsis:
THRIVE is an unconventional documentary that lifts the veil on whats REALLY going on in our world by following the money upstream -- uncovering the global consolidation of power in nearly every aspect of our lives. Weaving together breakthroughs in science, consciousness and activism, THRIVE offers real solutions, empowering us with unprecedented and bold strategies for reclaiming our lives and our future.

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FAQs on Cabbage Growing

This is a follow up article from how to grow cabbage. If you have not read that already please click here to go to that article. Here is a list of frequently asked questions about cabbage growing.

1. Why cabbage heads split? 
   
   
   The main cause of head splitting is that more water is entering into the head than necessary. A healthy root system though is necessary for the survival of the plant sometime too much growth of the root system can cause huge amount of water supply to the head. 
   
   
   To prevent the split you can pull the plant little bit to break some of its roots once the head becomes moderately firm. This will limit the water supply. If your plant roots are getting uneven water mulching might be a great way to solve this.
   
   
2. Can you get second crop from early cabbage plant? 
     
   Yes, getting a second head is possible. Once you got the primary solid one, cut carefully just beneath the head but leave the older leaves as it is. After sometime, you will get one or more smaller lateral heads (developed from axial buds of older leaves). 
    
3. What are different cabbage cutivars? 
   
   
   There are many cultivars but these three are the most common.
   White Cabbage: These are by far the most common types. They have pale green smooth leaves and are also called Dutch cabbage. 
   Savoy Cabbage: these have softer heads, crumpled leaves and a very rich flavor. 
   Red Cabbage: These have purple coloured small to medium size heads.
   
   
4. Why do butterfly fly around cabbage plant? 
   
   
   Cabbage worm lay eggs on the plants which hatches into worms and after sometimes turned into butterflies. So to prevent it you need to control the worms. Try different organic pest controlling techniques discussed in this article.
   
   
5. Why there are holes in my cabbage leaves? 
   
   
   This is also a pest attack. Worms chew the leaves of the cabbage plant leaving those occurred holes in the leaves. Try organic pest controlling to prevent this.
   
   
6. What causes cabbage to develop seed stalks rather than solid heads? 
   
   
   Generally, cabbage will either head up or go to seed at some point in time. If the temperature falls below 45 degrees it will start growing seeds instead of forming heads. 55 to 65 degrees are the ideal temperature slab for growing heads.
   
   
7. Why there are swelling in my cabbage roots? 
   
   
   This is a disease caused by a fungus that remains in the soil. It is spread by moving infested soil and by infected transplants. To discourage the disease, add lime to raise the soil pH to 6.8.

Hope you have enjoyed the article. If you have any other questions please add in the comment box.

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Different Soil Type A Basic Idea On Soil Classification

Today I will discuss about the soil and its types. Soil is the main food source for plants. So it is better for a gardener to know more about this important factor of gardening. Many of the plants die in the garden due to the lack of proper soil. Every plant have their own preference for soil. By knowing the types and their properties we can definitely increase the chance of plant survival.

Depending on the presence of 3 different particles(sand, silt and clay), the soil are classified into 4 basic types. They are sandy, silty, clay, Loamy.

Sandy soil:

To start with, sandy soil  has mostly the largest sized particles in them. The particle size is over 1/20 mm in diameter. Upon touching you will feel it as much more dry and gritty with compared to other soil. This type of soil is very light in weight and can warm up very quickly in the spring. Due to its large particle size they do not pack as closely like other type of soil and thus has a very good aeration and good drainage capacity.

The downside of the story is it drains very quickly, the plants get very less time to absorb the nutrients with generally drains off with the water. You can improve the water retention capacity of the sandy soil by adding organic compost , peat moss etc, these will help to retain the nutrient as well as moisture.

Silty soil:

Silty soil has much smaller particles compared to sandy soil. If you touch the soil with your finger it will give you much smoother feeling compared to the sandy soil. It is a intermediate between sandy and clay type of soil. It retains water longer than sandy type. The drainage and aeration is far less than the sandy type. Due to its water retention, this type of soil doesn’t warms up so easily.

Clay soil:

It contains mostly the particle which is sized less than 1/200 mm in diameter. If you touch clay type soil in wet condition you will feel the stickiness in the soil. Here the particles are packed very closely leaving very little space for aeration and drainage. It can hold more water than any other type of soil. As it has a tighter grip on the drainage it can hold on to the nutrients. It is very rich in plant food for growth.

This type of soil warms up very slowly in the springs. It can become very hard once it gets dry. So it can be a problem working with this type of soil specially in the time of summers. If properly managed this soil type can be the best for plant growth.

Loamy Soil:

It is a mixture of sandy, silty and clay type of soil. Generally most of the gardening is done in this type of soil. If put mixed with proper organic matter this type of soil is easy to maintain and required very little add-on.

Having said all that these soil types are not permanent in nature and you can definitely alter the nature of the soil. So don’t be disheartened if your near by soil is not suitable for the type of crop you are thinking about growing. Here is a list of materials which you can add to your soil and change its aeration or water retention capacity.

That’s all for today. Will come with some other interesting topic in the next article. If you are a first time visitor to the site you can check our archive section for more gardening related articles.

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Notes from Paul Stamets Talk in Philadelphia on May 2nd

Paul Stamets

The Wagner Free Science Institute

2 May 2014

Paul’s Hat

• Fomes fomentarius (a Hoof Polypore mushroom) aka Tinder mushroom – used to make Amadou (a spongy, flammable substance)
• Critical to our survival – used to carry fire
• Boil the Mushroom, it delaminates and is very flamable
• Hypocrates used as a medicine - A styptic (also spelled stiptic) is a specific type of antihemorrhagic agent that works by contracting tissue to seal injured blood vessels. Styptic pencils containastringents.

Article – They’re All Part Fungus - http://www.phschool.com/science/science_news/articles/they_part_fungus.html

Mycorrhizal Symbiosis book - http://www.amazon.com/Mycorrhizal-Symbiosis-Third-Edition-Sally/dp/0123705266

“Habitats have immune systems and mycelium is essential to communication.” (Paraphrazed)

Convince timber industry to chop and mulch rather than burn

• Produces faster growing trees
• Stores carbon rather than releasing it

Mushroom cultivation variables

• CO2 exposure determines length of stem
• Light exposure determines width of the cap

A Human foot covers ~ 300 miles of mycelium (may be inaccurate, I didn’t catch the number)

Small voids between strands of mycelium hold water.  As the voids lose water, micro communities of bacteria grow in the voids and help mushrooms.

Ratio of bacteria cells to human cells in the body:  100 to 1

Epigenesis – the ability to adapt with a network design

Japanese Slime mold experiment – Atsushi Tero et al. 2010

• Subway design optimization using slime mold

“Pairing with fungi during extinction events increases chances of survival.” (Paraphrazed)

Prototaxites – 30 foot tall giant mushroom that towered over all vegetation on earth in a time when no vegetation reached above ~2 feet.  Fossil of prototaxites was found in Saudi Arabia?  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XI5frPV58tY#t=362)

Honey Mushroom - Armillaria

• parasitic, kills trees
• can create huge swirl patterns in trees

Mycellium is the immune system of the mushroom

Network structure creates resiliency

Enokitake Mushrooms

• Farmers growing these mushrooms showed significantly lower cancer rates

 Slide taken from Pauls presentation

Lion’s Mane Mushroom - Hericium erinaceus

• Contain Nerve Growth Factors that promote nerve cell growth
• Improving effects of the mushroom Yamabushitake (Hericium erinaceus) on mild cognitive impairment: a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial.
• By Mori K1, Inatomi S, Ouchi K, Azumi Y, Tuchida T.
• http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18844328
• Effects of Hericium erinaceus on amyloid ?(25-35) peptide-induced learning and memory deficits in mice.
• By Mori K1, Obara Y, Moriya T, Inatomi S, Nakahata N.
• http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21383512
• Mice given amyloid plaque causing polypeptide
• Control mice react to new object, mice with amyloid plaques lose curiosity and problem-solving ability (navigating a maze)
• After ~21 days eating Lion’s Mane, the mice regained curiosity and maze-solving ability

Shiitake - Lentinula edodes

• Drying shiitake produces Vitamin D in mushroom
• UVB exposure skyrockets Vitamin D
• Dried Shiitake can produce Vitamin D and store it for years
• Control: 40 IU/mg
• Sunlight 10 hours: 46000 IU/mg
• UVB 14 hours: 267000 IU/mg

Stropharia - Wine Cap Mushroom - Garden Giant Mushroom

• Grows slowly in lab, quickly in soil / wood chips
• Inoculated swales with garden giant mushrooms
• Reduced e. coli in soil / water
• Mycofiltration / Mycoremediation
• Mycototoes – Woodchips, straw, water in large bin (with cracks for drainage)
• Ferment for 2 weeks (stinky, anaerobic)
• Drain
• Oxygen sterilizes anaerobic bacteria
• Mushrooms grow super fast
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSKQyMFw8GM
• 500 lb mycelium produces 100 lbs of mushrooms
• Mycototes make huge mushrooms
• Rain garden design to filter e. coli water with stropharia
• http://www.fungi.com/blog/items/mycofiltration-for-urban-storm-water-treatment-receives-epa-research-and-development-funding.html
• Oregon street cleaning project to clean storm water

Mycoremediation of oil spills

• Hemp bags, filled with grasses, fermented in salt water will grow mushrooms
• Used to corral oil slicks and break down hydrocarbons

Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) – Dangerous to environment when harvested commercially

Stamets model for permaculture – in “Growing Gourmet” book by Paul stamets

Agarikon - Laricifomes officinalis - endorheic mycorrhizal fungi - Nicknamed “elixir of life”

• Contains compounds effective against various flu/pox virus strains
• Doesn’t Rot, rather petrifies the supporting tree branch with calcium oxalate
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XI5frPV58tY#t=691
• Anti-tuberculosis / anti-microbial properties
• Google: “Small Pox Stamets”

73% of Anti-cancer drugs come from natural sources

Worst Cancer – Merkel Cell Carcinoma

• “Nghiem Hypothesis”  - Dr. Paul Nghiem MD, PhD

Turkey Tail Mushroom (Trametes versicolor)

• Effective in studies against Breast Cancer
• Seem to de-cloak tumor cells from the body’s immune system

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How To Grow Ginger Plants Simple Tips On Growing Ginger

Before starting our discussion about How to grow ginger plants First we need to understand the basics. When we talk about edible part of ginger, we generally refer to ginger root. But it is the rhizomes that we eat.

It is one of the plants which need very less amount of caring and maintenance. You just need to know the basics.

How to grow Ginger?

Ginger grows well in humid climates. People living in warmer climates generally do not have problems with growing ginger. In case you are living in a drier place a bit of spraying will definitely benefit the plant. Plant your ginger where you will receive enough sunlight. As mentioned in my article Sun or No-Sun, sunlight is very important for plants of these kinds.

Watering A Ginger Plant:

Water is also a crucial factor in growing ginger. Make sure the soil is moist while the active growing season of ginger is going on. To make the better use of the soil moisture and preventing it from evaporation use Mulch (Check out more about mulch and mulching by clicking the link). Adding different soil less mediawith the soil can also increase the water retention of the soil. Also try not to over-water. It will also drain out the nutrients from the soil.

Ginger is not a voracious eater. If you have added enough compost (you can find more about composting Ingredients by clicking the link) in the beginning you don’t need to add much. In case you leave in a place where the rain is plenty and your soil gets drenched many times your soil nutrition also fades away with the water. In these cases you need to add nutrients like seaweed, fish extractions or other organic manure from outside.

Harvesting Ginger Roots:

Ginger plant generally takes 8 months or more to mature. You can sense the maturity when you see the dying leaves. Many people pull out ginger earlier than this but the mature ginger always taste better.

While harvesting look out for rhizomes with buds in it, these are easier to use for replanting. While planting always put the eye side (the buds) upwards and just below the soil.

Ginger Flower:

Some varieties of Ginger flowers are exceptionally fragrant. So if you find flowers in your plant you can definitely snip them and use it in other decorative format (like bouquet). Do not worry this will not harm the health of the plant. Flowering needs at least two years. So if you are thinking about flowers you have to harvest very carefully and should only extract a few from here and there.

Ginger As A Companion Plant:

Ginger is a very good companion plant. You can club this with other plants for pest control purposes. You can find more options on different combinations in my earlier article titled Companion Planting: A basic Know-how.

  

 Are you also planting Ginger? Share your experiences with us.

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DIY On Demand Feeder

Last week, during Chinese New Year, I had to visit my hometown in Malacca for 5 days. Feeling worried that my fish will starve (perhaps even die) during the holidays, I quickly made a simple on-demand fish feeder out of materials available in my house before I begin my trip. The design is based on several DIY videos I found on youtube and some aquaculture PDF files that can be googled.

Though my design was based on the commonly used pendulum demand fish feeder, the food release mechanism works differently. The usual design requires the pendulum rod to be extended below the surface of the water so that the fish can activate the food release mechanism by bumping the rod. The problem is that my rod is made from iron and is slightly galvanized. Since I cant have the rod touching the water, I tied a string to the end of the rod and attached a ball of cotton rope at the bottom end of the string which floats on the surface acting as bait. When a fish bites and pulls the bait, the whole feeder shakes, releasing some pellets in to the water. Once the feeder was set up, I left my house with my fingers crossed in hopes that my tilapia will soon learn how to use it.

When I returned home, 5 days later, I found the feeder empty. The fish seemed happy, but I wasnt sure if the fish had learned how to use it yet. I refilled the feeder and stood in front of the tank for 30 minutes to see how the fish "use" it. Most fish just nibble or "kiss" the bait but occasionally a clever fish (perhaps just hungry for a bite) will pull and jerk it hard enough to release enough pellets to feed several fish. The feeder works!

The way my feeder works is by taking advantage of tilapias feeding behavior. When they feel hungry, they will start nibbling on anything they can find. The ball of white cotton rope with its hairy cotton strands looks attractive (at least to me) to them. Pulling the bait hard will shake the feeder which releases pellets in to the water where the fish can snack on. When the tilapias are full, they are less likely to nibble the bait. This way, feeding times will be much more regular which I hope will increase their growth rate and also provide less stress to the filtration system.

Hopper made out of mineral water bottle.

The disc is made out of a piece of thick paper with a bottle cap below it secured by rubber band.

Bait made out of a white cotton rope.

As usual, I will also include several photos of the plants...

Plants

Tomato (12" tall).

Bok Choy seems to be having iron deficiency.

Red Okra having problems standing upright due to the recent rain.

Roselle cuttings at the left and flowering kang kong plant at the right.

Fruiting chilli plant.

Thanks for reading!

:-D

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FAQs on Onion Growing

This is another article in the FAQ series. This article is concerned with growing Onions. So here are some of the most common questions asked regarding Onion growing:


Can I grow onions from seedlings?
Yes you can. There are 3 ways to grow the plant; from the seed, from seedlings and from immature bulbs. You need to clip the top once it reaches 4 inches to stop its fall and to prevent any bending. Check this article for growing tips.

Which onion should I grow?
Depending on the required day light to form bulbs the onions can be of three types:
1. long Day Onions (Most of the onion variety are of this type and are pungent in taste)
2. Short Day Onions (most sweet onions are short day type)
3. Day neutral Onions
So if your place receives a very long day type choose Long day Onions and if the place lacks day time choose the shorter version. If you are not very sure go for the day neutral variety.


What are the different types of Onions?
Onions can be of different varieties. Colour wise they can be Red, Yellow or White. You can find detailed information about various types of onions in this article.

Should I cover the onion bulbs?
No. Do not try to cover the bulbs while growing onions. Onion plants have a very shallow root system. Any digging around the plant can actually damage it.

What is an onion set?
These are small immature bulbs which have been taken out before reaching their full size. Once they reach a size around 1/3 to 1/2 a inch in diameter they are harvested and after drying used for planting. For more details check out Onion growing tips.
 
If I cant plant immediately after buying plants from the shop, how do I store them?
It is highly recommended  that once you get your plant you should plant them. But if you cant do it immediately dont panic. The onions can live sometime of their bulbs. Spread them in cool and dry area. But do not put them in water.

Why some of the onion sets I planted, go to seeds instead of forming bulbs?
Onions form bulbs in the first year and then go into flowering and seed in the next year. But if you are getting the flowers and seeds in the first year itself and not the bulbs it is may be due to the fact that the set size is too large. Instead try planting sets which are half an inch in diameter. Sets with larger bulbs tend to bolt faster.

How do I know when my onions are ready to harvest?
An onion becomes fully matured when the top of the plant falls over. Dont try to do anything to the top till then. It will damage the bulb making process.


Have More questions? Feel free to post in the comment box.

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Temperature And Its Impact on Gardening

Earlier I have discussed two of the major factors of Gardening. Viz, Water and Sunlight. Today I want to discuss another such important  factor in the Gardening, Heat or temperature.

First let us have some insights about how a plant generally combat a hot weather. First causality of hot weather is loss of moisture from the plant as well as from the soil. A few plants can conserve water inside their stem and leaves and thus can tackle the situation. But most of the plants show wilting in excess heat. This can even go to a situation where the leaves will dry up, become yellow and eventually die.

In case of the mild increase of temperature above the tolerance level, some plants shed their leaves to cut down on the release of water. Plants like tomato, cucumbers, pumpkins etc stop producing and drop the blossoms, whereas cool climate plants such as cabbage, broccoli or spinach start bolting. If the temperature raised above 90 deg F, you might not receive the actual size of tomato which you thought you will get. At times many of us might even blame the variety of the tomato for that, whereas in most of the cases it is the weather who you needs to be blamed.

Some parasites infestation is also seen in times of hot summer. Hot dry weather is heaven for spider mites on plants. These insects can really damage the leaves.

There is not much we can do to change the weather but we can really use some techniques which can really minimize the impact.

First and foremost you need to make sure, there is no shortage of water in the soil. It is the water which is responsible for carrying the nutrients from the soil to the plant in the form of sap. So make sure that the plants should not be devoid of nutrients in the hot summer. For container garden, you might need to water twice a day in some cases. Also it is equally important to make sure your soil has proper drainage. You can add different soil less media to the soil to increase the drainage capacity. What can be worse than keeping the plant in a water logged situation and let the plant rot.

Another way to increase the moisture retention of the soil is by applying mulch. Mulch will also help in preventing outside heat reaching the soil and keep the soil cool. It also control the weeds. More on mulch here.

You can also provide some shade net to control the heat of the environment. Some plants can do wonders if provided with the shade net.

As they say, there are always some positives in every negative situation, this hot and dry weather can reduce various fungal diseases of the plants such as blight and powdery mildew which are very common in monsoon.

I know the hot weather is very damaging for the gardens and the gardeners. I hope most of you still have not faced this condition but if you had any experience as such this article might have able to solve some of your questions. I would also like to know what  tricks or techniques you have applied to combat this situation. See you all in my next article. Till then, keep your comments coming.

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Aquaponics Search Food Trends On The Internet

A recent July 2013 Google search for the keyword “Aquaponics” produced over 380 million hits. Thats an amazing increase of over 500,000 in four months. So what happened four months ago? 

Since the bill was signed back in March 2013 which basically gave Monsanto virtually the big go ahead to do anything they want, people ran the other way and looked for alternatives to grow their own food. Not labeling GMO is wrong on so many different levels. 

People want to know how their food is grown, what chemicals are in the food and who produced it. This is not a lot to ask when you take into consideration a person health. To force questionable food on the public where they have repeatedly said "We want more research done and the food labeled" is wrong. Seems though we are demonstrating on deaf ears.

It seems to me that if you are going to demand the public eat only the food you designate for them, at some point they will say "No thanks, I will grow my own," and that is happening worldwide now. Besides people are not cattle they are thinking, feeling beings with their own viewpoints and opinions.

Its a myth that aquaponics is only for commercial farmers either. Anyone can grow food this way. People who live in apartments, average homes and owning small farms are seriously taking an interest in aquaponics. They realize the huge potential it has for feeding their families. Aquaponics produce grows up to four times faster than soil grown vegetables, its so much cleaner and there are less problems with hazardous bacterial outbreaks. How often have we heard of ground grown crops being destroyed over an E-Coli and Salmonella outbreak?

The good thing about aquaponics is that it can work for just about anyone. Whether you live in a small apartment or have a big greenhouse in your backyard, you can grow your own food. Commercial growers are popping up everywhere and supplying healthy, clean produce to restaurants and other organic stores.

My own interest grew increasingly over the last four years and I have seen people coming out of nowhere, to learn more about this fantastic way to grow their own healthy produce. You only have to ask people why they are looking into growing food with aquaponics.  Most of the time they will tell you because "I want to have healthy, chemical free produce to eat, at a great price." You cant beat growing your own for those good reasons.

I will be writing a series of blogs about the experiences I have had with others, their thoughts and the reasons they now grow food by using aquaponics. Some of the thoughts will come from our Facebook community.

In the meantime I really encourage people to subscribe to our magazine. Every month we put out something that has been beneficial to all people. We encourage people to write for us who are both professionals and hobbyists. We dont care if you have 15 years experience or 6 months. The fact is your learning and understanding of the process, is valuable to other people trying to learn how to be successful in aquaponics too. Click on any of the links to learn more and subscribe. 

If you are looking for some good information on raising healthy fish and how to be successful at it, then pick up my book on Amazon. Essential Fish Care In Aquaponics is the name and I wrote it so all those questions people ask about natural chemicals and fish can be answered in the easiest way possible. We have 13 good reviews, a 4.2 star rating and the book continues to sell everyday.

Take a good look at what and how you are growing food now. If you think something could change and aquaponics could be a viable solution for you, then go for it. I promise it is all worth the effort. Take a look at some of the links on this blog and spend some time on our website. 
Good Luck with your future aquaponics ventures! Join our community on Facebook and stay in touch!

Warm Regards

Victoria Kelley

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Advice on Aquaponics from a Hydroponics Expert

Recently, I spoke with a hydroponics expert, Dan Sypolt from Garden Indoors, a hydroponics store in Bristol, PA.  I had come to the store to buy 190 liters of expanded clay grow medium for the 105 gallon aquaponic system for my friends apartment.  Instead of just selling me their product, Dan really helped me decide upon the best way to approach the system that Im working on (I ended up not buying anything at that time).  He brought up some great points that I dont hear being discussed very often in aquaponic forums that I read.  His advice has led me to re-planning the system Im building, and I think it will be a more robust system with this new design.

First, Dan suggested that typically, hydroponic systems are only flooded with water around 4 times during daylight hours.  My windowfarm had been trickling water 24/7 which over-watered my strawberries.  I have read many suggestions for a 15 minute flood, every hour.  Dan suggested that this was probably too much (at least from a conventional hydroponics perspective).  Im going to start the new system with a 15 minute flood every 3 hours, and see how it works out.  The less pumping, the more energy saved on electricity.

You might be thinking that flooding the system every 3 hours will not provide a moist environment for the bacteria to grow in my media beds.  This leads me to Dans second suggestion.  In the store, there were several hydroponic setups that were similar to my aquaponic setup, except that instead of having one large grow bed filled with media, the grow beds were holding potted plants, and the grow pots were filled with media.  This used a lot less media than filling the entire grow bed, which will save you money.  The grow bed is essentially acting like a flood table.  This allows you to move the plants around easily without disturbing the roots.  You can also remove plants easily, and it also makes the grow bed much easier to clean.  All the solid waste that builds up in the bottom of a grow bed can be a smelly pain in the butt to clean.  This isnt a problem with this setup.  You dont have to worry about media guards for your plumbing, because the grow media never touches the plumbing.  The flood table would look something like this:

Now, you may be thinking, "What about filtering the water? What about the bacteria?"  The grow bed in a flood and drain system typically acts as a filter for solid waste, as well as the location for bacteria growth, essential to aquaponics.  If the water is not being pumped into the grow media, than where is the bacteria growing, and how is the solid waste filtered.  For this, Dan suggested using a typical aquarium filter.  There are several filter types available. If youre using an aquarium, a hang-on-back filter is fairly inexpensive, but may be less reliable than other filters.

   

A canister filter is usually a little more expensive, but more durable.  Ive chosen to use a Canister Filter for the 105 gallon system that Im building (pictured below).

Another filter type that Dan mentioned was a Wet/Dry Trickle Filter.  This is like having a separate, smaller media bed specifically for growing bacteria.  It can be attached to an aquarium, but they seem very bulky.

The filter that Dan suggested would work best is a Fluidized Bed Filter.  These are highly efficient biological filters that have enormous bio-load capacities and take up very little space.  They are similar to a wet/dry trickle filter with extremely small media (typically sand), but air is pumped into the media causing it to flow around.  This flow causes the bacteria to be "bumped off" the sand grains, and more bacteria grows in its place.  Bacteria can adapt very rapidly to increases or decreases in bio-load.  With such a small media, the surface area is huge, allowing for an enormous amount of beneficial bacteria.  Heres a cool video to demonstrate how it works.

So, with all this in mind, I think this is a better way of designing a flood and drain aquaponic system.  The canister filter cost me about $100, but Im saving at least $80 that I would have spent on expanded clay pellets.  I havent researched the other options extensively to write about all the pros/cons of different filters, but the canister filter seemed durable and efficient.  As for the system design change overall, I think that the pros outweigh the cons.  What do you think?

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