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Kim
10-21-2011, 03:03 PM
While I (we) have specific plans for the future setup we'll do, it's in a 'Next year...well, if not then, then DEFINITELY the year after...maybe...' category. Eventually we'll do it, but I've been itching to NOW for the past 6-10 months.

But, while pondering on the ways I could collect animal waste for bsf grubs, I realized I've been stuck in a paradigm concerning this, so focused on the utter necessity of having tilapia fish to even start and have it worthwhile that I've been completely ignoring the fact that we already have a pond. And, not only do we have one, but it is so overloaded with duck mess (has a natural diy filter set up for 2-3 ducks, currently has 5, among other things) that I routinely have to empty out some and refill it with fresh water. The trees I water with it LOVE it though, so it's not a waste, just a pain.

But back to the paradigm shift...what if I set up a system that uses the water from the pond? In addition to the 5 ducks, there are also 4 fish (feeder fish that were better at escaping than ducks were at hunting, now about 6" long) and a turtle living in it (I'm honestly surprised they're still alive, having to breathe that muck). What if I used that water in it's own grow setup? There's a section of wall, 8' tall by about 10' wide, that I could try vertical gardening with. I don't mind going and picking up a few rain gutters from the habitat store. Could attach some plywood to the wall, line it, hang the gutters from it, and grow...well, probably couldn't grow anything exceptionally BIG with it, but I'd be willing to see just what I could do.

A couple of problems I can see are...I'm not sure what pump we have, but I think it's an 1800 gph one. Pretty sure I'd have to get a diverter valve, lol, which is fine, but if I wanted to go the ebb & flow route then not sure if I could actually set it up on a timer. We have a smaller pump that I haven't even turned on in a year (hope it still works) but again, same thing, have looked around but haven't seen timers for this, and though I could turn the pump on & off with one, I hear that's a no-no. I guess I could just always have it on, but I'd rather set it up to keep it as easy to maintain as possible, and ebb/flow seems to be that.

Also, this is on a west-facing wall. Not exactly the best setup there, but if I enclosed it and kept a small heater (or a few light bulbs?) going, perhaps that would be sufficient for light & warmth? I like the concept of a garden wall, and I would much much rather use all that delightfully nasty water on this than just pouring it out on the ground now & then, regardless of how much the trees like it.

So, sheet of plywood, some liner, raingutters, tubing, diverter valve, timer...some hydroton or river rock (already have the river rock though, probably use that for this smaller project), and I'm good to go? Oh - and whatever I need to enclose it. PVC & sheeting, perhaps, or 3-4 more sheets of plywood and some 2x4's, maybe some insulation. Light fixtures, timers. Could probably do this for under $400, unless I'm missing something important.

Thoughts? Does this sound workable?

Here's our pond, soon after we built it. No more bamboo fence, heh that was a failed experiment, but that whole area is fenced in better now to keep the goats out (necessary if I want to grow ANYTHING). You can see the filter (stock tank) in back that provides the waterfall.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d42/D ... 020046.jpg (http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d42/Demoana/our%20home%20improvements/P1020046.jpg)

Pretty happy with our pond, we did it all ourselves, from shoveling dirt to hauling rocks to researching the filter & building it. Would be nice to integrate it into a grow system.

foodchain
10-27-2011, 12:43 PM
The catch with AP, is the nutrient concentrations in the water have to be high enough to grow something. Does your pond have enough? Maybe. Take a water sample down to a petco or petsmart and ask them to test it. It's free. Write down what they tell you, ph, amonia, etc. IF the numbers look good, then it might be worth trying it with something small. Start small. Try something hardy, lettuce, basil something you know you can grow in your area with neglect. Then try it. People know what they know, because either they tried it, or someone tried it and told them. By staying small you keep the costs down in the event it doesn't work. And IF it doesn't, ask yourself why? Make notes, and adjust your system. Try again, with the new changes. Good luck.

Kim
11-02-2011, 11:00 PM
I didn't know they'd test for free, thanks for the tip :)

We actually were going to try using it to grow barley for our animals, and my husband set up a little experiment to see if it would grow well on it. It is, it's been a couple days growing now, but I wasn't sure about giving the animals food that had been literally sprayed off & on with this water for 6 days. Even 5 days and a day of rinsing with clear water...that just seemed like it would go against the 'don't let your animals drink water that's been fouled by fowls' creed. Maybe. So I looked it up, and yeah while sub-surface irrigation for above-ground vegetables is reported as okay, spraying onto the actual edible parts is just asking for trouble when the waste is from warm-blooded animals. Even if it's not going to us humans, we can't afford to have sick animals, so...I guess we'll stick with store-bought nutrients, or real aquaponics, for that. I still have to break the news to my husband, and he was so pleased with how well the stuff is growing, too. Pity.

Anyway, at least this lets me do what I originally wanted to do with my duckaponics, yay. I'll try your suggestions, foodchain, and thanks again :mrgreen:

Right now the question of the moment is, what the hell do I do with all this sprouted barley grass? Thank goodness it's just one tray, but it seems such a shame to just toss it out. (edit - yeah, rhetorical question...meh, tossing it out regardless of my disinclination to waste it).

keith_r
11-03-2011, 05:44 AM
i'd worry about the duck and turtle waste as possible pathogen carriers.. maybe a prefilter growbed with some plants that could be used as fodder for the ducks...
TCLynx (a member of this forum) has been doing some "duckaponics" experiments

Kim
11-03-2011, 08:57 AM
I'd even be willing to just use it for decorative plants, as my front porch is right next to the pond and I love lush vegetation. But that would have to wait...money is tight and any spent needs to be spent on useful things rather than pretty things. Sigh.

I'll look up TCLynx, too, thanks.

keith_r
11-03-2011, 10:18 AM
or use it for veggies that you'll cook

foodchain
11-04-2011, 12:21 PM
Shouldn't it be okay for the plants you don't spray it on? If in doubt, run it through a seperate biological filter first. I would think that this would step the nutrient level down a notch but still leave enough in it to make it work. Similar to the concept of letting fresh manure age a bit before composting it or adding directly to plants to avoid nitrogen burn, etc. I think....that might be a better way to go, or at least consider, and biological filters are typically low cost. But you would have to test the end water to see how much is actually being taken out. I don't know if it would work enough, or maybe even too much. Just a thought vs tabling the whole idea.