Bioponics

[dufflight]

Another problem with farming is the size and horsepower of tractors. We now have 600hp+ tractors pulling rigs that were once pulled by machines a lot smaller and they wonder why they go through 1000ltrs of fuel in a shift. I asked why they don't pull 2 rigs eg disks and then a cultivator. Most look at you funny. But the tractor would not even notices cos its waisting a lot of HP.

[JeffW]

It is frustrating yes..farmer friend said to me "I know why they do that Jeff because they were told to". They are not farmers they are pawns or worse addicts addicted to GMO drugs and too afraid too change. It is ALL based on money all of it. The corporations wave they flags and preach patriotism yet they could care less. As for pulling 2 harrow plows with 1 tractor these addicts just do what they are told.

I capture 500 gallons of rain water each time it rains off the metal roof of pole barn. One day guy walks by asks me "what is that and what do you do with all of it" Well let's see where do I start?

[JCO]

This is already being done by many of the members here and the different usages of the collectibles has been mentioned in many of the post

[Bioponica]

I'm new to this forum and have enjoyed reading your posts for some years. I'd like to introduce myself and say a comment or two about my experience with aquaponics and bioponics. My name is David from Altanta. A couple years ago I developed a small aquaponic system called the Farm in a Box. This was fun, and a huge surprise when it got picked up by the New York Times and Good Morning America. The idea was to create something for kids as an education model. Today I set one up in a charter school 2nd grade science class. It's a thrill to see children's faces light up when you talk about fish and fish pee and veges and algae and worms, etc. They had a class full of educational "toys" to keep their attention; it helps when talking science at that age for sure. They're impressionable and eager to embrace the mysteries of the world to fill their wildest imaginations. For that reason, the Farm in a Box was a gift. It doesn't grow much food but it does provide entertainment and opens the mind, and for many of us that's where it all begins.

Despite being a big fan of aquaponics I was compelled to learn ways to overcome some of those nagging limitations; namely lack of phosphorus and minerals for growing tomatoes. This year I started a new company with a top shelf engineer and set out to conquer. I spoke to Nick Savidov and James Rakocy about this and started on a path of bioponics a year ago, without knowing it had a name. Now we're full on and I tell you it just keeps getting better. It started with putting worms into rock beds and adding worm teas, but then I learned that the Chinese were fertilizing their fish ponds with alfalfa. Wow, how bout that?

Since then I wake up every day to the amazing possibilities of nutrient cycling. Who would have guessed the obvious? Mayans, Aztecs and Chinese maybe but few in the post WWII industrial era have been able to separate logic from custom. Petro fertilizers and mined minerals are the big lie we've been fed for so long. So is store bought fish food. With a bioponic approach it is possible to create complete fertililizer leachates from organic matter by submerging waste into water and allowing it to decompose. From this we can directly fertilize plant beds, grow duckweed and raise algae plus zooplankton and other organisms that feed fish organically. And this is a sustainable practice that will hold up even when the days of manufacture and shipping fertilizers and fish food are behind us. Feeding fish meal to fish is not any more sustainable than using fertilizers. Feeding even soy based fish food is wrong too and for a number of reasons, not least of which are GMO's and farming and processing inefficiencies.

Duckweed is an ideal fish food that is far superior to soy. What's more is that it can be grown off of household or farm waste, pelletized and stored for years to feed fish and livestock. Maybe salmon won't be happy but why raise fish that are not practical for farming anyway?

Has anyone seen the Finnish study that shows how urine from one person for one year is adequate to produce 2500 tomato plants and 2.4tons of tomatoes? Works the same with grass, straw, chicken poop and table scraps. Just need systems designed to make this possible. That's what we're working on now and I trust with a bit of crowd wisdom, we'll all be there before you can say "peak oil."
bioponica.org
[video:2542r5j8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3RdoXPAEzA&feature=player_embedded[/video:2542r5j8]

[rfeiller]

welcome to the forum Bioponica,

Rich

[keith_r]

welcome to the forum bioponica.. how about some pic's?

[urbanfarmer]

Welcome David from Altanta! I have some ideas of my own on the subject, some of which need to be verified experimentally. I look forward to exchanging thoughts with you on the forums. Happy DIY'ing!

[johnsuede]

have you considered just adding worm tea to an existing system? I mean just brewing the tea and adding it to the water with the fish? Vermicompost is nice and high in trace minerals aside from the bacteria. Just wondering

[rfeiller]

johnsuede, i am very familiar with worm tea. i have over 200 worm bin containers from 5gal buckets to 4' flow throughs. i found in my experiments that consistent releasing of a steady amount of effluent form the (27)-5gal planted worm buckets produced a good result without having to deal with the set up and addition of "worm tea". there is still considerable discussion on the proper ratios and additives to produce a viable consistent product. one that encourages the growth of the right organisms.
you are dealing with aquatic organisms that may not be too keen on having buckets of "tea" dumped on them abruptly altering their water chemistry.
not trying to discourage you, you may have success with it. I would be interested to hear about your results.

Rich

[johnsuede]

hey rich
I come from the planted aquarium hobby. My search for a natural fertilizer for my tanks has brought me to the world of aquaponics. This opened up a whole new world of diy fun for me. I have goals of setting a small aquaponic set up in my home where I would be able to 'join' my two hobbies of gardening and tank keeping. For me, this would be the ultimate hobby. I also have worm bins, just 2 (probably a few years in the hobby behind you ) but they produce quite well for me. While I know that castings compost mixture is heralded as a sort of holy grail for terrestrial gardeners, I was curious about the effects on a fish tank environment and how that in turn would effect the productivity of the soilless section of my aquaponics set up.

What about the idea of allowing muslin bags of vermicompost to 'steep' in the holding tank for a more gradual release of nutrients, rather than the abrupt version I mentioned above? What are your thoughts?

200 bins, thats very impressive. You must have outside contributions to run that many, which is pretty cool. I imagine harvest is an ongoing thing at your house. Good job!