Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast
Results 11 to 20 of 23
  1. #11
    Members mpugh5@aol.com's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Pa. southeast
    Posts
    80

    Re: REALLY Bummed .......

    jackalope what a difference a day makes, good to see your pushing ahead.i'm catching it between disability,which is like playing a ball game with a half inflated ball, and just getting order here around the homestead. i just do ,or try to do a little something every day. when it comes to the aquaponics you just can't get away from the old saying,"that's why they call it fishing." i like you are going to keep on pushing. about the worm cocoons,where did you find those on epay? i'm planning on setting up some half 55 gallon plastic drums like in one of the many video's posted on here. i failed miserably in my last attempt.got tired of the nats flying around the house so i moved them to the barn where they promptly all froze. 1 for experience. i just learned that the 176-6" blocks i hauled in are all corner blocks, that won't stop me from using them, per -free, but i am considering a suggestion from my heavy equipment operater buddy to dig down below the frost line ,put stone down and tamp it with the wacker plate and lay the block right on the ground. he explained to me that all these stone homes we have in pa. have two things different from modern construction. no foundation and not in the same sense as today no load bearing walls.i will do a little research and if this is true, then that will be a major hurdle for me ,due to concrete at a guess is probably over $90.00 a yard or better.i can get a big truck of stone for a $100.00 or so.
    woke up this morning with my kidney aching and wonder what's this's all about? well figured i'd rant with you and hopefully make ya feel a little better
    thanks michael
    one life one love.

  2. #12
    Moderator badflash's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Malden Bridge, NY
    Posts
    1,544

    Re: REALLY Bummed .......

    Kidney ache- drink more water! You get busy and stop drinking.

    For worms, a mox of cocoons and worms is the best. Keep the bed pretty moist to get those cocoons to hatch out. They stay dormant otherwise.

    If you get gnats, you are probably over-feeding. Also be sure to put some cardboard directly on the bed.
    The best fertilizer is the farmer's shadow

  3. #13
    Members
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    MI
    Posts
    196

    Re: REALLY Bummed .......

    Went out to sheep farm and we got what we were looking for. Then as it was getting
    better we crossed over into the horses pen and into the wet slop and BOOM there
    were millions of reds (Eisenia foetida) and man they were wild!

    Check this out cocoons can stay dormant 30-40 years if conditions are not right for
    hatching now that is amazing
    [attachment=1:25j1kzfw]cacoons in dirt.jpg[/attachment:25j1kzfw]
    [attachment=2:25j1kzfw]cacoon 2.jpg[/attachment:25j1kzfw]t]
    [attachment=0:25j1kzfw]babies.jpg[/attachment:25j1kzfw]
    ""we are what we eat""

  4. #14
    Moderator jackalope's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Montana, USA
    Posts
    878

    Re: REALLY Bummed .......

    Quote Originally Posted by mpugh5@aol.com
    about the worm cocoons,where did you find those on epay?
    She only puts them up when she has some to sell, I bought the last two ..... I'll PM you her ebay ID if you want to send her an ebay-o-gram. The good thing about cocoons is that the worms are born to eat whatever you start them on, some growers use peat moss, some newspaper, some cardboard, etc., so it usually takes the worm a week or two to adjust to whatever you plan to use if the seller didn't tell you what he was feeding ...... with cocoons, you don't have to re-train them for what to eat

    i'm planning on setting up some half 55 gallon plastic drums like in one of the many video's posted on here. i failed miserably in my last attempt.got tired of the nats flying around the house so i moved them to the barn where they promptly all froze. 1 for experience.
    I'm using Roughnecks (Roughnecks for the Redneck ) Here's a great Video Clik on a great redworm site that has tons of info. This video will show you step-by-step how to build a deluxe worm-bin using Roughnecks, and how to start the bin off for your worms.

    i just learned that the 176-6" blocks i hauled in are all corner blocks, that won't stop me from using them, per -free, but i am considering a suggestion from my heavy equipment operater buddy to dig down below the frost line ,put stone down and tamp it with the wacker plate and lay the block right on the ground. he explained to me that all these stone homes we have in pa. have two things different from modern construction. no foundation and not in the same sense as today no load bearing walls.i will do a little research and if this is true, then that will be a major hurdle for me ,due to concrete at a guess is probably over $90.00 a yard or better.i can get a big truck of stone for a $100.00 or so.
    Frank Lloyd Wright (famous architect) proved that you could dig a ditch 6 feet deep, fill it with 2" or so gravel, and build a foundation right on top of that, and have no heaving, etc. the gravel never allowed water to build up like soil does, so there was no freezing and heaving to worry about .... and that was probably 50 or 60 years ago ...... look him up and see if you can find out anything about that foundation, then if you get any flack, you've got a famous architect to back up your claims

    BTW, I lost two more fish today . At this rate, I'll be down to none in no time at all.
    I use the Linux Operating System ...... Free as in beer!
    You're never too old to learn something
    Aquaponics - food'n'fish at your doorstep

    Helena, Montana - Home of the Northernmost Monument to the Confederacy

  5. #15
    Moderator badflash's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Malden Bridge, NY
    Posts
    1,544

    Re: REALLY Bummed .......

    Jeff- Those are worm cocoons for sure.
    The best fertilizer is the farmer's shadow

  6. #16
    Members
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    MI
    Posts
    196

    Re: REALLY Bummed .......

    Cool we were not sure, we found them just under the weeds and top surface.

    You could take a stick and poke in the roots (very shallow) and the worms were sticking
    with their butts hanging out, so there along with castings were tiny balls. Not one was
    found more than 1 inch below soil and even then it was more like a soft weedy root area
    that these were in.

    Now I am incubating them I feel like a chicken farmer
    ""we are what we eat""

  7. #17
    Members mpugh5@aol.com's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Pa. southeast
    Posts
    80

    Re: REALLY Bummed .......

    good morning, jackalope that was an informative video and i will be using the suggestions in it. we have a guy over in central pa. that sells the worms so i can get plenty over there. i plan to raise both red wigglers and night crawlers for fishing.
    frank lloyd wright is from over around pittsburgh if i remember right, and built a lotta houses over that way, i am somewhat familiar with him but wasn't aware of the foundation fact.
    i would appreciate the ladies epay id so that i could send her off an email to get on her list.i'd like to have a mix of worms and cocoons. i wish i could tell you why your loosing your fish but i'm still in the sponge stage of all of this. from what i'm seeing, in lurking on a few sights, is it possible that your making your water too clean? from what i am hearing there is a happy medium that the fish will excel in ,two steps to the right and it can be a disaster. i guess i would keep on talking and tweeking away at it.
    one life one love.

  8. #18
    Moderator jackalope's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Montana, USA
    Posts
    878

    Re: REALLY Bummed .......

    Well, I tweaked too far ....... I wanted to get rid of the fish problem, Ick, and/or flukes, so I treated the fish tank with salt, just like they said on one of those Aussie forums. that has killed just about everything I had growing, squash, cukes, beans, lettuce, tomatoes .... the only thing that looks like it might survive is the spinach, and I don't like spinach. I'm just about fed up with this aquaponics stuff .... I've failed again ..........
    I use the Linux Operating System ...... Free as in beer!
    You're never too old to learn something
    Aquaponics - food'n'fish at your doorstep

    Helena, Montana - Home of the Northernmost Monument to the Confederacy

  9. #19
    Moderator badflash's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Malden Bridge, NY
    Posts
    1,544

    Re: REALLY Bummed .......

    No, you've learned a valuable lesson. What is good for one thing is bad for another. Time to get back on the horse & ride.

    Most plants do poorly with salt. It is usually better to get rid of the livestock, that try to deal with disease. I've never seen a case where treatment did any good. Fish get sick when their defences are down, just like us. Until the cycle issue is taken care of, nothing will help.

    What I would suggest is that you get your temperatures up a bit and re-start your system with something really tough, like gambusia or black mollies. Black Mollies are especially tough and are commonly used to get a cycle going. Gambusia are also known as mosquito fish and are a big guppy. Gambusia also have a good market for pond folk as they do a great job in controlling mosquitoes. They can over-winter as well.

    Mollies and gambusia need plant cover, like najas to have babies survive. Parents eat their young.
    The best fertilizer is the farmer's shadow

  10. #20
    Members
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    MI
    Posts
    196

    Re: REALLY Bummed .......

    And President Lincoln tried how many times to pass his bar exams?
    hang in there you can do this
    ""we are what we eat""

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •