New work @ Sahib Aquaponics

[Roger L.]

Very nice setup and use of space. I see ways to change my set up to allow for expansion like you do. I learn more every time I get on the forum.

[davidstcldfl]

Thanks Roger...
I like looking at other's set ups too. It's a great way to get new ideas..

[davidstcldfl]

I previously posted about building baki showers. The posting was lost in the last site shut down...
We decided to try a baki shower, since the raft bed above the strawberry towers, was already draining down aprox 5 1/2 feet into another raft bed.

DIY ing the baki shower was pretty easy. I took 5 small plastic buckets and drilled small holes in the bottom of each.

In order to support one bucket over the next, I used metal plumbers strapping.
I cut them to length, so each bucket had a few inches of open space between the top of one and the bottom of the next. The top bucket is the only one that has a full handle. I removed one side of the handle and slid on the metal strapping.
The lower buckets, I cut and removed mostof the handle. Where the handles atach to the bucket, I left a few incehes and then bent it in a hook shape.

We bought some kaldnes bio-spheres and added about 2 inches, in each bucket.

Once they were installed and operating, I ended up drilling more holes in order to keep up with the flow.



We liked how well the 1st one worked, we replaced a spray bar in phase 1. In it's place, we added another baki shower


.

[eddiemigue]

Nice display, and great looking baki showers.

[davidstcldfl]

About a week ago...I gave a private tour to a couple of guys that came down from Jacksonville, FL. I'd like to see their set up. They are using solar panels and running everything on DC. Even the water pump is DC and they were able to vary it's rpm...sounded pretty fancy.

They mentioned meeting some crazy old, grumpy, truck driving Irishmen, that loved Aquaponics. They wanted to know if I knew who he was...? I said, sounds kind of familiar...just couldn't put my finger on a name.. :P

[JCO]

Must have been Jonathon and Paul. A couple of forward looking Aquaponist of the 3rd kind. They have an AP system set up in an ocean going container complete with solar panels on the roof. Quite the set up. I have been working with them for quite some time. They were two of the speaker at my seminar in March which someone didn't attend

[Roger L.]

Seminars? In March? In Florida? Sounds like a good time for a road trip!

[JCO]

That was this past March. Don't know if I am going to do it again in 2014

[davidstcldfl]

Hi, I cut a bunch of suckers off of my wild FL tomatoes (some call them wild everglade tomatoes), and I'm trying to get them to root. This normally works well by sticking them into media beds. Usually within a week and a half, they'll have roots.
This is actually our 'tea barrels' with small media bed over them. It makes a great place to start seeds and to get things to root.
We've probably started 100's of papaya trees from seed in here..

(You cant see it in the picture, but the 2 barrels have a pipe tying them together at the bottom. The water pumps up into the media bed, from one barrel, and the bell drains into the other barrel)





I'm hoping to have some of these tomatoes potted to hand out to folks, that make it to our next farm tour.
It's really close to the time to start our 'warm' season gardens. Fl is kind of odd...our 'cool' season gardens over lap our 'warm' season ones. We have about 2 months that really cook and only tropical plants do well.

I'm fermenting some of the seeds from these, when they are ready, I'll make another posting and 'give them' to any members, wanting to try them. They are easy to grow. They are considered a 'currant' type tomato...they only get about a half inch across. I like the flavor better then most other cherry type tomatoes.
They've done well this winter. I was too lazy to cover them on the few nights it got down to freezing, and they didn't seem to mind. They are supposed to do well even in the heat. I've read some claim, they'll even produce even in our heat and humidity.

[samtheman]

Hello David,
It was a pleasure to meet you in person this past Saturday at the Sahib Aquaponics tour. I was very impressed at the ideas you guys come up with....specially the 5 gallon buckets and the hybrid systems . You guys are going to make history in the books! Keep up the good work