Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Part of the beauty and simplicity of aquaponics is the fact that our growbeds act not only as bio-filters, but as solids removers and "on-demand" self dosing fertilisers...

By trapping the solids (fish poo, uneaten fish food) in the growbeds and breaking down them down by the bacteria in the growbed media (and assistance by worms that many people incorporate into their growbeds) the growbeds provide the trace elements and minerals plants depend on for growth....

Granted their may arise some mineral/trace element deficiencies from time to time..... i.e most fish foods don't have any substantial potassium content, an element needed by heavy flowering and fruiting stages....

So it's necessary at times to supplement the system with safe, organic products to provide .....

_________________
>

Fresh By Nature - Distributor of Aquaponic Systems and Products in NSW
http://www.freshbynature.com.au

Cool..
the worms can they live ok in the gravel. You can feed them to your fish, I've got alot of woodlice (slaters) around the place would fish eat them, and do you think that would add to trace elements.. (Goldies have no teeth... Doh!)

if you have silver perch, they will eat most bugs that you can toss in to them, and quickly too

_________________
.
.
.
................................................................. .

I got a question.. Has anyone ever tried using Abalone.. If so how would you go about it. Are they only salt water. I only ask because I would'nt have a problem killing an Abalone (as it has'nt got a face), Im not sure I could kill a fish, it would look up at me with those bulgy eyes..

Put a hood over them

_________________
>

Fresh By Nature - Distributor of Aquaponic Systems and Products in NSW
http://www.freshbynature.com.au

But abalone are so cute! I feed the buggers whenever I dive....then I take three home to dinner...

Yes, I believe they are quite sensitive to reduced salt. Some of us would love to have marine AP, but what veges to grow?

does it have to be veggies though? what about other types of food like ermm... seaweed? I googled and found this website..
http://juliesrawambition.com/2008/04/15 ... egetables/
how about that for inspiration?

_________________
"I shall either find a way or make one."

In my simple mind seaweed is a subset of veggies.

One gets a large quantity of plant growth per pound of fish and I don't know many saltwater algae that I would want to eat in nearly those quantities. We also have lots of nice marine alga available (some of those mentioned in your link) available in the ocean here. I can collect a year's supply of all my family will eat in about ten minutes.... Ah, the wealth of the Northern California upwelling!

I heard a few days ago about tomatoes producing more flavorful fruit containing more antioxidants when watered with 12% seawater: now all we need is something like that for 100% seawater.

Or, as some have pointed out here, one could raise coraline algae and live rock and sell it... or raise other marine aquarium plants...and animals. Probably more profitable, but less satisfying than producing food.

Still, if one could raise veggies (underwater or above) and meat in saltwater for a nearly complete diet that would surely be a winner.....save a lot of freshwater for people with limited supplies.
Whoops! If one kept adding saltwater to an AP system one would get very concentrated salt water. Forget that idea for saving fresh water....