crsublette
coyotes call me Charles
One of our own local gardenpondforum'ers, MitchM's Aquaponic build, has been in progress with this type of "ebb & flow" system.
Is aquaponic farming truly viable on a commercial scale?
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Great stuff Charles, thanks.
The growth in my system really slowed down this past winter, even with the additional light I supplied.
I'm sure it was due to the lower temperatures. For me to run my aquaponics system year round would be impractical, (the costs to run it warm enough along with the lighting would probably add $1000/month in utilities in my situation) so I am going to see how much I can get out of maybe an 8 month growing season.
There is a lot of water evaporation that comes from the system, so anyone in a colder climate also has to deal with excess humidity issues.
.
The growth in my system really slowed down this past winter, even with the additional light I supplied.
I'm sure it was due to the lower temperatures. For me to run my aquaponics system year round would be impractical, (the costs to run it warm enough along with the lighting would probably add $1000/month in utilities in my situation) so I am going to see how much I can get out of maybe an 8 month growing season.
There is a lot of water evaporation that comes from the system, so anyone in a colder climate also has to deal with excess humidity issues.
.
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I've always heard that the (ancient) Chinese did a form of this when growing rice. Rice is grown in a flooded paddy field. They release small carp into the field where they grow by feeding on insects and stuff, meanwhile fertilizing the rice with their poop. When the rice is ready to be harvested, they empty the water, pick up the rice and the carp. This is the best system that I've ever heard of.
crsublette
coyotes call me Charles
Also, root crops and top heavy crops and even some pepper crops tend to not do as well in "ebb & flow" systems as described above when compared to wicking grow beds. As to the reason for this, I could not find this. This is what I have gathered from other's experiences of trying to grow such crops in the "ebb & flow" systems.
Now, Earthan Group's specializes in wicking beds and I am a big fan of wicking beds due to how wicking beds are: 1) self regulating; 2) the grower is not restricted on the types of crops to grow; 3) the grow medium is chalk full of nutrients and trace minerals; 4) the water is insulated and protected; 5) weeding might be required.
1) Self Regulating. When using a proper soil recipe that does not compact, then the soil recipe only pulls enough water out of the water reservoir, while never saturating the soil, through the wicking process. Now, if the soil recipes is not correct such as having a tendency to compact, then the wicking process will actually allow the soil to become too saturated. The more the soil becomes saturated then the less oxygen is available to the plant's roots. Only a soil recipe that allows the root zone to be "moist" is the goal. So, do not use amendments in the soil recipe that is designed to retain water, such as clay or other water retention materials, since these type of amendments would keep the root zone far too saturated. This is the only reason why a bell siphon would be used in a wicking bed, that is where the bell siphon fills/drains only the water reservoir. If you think a bell siphon needs to be used in a wicking bed, then you are using a bad soil recipe. The wicking process will provide more than enough water to sustain the plant. As the plant's roots absorb the water, then the wicking process instantly replenishes that absorbed water.
To better explain the wicking process, then here is a PDF, wicking bed - a new technology for adapting to water saving gardening.
Here is an excellent article of Earthan Group's plumbing of an open system wicking bed.
Mr. Van Der Werf had some excellent videos, but, during the transition to the new website, they are not availalbe yet and I hope they do become available. In the meanwhile, here is an article that shows some pictures and explains how Earthan Group builds their wicking beds, Earthan Beds - How they go together.
Here is a video by Mr. Murry Hallam to help visualize an example of a wicking bed construction, which he is using a bell siphon. There are many approaches and Mr. Hallam uses vermiculite and bricks for the water resevoir, then a layer of quite porous shade cloth, then a mixture of mulch and potting soil. Personally, I think he went too heavy on the mulch portion of the soil recipe.
Here is a video that shows the moisture of a properly wicking bed. Now, this wicking is on a closed system, that is the water never exits the water resevoir never recirculates and this is why a float valve works well for this type of wicking bed system. Also, the video shows the proper portion of mulch involved in the soil recipe, which is not much.
To help reduce moisture evaporation due to an outdoor wicking bed and it being windy and hot outside, then all is needed is a good 4 inches or so of mulch on top of this wicking bed.
2) the grower is not restricted on the types of crops to grow. Top heavy crops do better in a wicking bed, since it is easier for the plant's roots to anchor the plant. Root crops do better in wicking bed since there is less stress on the tubular to grow in soil versus pea gravel or lava rock or hydroton. Also, there are other fruiting crops, such as peppers and beans that simply do better in a soil wicking bed due to the silica and other trace minerals present in a wicking bed. Now, these other crops will perform in other type of grow beds, but I have not yet seen them perform as good in those other techniques when compared to being grown in a soil wicking bed.
3) the grow medium is chalk full of nutrients and trace minerals. Trace minerals, also referred to as micronutrients, is the toughest type of nutrient to accumulate in aquaponic systems since there is only very small portions of micronutrients in fish feed and thus in fish waste. So, as an aquaponic system matures, then so does the volume of micronutrients. Micronutrients is the major reasion why most aquaponic system do not perform major water changes. Major water changes significantally dilutes the micronutrients, which take a much longer time to accumulate in the water. A simple fix to this is to use an open system wicking system with a proper soil recipe.
Also, the silica present in soil recipes helps to improve the plant's disease resistance and has other benefits that are not available in hydroponic systems unless it is added in a special fertilizer formulation.
4) the water is insulated and protected. Since the wicking bed soil layer is around 7~11 inches deep, then this protects the water from being polluted due to foliar sprays on the plant that could be harmful to fish or due to pesticide granulars spread on top of the wicking bed that could be harmful to fish. Now, if these grow beds are outside, then there is the potential for rain to cause the residual to drain into the water reservoir. Also, since the water resevoir is below 7~11 inches of soil, then this keeps the water quite cool during the hot summer or insulated during the winter.
5) weeding might be required. As the system is outdoors and with a soil grow bed, then there is a definite possibility of some weeding might be required dependent on the depth of mulch used on top of the grow bed. A classical past time that can actually be enjoyed with wicking beds.
Be sure there are multiple overflow drain valves at various heights. If this is an outdoor system, then be sure there are multiple overflow drain valves that are an inch or so above the water reservoir and then add another level of overflow drain valves above a few inches higher and then another set at the surface level. This is to ensure the wicking beds do not remain saturated. Wicking beds can quickly become saturated after just a small rain. So, be sure this excess water is allowed to properly drain as fast as possible.
Going to write a quick narrative on how the wicking process operates, that is a cliff notes version of the above PDF.
Now, Earthan Group's specializes in wicking beds and I am a big fan of wicking beds due to how wicking beds are: 1) self regulating; 2) the grower is not restricted on the types of crops to grow; 3) the grow medium is chalk full of nutrients and trace minerals; 4) the water is insulated and protected; 5) weeding might be required.
1) Self Regulating. When using a proper soil recipe that does not compact, then the soil recipe only pulls enough water out of the water reservoir, while never saturating the soil, through the wicking process. Now, if the soil recipes is not correct such as having a tendency to compact, then the wicking process will actually allow the soil to become too saturated. The more the soil becomes saturated then the less oxygen is available to the plant's roots. Only a soil recipe that allows the root zone to be "moist" is the goal. So, do not use amendments in the soil recipe that is designed to retain water, such as clay or other water retention materials, since these type of amendments would keep the root zone far too saturated. This is the only reason why a bell siphon would be used in a wicking bed, that is where the bell siphon fills/drains only the water reservoir. If you think a bell siphon needs to be used in a wicking bed, then you are using a bad soil recipe. The wicking process will provide more than enough water to sustain the plant. As the plant's roots absorb the water, then the wicking process instantly replenishes that absorbed water.
To better explain the wicking process, then here is a PDF, wicking bed - a new technology for adapting to water saving gardening.
Here is an excellent article of Earthan Group's plumbing of an open system wicking bed.
Mr. Van Der Werf had some excellent videos, but, during the transition to the new website, they are not availalbe yet and I hope they do become available. In the meanwhile, here is an article that shows some pictures and explains how Earthan Group builds their wicking beds, Earthan Beds - How they go together.
Here is a video by Mr. Murry Hallam to help visualize an example of a wicking bed construction, which he is using a bell siphon. There are many approaches and Mr. Hallam uses vermiculite and bricks for the water resevoir, then a layer of quite porous shade cloth, then a mixture of mulch and potting soil. Personally, I think he went too heavy on the mulch portion of the soil recipe.
Here is a video that shows the moisture of a properly wicking bed. Now, this wicking is on a closed system, that is the water never exits the water resevoir never recirculates and this is why a float valve works well for this type of wicking bed system. Also, the video shows the proper portion of mulch involved in the soil recipe, which is not much.
To help reduce moisture evaporation due to an outdoor wicking bed and it being windy and hot outside, then all is needed is a good 4 inches or so of mulch on top of this wicking bed.
2) the grower is not restricted on the types of crops to grow. Top heavy crops do better in a wicking bed, since it is easier for the plant's roots to anchor the plant. Root crops do better in wicking bed since there is less stress on the tubular to grow in soil versus pea gravel or lava rock or hydroton. Also, there are other fruiting crops, such as peppers and beans that simply do better in a soil wicking bed due to the silica and other trace minerals present in a wicking bed. Now, these other crops will perform in other type of grow beds, but I have not yet seen them perform as good in those other techniques when compared to being grown in a soil wicking bed.
3) the grow medium is chalk full of nutrients and trace minerals. Trace minerals, also referred to as micronutrients, is the toughest type of nutrient to accumulate in aquaponic systems since there is only very small portions of micronutrients in fish feed and thus in fish waste. So, as an aquaponic system matures, then so does the volume of micronutrients. Micronutrients is the major reasion why most aquaponic system do not perform major water changes. Major water changes significantally dilutes the micronutrients, which take a much longer time to accumulate in the water. A simple fix to this is to use an open system wicking system with a proper soil recipe.
Also, the silica present in soil recipes helps to improve the plant's disease resistance and has other benefits that are not available in hydroponic systems unless it is added in a special fertilizer formulation.
4) the water is insulated and protected. Since the wicking bed soil layer is around 7~11 inches deep, then this protects the water from being polluted due to foliar sprays on the plant that could be harmful to fish or due to pesticide granulars spread on top of the wicking bed that could be harmful to fish. Now, if these grow beds are outside, then there is the potential for rain to cause the residual to drain into the water reservoir. Also, since the water resevoir is below 7~11 inches of soil, then this keeps the water quite cool during the hot summer or insulated during the winter.
5) weeding might be required. As the system is outdoors and with a soil grow bed, then there is a definite possibility of some weeding might be required dependent on the depth of mulch used on top of the grow bed. A classical past time that can actually be enjoyed with wicking beds.
Be sure there are multiple overflow drain valves at various heights. If this is an outdoor system, then be sure there are multiple overflow drain valves that are an inch or so above the water reservoir and then add another level of overflow drain valves above a few inches higher and then another set at the surface level. This is to ensure the wicking beds do not remain saturated. Wicking beds can quickly become saturated after just a small rain. So, be sure this excess water is allowed to properly drain as fast as possible.
Going to write a quick narrative on how the wicking process operates, that is a cliff notes version of the above PDF.
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crsublette
coyotes call me Charles
Here is a quick technical narrative as to why and how wicking occurs...
Wicking grow beds operate through the process of capillary actions, also called "wicking". Wicking is made possible due to the fact that everything has an electromagnetic bond. Water is composed of a positively charge hydrogen ion (called a cation, H+) and a negatively charged hydroxide ion (called an anion, OH-). These cations and anions allow water to have a tensile strength to form droplets. Even though water molecules have a high electromagnetic bond to each other, water molecules will be attracted to other particles and this attraction, driven by this electromagnetic bond between the water and material, creates the capillary, or wicking, action. The particles's surface area and electromagnetic bond determines the volume attracted to the particle; thus, the higher surface area equals more water being attracted. When the particle's surface area attracts the maximum volume of water, then this is called the particle's "Field Capacity". Saturation occurs when water volume increases beyond the particle's field capacity. Since all particle's have an inherit electromagnetic bond, then there will always be some water still left on the particle; this least amount of water held bonded to the particle is called the "Wilt point". Only some extremely drought tolerant plant roots can break this electromagnetic bond to extract the water at this wilt point, but most plant roots can not remove anymore water off of the particle once reaching the particle's wilt point. So, when subtracting the particle's wilt point from the particle's field capacity, this gives you "available water" to be used to transport onto other particles or plant roots.
Ok, to critically apply this, a quick example of a wicking grow bed that is 2 cubic foot with a depth of 28 inches.
1) A typical wicking grow bed has multiples layers, some more than others, but, for this example, lets say there are 3 layers.
2) Layer #1 at the bottom is 8 inches deep and only composed of just small 1" river rock. Not many pieces of river rock will be needed to fill this space and so this means the field capacity is quite low; this means saturation is quickly achieved allowing a tremendous amount of water to flow freely for drainage or to be transported to the next layer.
3) Layer #2 will be 8 inches deep with 1/8" small pea gravel. Since much more pea gravel can fit into this layer, then the surface area is much higher thus meaning the attraction is higher to satisfy the pea gravel's field capacity. The increase attraction pulls the "available water" from layer #1 until the pea gravel's field capacity is reached. Remember, the difference between the particle's field capacity and wilt point determines water available. So, once the pea gravel's field capacity is reached, this means there is still water available to be transported to the next layer.
4) Layer #3 will be 12 inches deep of a soil mix. Since many, many more soil particles can fit in this layer, this creates a much higer surface area to attract the "available water" away from the pea gravel until the pea gravel's wilt point is reached. You will know the soil's field capacity is reached when the soil on top of the layer feels moist, but saturation point is never reached. Saturation is only obtained whenever the water volume is increased above the particle's field capacity.
At this point, if water was sprinkled on top of the soil, then the saturation point will be reached quickly causing the water to fill the space voids between the particles, pushing oxygen out of the soil, and quickly causing water to stand on the top. This is why the soil mixture needs to be composed of a sandy, sandy loam, that can not be prone to compaction. A clay soil mix should not be used since it has a higher field capacity thus it takes longer for the water to drain and taking longer for oxygen to enter the soil. When compared to a clay mix, a sandy loam soil mix has a lower field capacity allowing the water to drain better and allows oxygen to enter the soil whenever the water reservoir is drained or allowing excess water to be drained faster out of a drain outlet if the soil is drenched on the surface.
Be sure there are multiple overflow drain valves at various heights. Remember, at the overflow drain locations, water will only exit the drain whenever field capacity is breached to reach the saturation point.
Welp, time for dinner. I will return later to talk about the various other system designs and growing techniques and will talk about a helpful association that show the various methods of greenhouse construction and how to control the climate within the greenhouse.
Wicking grow beds operate through the process of capillary actions, also called "wicking". Wicking is made possible due to the fact that everything has an electromagnetic bond. Water is composed of a positively charge hydrogen ion (called a cation, H+) and a negatively charged hydroxide ion (called an anion, OH-). These cations and anions allow water to have a tensile strength to form droplets. Even though water molecules have a high electromagnetic bond to each other, water molecules will be attracted to other particles and this attraction, driven by this electromagnetic bond between the water and material, creates the capillary, or wicking, action. The particles's surface area and electromagnetic bond determines the volume attracted to the particle; thus, the higher surface area equals more water being attracted. When the particle's surface area attracts the maximum volume of water, then this is called the particle's "Field Capacity". Saturation occurs when water volume increases beyond the particle's field capacity. Since all particle's have an inherit electromagnetic bond, then there will always be some water still left on the particle; this least amount of water held bonded to the particle is called the "Wilt point". Only some extremely drought tolerant plant roots can break this electromagnetic bond to extract the water at this wilt point, but most plant roots can not remove anymore water off of the particle once reaching the particle's wilt point. So, when subtracting the particle's wilt point from the particle's field capacity, this gives you "available water" to be used to transport onto other particles or plant roots.
Ok, to critically apply this, a quick example of a wicking grow bed that is 2 cubic foot with a depth of 28 inches.
1) A typical wicking grow bed has multiples layers, some more than others, but, for this example, lets say there are 3 layers.
2) Layer #1 at the bottom is 8 inches deep and only composed of just small 1" river rock. Not many pieces of river rock will be needed to fill this space and so this means the field capacity is quite low; this means saturation is quickly achieved allowing a tremendous amount of water to flow freely for drainage or to be transported to the next layer.
3) Layer #2 will be 8 inches deep with 1/8" small pea gravel. Since much more pea gravel can fit into this layer, then the surface area is much higher thus meaning the attraction is higher to satisfy the pea gravel's field capacity. The increase attraction pulls the "available water" from layer #1 until the pea gravel's field capacity is reached. Remember, the difference between the particle's field capacity and wilt point determines water available. So, once the pea gravel's field capacity is reached, this means there is still water available to be transported to the next layer.
4) Layer #3 will be 12 inches deep of a soil mix. Since many, many more soil particles can fit in this layer, this creates a much higer surface area to attract the "available water" away from the pea gravel until the pea gravel's wilt point is reached. You will know the soil's field capacity is reached when the soil on top of the layer feels moist, but saturation point is never reached. Saturation is only obtained whenever the water volume is increased above the particle's field capacity.
At this point, if water was sprinkled on top of the soil, then the saturation point will be reached quickly causing the water to fill the space voids between the particles, pushing oxygen out of the soil, and quickly causing water to stand on the top. This is why the soil mixture needs to be composed of a sandy, sandy loam, that can not be prone to compaction. A clay soil mix should not be used since it has a higher field capacity thus it takes longer for the water to drain and taking longer for oxygen to enter the soil. When compared to a clay mix, a sandy loam soil mix has a lower field capacity allowing the water to drain better and allows oxygen to enter the soil whenever the water reservoir is drained or allowing excess water to be drained faster out of a drain outlet if the soil is drenched on the surface.
Be sure there are multiple overflow drain valves at various heights. Remember, at the overflow drain locations, water will only exit the drain whenever field capacity is breached to reach the saturation point.
Welp, time for dinner. I will return later to talk about the various other system designs and growing techniques and will talk about a helpful association that show the various methods of greenhouse construction and how to control the climate within the greenhouse.
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crsublette
coyotes call me Charles
To know more about wicking beds and a good explanation on how to properly construct them, then watch the video produced by Mr. Colin Austin called Wicking Bed Video with Katie. Also, Mr. Colin Austin has an excellent website with various other articles to read, calling Wicking Beds with Mr. Colin Austin.
The video has answered two questions that have been nagging me that is: 1) why and how to properly use ebb/flow in a wicking bed; 2) an excellent demonstration of how to properly conduct vermiculture farming.
The ebb/flow technique used with a wicking bed and nothing like the conventional way of implementing ebb & flow. So, the best way to explain it is to watch the video, which specifically talks about this at video marker 32:00.
The video itself is quite long and information so much about wicking beds that it could be an interesting "how they do it" television episode.
The video has answered two questions that have been nagging me that is: 1) why and how to properly use ebb/flow in a wicking bed; 2) an excellent demonstration of how to properly conduct vermiculture farming.
The ebb/flow technique used with a wicking bed and nothing like the conventional way of implementing ebb & flow. So, the best way to explain it is to watch the video, which specifically talks about this at video marker 32:00.
The video itself is quite long and information so much about wicking beds that it could be an interesting "how they do it" television episode.
crsublette
coyotes call me Charles
Yay! Welp, Earthan Group's You Tube channel has returned... 
Goes to show the potential of an aquaponic system. And the garden beds are quite minimal maintenance...
Here is a favorite one I always enjoyed watching. It is quite inspirational.
Here is the above garden one year later...
Here is the construction video of another garden he built... I know he doesn't call it "aquaponics", but I find it is close enough due to the involvement of the goldfish.
And here is another fun one... This one uses Crayfish to help out cleaning waste that falls into the raft, or deep water culture (DWC), grow beds, which these DWCs acts exactly like large pond settlement chambers, except without the vortex effect and are more pretty.
Enjoy!
Goes to show the potential of an aquaponic system. And the garden beds are quite minimal maintenance...
Here is a favorite one I always enjoyed watching. It is quite inspirational.
Here is the above garden one year later...
Here is the construction video of another garden he built... I know he doesn't call it "aquaponics", but I find it is close enough due to the involvement of the goldfish.
And here is another fun one... This one uses Crayfish to help out cleaning waste that falls into the raft, or deep water culture (DWC), grow beds, which these DWCs acts exactly like large pond settlement chambers, except without the vortex effect and are more pretty.
Enjoy!
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crsublette
coyotes call me Charles
Well, I am very sorry to everyone that the previous videos are no longer available. I think Earthan Group, that is Mr. Van Der Werf, is doing some restructuring and, since this is more of a hobby project for him and he has very little free time due to his current UAE project, it might take a while until they become available again. I hope they are available again since they are quite inspirational and gives the extraordinary picture of the size and performance of flower gardens and even vegetable gardens that just our small goldfish ponds are capable of producing when a proper, very effective, low maintenance system is built.
To refresh folk's memory, this fella uses a soil based, wicking, open looping, recirculating garden beds that are connected to what we would call a small pond, that is around 500 gallons to a couple thousand gallons or so.
Truly quite amazing of the doors that open and what just our small goldfish ponds can achieve.
To refresh folk's memory, this fella uses a soil based, wicking, open looping, recirculating garden beds that are connected to what we would call a small pond, that is around 500 gallons to a couple thousand gallons or so.
Truly quite amazing of the doors that open and what just our small goldfish ponds can achieve.
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That's OK, instead maybe tell us, in a few words, what you think about Anoxic Filtration.
JohnHuff
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How about floating plants into a separate connected pond with a mechanical filter. This would be a bog except that the dirt isn't trapped in the gravel, or you don't have to deal with the pots and setup for anoxic filtration.
I didn't read any of that but I was at Disney world a couple months ago and there was an aquaponics exhibit. The fish were way over crowded and their fins were clamped as tight as I've ever seen. Seemed abusive to me.
crsublette
coyotes call me Charles
Yep, the results of poor management. In contrast, Mr. Van Der Werf videos included his home barramundi aqua-ponic system, with what other folk would suggest too high of a stocking density, and none of the fish showed signs of stress, such as clamped fins.
There is a debate in the aquaponics industry between what is called "high density" aquaponics and "low density" aquaponics. "High density" aquaponics essentially describes a current aquaculture farm that flushes its effluent into a vegetable "hydroponic"-imitating farm. "Low density" aquaponics refers to growing as much plants as possible with the lowest fish stock density as possible. High density aquaponics have two major revenue streams, that is the fish and vegetables. Low density aquaponics has one major revenue stream, that is the vegetables with only the occasion, if not rare, sell of fish. Often times, in a commercial context, pure hydroponic vegetable farming is much more cost viable when compared to low density aquaponics due to the additional overhead costs involved in aquaponics, as mentioned in post#1.
Important to keep in mind that general rules of fish per gallon is entirely dependent on feeding volume/regiment and filtration. Sure, there is a point where you do not want the fish crammed in there like sardines, thus causing stressed fish, and hurting each other due to feeding frenzies, but, generally, these general rules of fish per gallon is entirely dependent on feeding volume/regiment and filtration and, generally, pond size is irrelevant until a point.
The aqua-ponic hobby is notorious for having "bad apple" operators suggesting insane stocking densities and thus the squeaky wheels gets the attention and gives the entire hobby a bad reputation. Articles below written by one of the industry leading, aqua-ponic proponents, that is Mr. Van der Werf with his current project in Dubai, UAE and here's a backyard hobbyist website made for non-commercial systems.
To help determine stocking densities, then folk should read these two articles: 1) The Magical 100 Fish in 1000 Litres; 2) Bio-filter Sizing Advice and Calculator.
Soil based, wicking, open looping, recirculating garden beds allow for better plant health with a much lower fish stocking density, as noted in post#19, point#2 and #3.
crsublette
coyotes call me Charles
Sad news to share. A group of online pillagers has attacked Mr. Van der Werf's online property presence involving Facebook, YouTube, and the Earthan Group website, except for what he has shared on the Aquaponic Nations forum is still quite available. To obtain updates about his UAE project, then you can read the thread, "Fellow APN member building the world's biggest commeral AP system?".
To learn how to obtain access to a backup copy of his Earthan Group website, then read post#182 on this same thread.
Words can not express as to how angry I am with how there are jerks in the world that want to ruin access to this information for others, except you can still find him on the Aquaponic Nation forum; although, keep in mind he is a very busy individual and free time is limited until the UAE project is finished.
Mr. Van der Werf is very private, as he should be, due to confidentiality concerns and corporate espionage concerns. However, to watch a video of another major operation he built, then check out Blue Smart Farms.
Mr. Van der Werf had excellent videos of absolutely beautiful backyard hobby systems, which all of them only involving goldfish or koi! The backyard hobby systems truly put to shame the systems of other hobby systems. With the hundreds of square feet of flowers and vegetables and fruits, he truly has created a paradise oasis for several schools where their kids can learn more about horticulture and aquaculture.
Anyways... I need to get back to updating this thread since there is much more to share in regards to minerlisation, better bell siphons, better grow bed constructions, clever ways to insulate a greenhouse, and much more!
To learn how to obtain access to a backup copy of his Earthan Group website, then read post#182 on this same thread.
Words can not express as to how angry I am with how there are jerks in the world that want to ruin access to this information for others, except you can still find him on the Aquaponic Nation forum; although, keep in mind he is a very busy individual and free time is limited until the UAE project is finished.
Mr. Van der Werf is very private, as he should be, due to confidentiality concerns and corporate espionage concerns. However, to watch a video of another major operation he built, then check out Blue Smart Farms.
Mr. Van der Werf had excellent videos of absolutely beautiful backyard hobby systems, which all of them only involving goldfish or koi! The backyard hobby systems truly put to shame the systems of other hobby systems. With the hundreds of square feet of flowers and vegetables and fruits, he truly has created a paradise oasis for several schools where their kids can learn more about horticulture and aquaculture.
Anyways... I need to get back to updating this thread since there is much more to share in regards to minerlisation, better bell siphons, better grow bed constructions, clever ways to insulate a greenhouse, and much more!
crsublette
coyotes call me Charles
I looked for the backup copies at the IWBM of the Earthan Group URL's that I have posted and found them all except for one of them, which was the article about "Earthan Group's plumbing of an open system wicking bed", since this was an article published in 2014 and, unfortunately, it was not crawled by the IWBM.
For the other articles referenced in this thread that was successfully crawled by the IWBM, here you go...
Earthan Beds - How They Go Together
The Magical 100 Fish in 1000 Litres
Bio-filter Sizing Advice and Calculator
For the other articles referenced in this thread that was successfully crawled by the IWBM, here you go...
Earthan Beds - How They Go Together
The Magical 100 Fish in 1000 Litres
Bio-filter Sizing Advice and Calculator
I dont know abpout Aquaphonics but Hydophonics is big business in the UK at this present time mostly for growers in the production of non comercial sized marijuiana plots i'e for personal use though its against the law , we read about it every other week in our local paper when the cops catch them.
Strangely it is not illegal to order the seeds and the same shops sell the hydrophonic systems some of the growers are getting quite adept at it
Dave
Strangely it is not illegal to order the seeds and the same shops sell the hydrophonic systems some of the growers are getting quite adept at it
Dave
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