Mikael Long

Thanks Gary.

I had one fish die but I am sure it was all ready compromised. I believe I need to get both the rain barrel and float value to top the water off more often, I believe the water levels dropped through evaporation and some spill over.

best
Mikael

Hard to tell when you have posted a pic.

?

Sean Pratt

Thanks for the replie Sean. Thanks for the info on surface filtering. It is probably a combination of things including the crazy weather we have had and other changes that I made. I have done it for 3 years and grown each year and this is the first year that I have introduced fingerlings. Its winter with some growth but not the hearty biological growth that warmer weather creates. The ponds are in the greenhouse which although unheated stays 20f above the outside temp. So it never freezes but the green things are limited to Kale some broccoli and clover and some other overwintering plants.  I tested the water and my PH is a solid 7 and my amonia is .25 parts per. and my nitrites are high at 4 part per and my nitrate are on mid side. So ok but defiantly high nitrites. So it sounds like it is just the cycle in a spike. I have to get a good filter to take out Clorine so I can do more fresh water exchange. I will have to get a larger axuilary tank to hold water at temp in another part of the greenhouse.

Thanks again
Mikael

Foaming in water. I am having a foaming issue. Almost like baking soda. Many variables but. In short. two 100 gallon tanks, 8 goldfish about 6in to 8in each about a pound I think. the other tank has 12 trout that are between 4in and 7in an about .5 pound for the biggest one been there since Dec 20. Just recently started to bubble excessively. I use city water and it seems to be getting worse if add to much at a time. Does anyone know a safe de -colonizer for water that is safe for all beings including a cat which drinks from the pond and trout that I hope to eat.  It could be some kind of reaction with the ammonia from fish waste but the whole system has been running for 3 years and this the first time I have run into this amount or even what seems to be a type of bubble which is almost epervecent. The video is after it has been going but in the morning it is getting to where it covers the half the top of the water. Need a good solution.

Link to facebook

https://www.facebook.com/mikael.long.7/videos/10210365931483158/

I have played with heating water in a bath on top of my RMH. As has been stated the problem is in the tendency of water to reduce the effects of the heat riser to preform as it is sopposed to. I was able to receculate water through a bath with a small pump and an insulated container. The limitations where that I could only raise the temp slitly with each pass through the heat coil. It takes a lot of BTU's to heat just the bath, them with each pass of the water through the coil the temp in the bath would drop significantly. Geoff Lawton has a video on you tube showing a dedicated system to heat water this seems the safe way to do what you are asking about.

Mikael

I have posted this before but... this is the barrel covered in clay slip, or the dirt from under the shed which is mostly clay.the top has a scrap piece marble. Still could be more polished but you get the idea.

Hi Paul

Have you thought of the possibility of a kind of permatourist. It might be a lot of work up front but maybe a couple of lodges for people willing to pay to come work and be guided through what it's like to be on a a permaculture reality. The clientel may be a little needy but it seems like you are all ready dealing with that. Take advantage of the fact that people want this kind of thing and have them pay for it. One week room and board 1200.00 give them a place to stay with a couple of meals them put them to work in a sort of tourist learning hands on kind of thing. Give them a sort of certificate to put on their wall and they can go back to what ever money making job they were doing feeling like they were a less distructive force in nature while they went on there vacation. It would probably break as many tools as the ones that say they are going to help but actually bring in some money. You may have to play a role which is outside your comfort zone but it might be worth it. The ant village sounds great but it seems many of the dedicated just can't scrape together the cash and effort it might take to give up the job and build somewhere else. I have seen ecotourist resorts with some of the eliments, people paying to experience a "green" vacation so why not a permatourist.

Mikael

I read most of this and did not see this idea. I have been trying to work out a simple heat diferencial pump where the sun is focused on a medium which draws the water from a colder point below. It seems you could maximize the wicking effect by focusing sun light with a simple parabolic shape which would increase the flow? Not sure if it would effect other aspects of the aquponics as I know heat can increases algie.

Mikael

Thanks Burra

I had a hard time rapping my head around this stuff. Some of it so engrained in things we say it just seems natural, still working on it.

Julia

I hated this class and argued tooth and nail with the teacher but after facing so many less then well supported discussions I revued them again and found them freeing and comforting.

Mikael

I like the copper cover, I wonder if you could cut small shapes out of the copper. A pattern or maybe spray it with an acid such sufuric acid to get that blue green patina. It will probably gain it's own patina over time but if it were sprayed you could make it happen on purpose. I worked at a foundry once apon a time and did the patinas for bronze statues so I know we used sulfuric acid and a mix of copper that when applied to heated bronze Would give you a Brite viverent color. It's also nice just as it is.

Mikael