The Nitrogen Cycle

Ammonia (NH4) is bad for everyone.  Fortunately, it converts to Nitrite and then on to Nitrates.  I hear too much about nitrates being in hot dogs which are bad for me to eat.  However, plants love nitrates.

Mother Nature sure is awesome!  Everything that kills fish can be converted to something that plants thrive on.  We take advantage of that very fact in everything we do in aquaponics.  That symbiotic relationship between fish and plants is what makes aquaponics so much more enticing to me than hydroponics.  Nothing is wasted and there are no harmful affects on the environment when we combine aquaculture with hydroponics.  Not too mention that aquaponics out produces hydroponic growing after the systems have been in place for at least six months.  With hydroponics I would have to start fresh with every system flush while aquaponics does not need to be flushed.  The system just gets more and more effective with time.  The next lecture in the course is on cycling the system too.  You can get the cycling supplies here.

Fishless cycling is the best!  It is a lot safer for the fish and farmers don't stress out their food.  I mean, who likes killing fish anyway?  I sure don't want to loose them to nitrogen.  Besides, the nitrogen converting bacteria get a better start with fishless cycling anyway.

On a side note, have you ever noticed that bacteria seem to be named after the things they eat.    

To your successful urban farming,

For more info see me at http://www.scottalanwesthoff.com


Scott

Worms, worms, worms

Worms are so important.  When I started on this aquaponics adventure I knew nothing about worms.  I got some as soon as I spotted the worms in the aquaponic community rules of thumb section.  These are not your typical nightcrawler worms.  They are red wiggler composting worms and do an excellent job of processing some of the waste in your systems.  They are self-regulating (which means I can't put too many in or have to worry about them multiplying too much).  The fish love these little guys too. Worms are the best way to keep your grow beds clean of left over roots.

I have also read about how worm 'tea' can help start up a new system.  Worms leave behind castings that are great compost and provide smoother transitions of nutrients to your plants.  So feed your fish and plants by getting some worms.

To your urban farming success,


Scott

The Best Place to Start Aquaponics = education

I have been taking an online course by Sylvia Bernstein.  I wish this course had been available five years ago.  It would have saved me loads of money.

I have studied aquaponics for at least five years.  I ran into information on growing fish and vegetables together on Yahoo! Groups.  Travis Hughey was my original mentor and educator on the subject.  Fortunately for me, his group eventually led me to the fabulous Aquaponics Community Forum.  The rules of thumb that are listed there are awesome!  In fact those rules of thumb got me excited about Sylvia's book,

Aquaponic Gardening: A Step by Step Guide to Growing Fish and Vegetables Together

The online course is much more hands on and contains current information.  It is based on the book and costs a little more than I originally paid for the book.  

I have used the trial and error method to build many systems with varying degrees of success.  Today I learned how to test my gravel to see if it will work well in an aquaponic system.  I took a sample from my gardens and put it in with some white vinegar.  I knew I had gotten the wrong gravel when the fizzing started.  Turns out, I could have avoided that major mistake if I had had a way to test gravel before.  Another way to test the gravel is to put a sample in distilled water and see if the pH changes any the next day.  

Gardening the traditional way takes some time to learn and so does aquaponic growing.  So what are the benefits of aquaponics and why would you want to switch?  Here are a few ideas:  

No weeds

Less bug problems

Grow anywhere, even in the kitchen

Grow faster than ever

Grow more in a smaller space

Organic produce/You know exactly what is in it

Fresh fish 

Can't wait for tomorrow's lecture.  I will keep you posted.

Scott

Bigger and Better

For more info see me at http://www.scottalanwesthoff.com

Here is my first greenhouse.  It was quite the learning experience.

I attached this to the side of my house and added an old bathtub that someone was getting rid of.  Awesome!