Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I have been away from the forum so long I am embarrassed! I harvested 200+ fish (channel catfish and hybrid blue gill) in Sept 2008. We have been eating great fish ever since. The system is down now for upgrade. The new fish will be stocked May 2010. Why so long? Well I have very cold winters and I do not heat the tank water. So starting fingerlings this fall would not work well going into the cold months. I need to coat my concrete tank walls to seal them. They were leeching alkali into my tank water such that I could not get the pH below 8. I am on 10 acres (about 4 hectares) and I am developing that land, which is keeping me busy! We are getting 25 Rhode Island Red chickens this spring. They will go in one 10'x10' (3x3 meters) stall of my barn and they will have a fenced run (20'x40' or about 6.1x 12.3 meters). In order to supplement feed from the feed store, I am rototilling 50'x200' (15.4x61.5 meters) to form 4 plots for a four year rotation of alfalfa, winter wheat, sugar beets, and field corn. I also have three gardens for human food (veg, corn, potatoes, etc.). A lot of work for a guy that turns 62 on May 3rd.

On the aquaponics front, I am furthering the automation of my system. So far the feeding, circ pump, filter pump, heat exchanger pump and vents are under computer control. My current work is adding a vent fan and circ fan. To add more fun, I am adding Zigbee wireless (used in industrial automation) so I can have little Microchip PIC processors where-ever they are desirable(eliminates a lot of wire runs). These wireless nodes talk to each other and form a network. If one joins the system, it is recognized. If one leaves (intensionally or a failure) the others form new paths of communication around them.

I will attempt to be more sociable and rejoin this wonderful group of people. I guess when my system went out of service, so did I. No need for that.

A big hi to all my forum friends who thought I died.

Doug

Welcome back Doug, good to know you are still with us.

I'm also glad to hear that you are sealing that tank. Just for the benefit of all members around who talk about using un-sealed concrete tanks, how long was your system running and still getting the high pH leaching?

I'm also curious about the blue gill (I'm raising channel catfish and I also have blue tilapia) Are blue gill appropriate for keeping in a tank with other types of fish? Are blue gill difficult to feed? When back home up in Northern Michigan, blue gill are a primary fish caught and they are good eating but for some reason I was under the impression that they might be difficult fish for tank culture, I would love to hear differently. How long do they usually take to grow out?

Thanks and good to have you back!

Without pictures of the fish consumed, and your automation systems.... we will assume that it either didn't occur.... doesn't exist... or that indeed this post is actually a cruel hoax...

And that the real Doug Basberg is in fact deceased....

Good to have you back Doug.... May 2010... is a long way away though.... why not May 2009??

Good ypur still ok often wondered where you was

Hi Doug!! Great to see you back

I accept the challenge! May 2009 for fish! Who needs to sleep anyway! Crops, chickens, and restart the AP. Busy - busy

I have not decided what to use as the concrete coating. Worried about pealing (delaminating) and food safe. Any suggestions?? DryLock (sp?) worked great on my basement walls, but food safe? Two part epoxies often contain lots of VOCs - not food safe or fish safe. Food safe Epoxy is very expensive and I have not found a product or source for small quantities (their customers all seem to be for large quantities). Again, any suggestions are appreciated. I need to clean and acid wash a tank 24'x5'x6' and then apply coating. Then about a week before filling, then culture up the bacteria for AP, add plants and fish by May...Hmmmm. Sounds like an adventure

When you say leachate could you tell me is it white ish?

This stuff http://www.expresspolymersinc.com/product/radcon.html
Pricey over here but easy to apply.

Have you ever used it sleepe?

I did not see anything on the walls. I just could not keep the pH down. I would add enough vinegar or phosphoric acid to get down to 7.2 pH, then next day it would be back over 8 pH. Did that about 5 times...no luck. I am assuming my problem is leaching from the concrete. Some people agree with me and some do not. No one has a probable alternative idea of why my pH could be so solidly buffered over 8.

I will investigate the link that sleepe gave me. Keep the ideas coming!

I would like to know a bit more about the construction process, if possible

Sani-tred Permaflex would do for you I think DB!

I read it is fine with aquaculture, could be the go.

"Have you ever used it sleepe?"

Put it on the top pond 'fibre reinforced cement" about 15 ish years ago. Filled it with pea gravel (big mistake) pulled the pea gravel out, still going strong. Used the leftovers to seal the shower.

Doug
I would talk to the tech people re the prep if you are going to use it. Mine was a 'new' but cured pond. Just used the garden sprayer then kept misting it.

Was the top pond leaking?