Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Yes certain vaccinations are required before you can go to or return from many countries. There are posted vaccination schedules I believe on the State Dept. Website and possibly CDC.

What about immigration? Will the country allow a band of "strange" people within their borders to work?

The International Aquaponics Task Team would need to be under some organization to "work" in the country.... wouldn't it? Can an Aid organization adopt the IATT for visa purposes?

I was in Indonesia from '03 to '07 and it was a pain there in the Visa area. Maybe Africa is a little less restrictive. (That would be a nice change)

I'm new to Aquaponics. Have set up a small barrel system here in the States... so have limited experience... but my Passport still has empty pages.... can bend nails... cut fairly straight with Denzel's saw (maybe)... electronic, electrical... but... I need remedial training with paper clips, so my availability could be delayed.

One last thing. IATT doesn't have a good ring to it. Just say it ... Has sort of a gag reflex to it. I think it needs a consonant at the beginning. Maybe rearrange it just a tad. Slip International to the end. Has a more professional sound to it. Could add Backyard or something to the front end. You would end up with a much better title. Backyard Aquaponics Task Team International. That sounds much better.

Those BATTI people are here again about the fish.

I don't think IATT is so bad though I'm probably biased since I am a card carrying member of IATSE. This could be confusing since we often shorten IATSE to IA.

My first though was perhaps just drop the International and call it ATT Aquaponics Task Team cause we all know "where it's ATT". But anyway.

Early on in the thread I asked about visas and being able to work in the countries. Answer was, presumably because we would be getting hiried by the government to do these jobs for me, they would make sure we could get the proper paperwork. Granted, some things never quite works as well as planned.

Angie,
Very good points about the local problems with certain diseases and conditions. Excellent research! WOW. Now we will be expecting you to find the answers to many of those questions you just posed! WOW again

TIA Team International Aquaponics aka Thanks In Advance

I'm already BATTI enough

Any room for a mental health nurse or two? (what about you SNAG or Movaitgerrard, we could run a clinic for all of these crazy manic AP addicts)

S-Man I admire your work and ideas but you need to be careful - You must be getting very close to being kicked out of this forum because you've outgrown the "backyard"!!!!

Thanks, TC. Yea, well not everyone appreciates my knowledge. I've been called a "know-it-all" but I have to know how it works. Hopefully, I can be of use here. I know I'm different than what you're use to on this forum. I've been here for two years as a guest but never saw the need to join, until now. I'm a female brainiac who loves science and power tools- go figure. It is nice to be appreciated for my brain, once in a while though. Normally, I wouldn't use these but it seems appropriate right now.
In regards to my previous post, I wanted to know what to expect if I was selected to go with the team. After I saw what the potential problems were, not only for the system but us as well, I felt it necessary to let all of you know. The more informed we are of the situation, both good and bad, the better for all of us- it may even saves someone's life. Make no mistake, this could potentially be dangerous- posionous animals, dangerous animals, diseases, rebels, civil unrest- but we must do what we can while we can and I honestly believe that aquaponics is the next evolution in our agricultural history- as life shifting as the tactor replacing horse power or food going into our gas tanks, instead of our stomachs.
I found Dan's comments on the land mines very informative as I have no military background and limited military knowledge in other areas. That little piece of information may become vital in some of these areas we might be sent to- who knows it might even save my life one day.
Did I also mention that I was a part-time philosopher?
Riddle with no answer- If knowledge is power and ignorance is bliss, where is the happy medium?

I have an update in regards to locally available nutrients for the system. Hopefully, it is not too technical and bore you to tears.

Tricalcuim phospate, Ca3(PO4)2, pH 7.2, other wise known as bone ash, is exactly that- bones that are burned until they turn to ash. It is a good source of calcuim and phosphorus.

Potassium Hydroxide,KOH, ph 13-14, other wise known as caustic potash, lye and hardwood ash. pH varies as to type of wood used. Again it is burned until turned into a white ash. Good source of potassium and more importantly, probably the best source of pH adjuster we will have, although dilution before introduction will be extremely important. Some of the literature suggests soaking the ashes in a barrel of rain water, aka acid rain, ph usually runs around 5.6- unless in a poluted area where it can turn into a weak sulfuric acid, with a pH of around 2. Rain water and source water will need to be tested for pH as these base parameters will have a huge impact on maintaining our system. Hopefully, we can do a full battery of water tests to see how clean the water source is. I don't know if you are aware of this but aquaponic systems can naturally protect against mercury in incoming fresh water. Mercury is treated, at the water’s point of entry, by the same chemicals that add calcuim and raise pH- calcuim hydroxide Ca(OH)2, also known as slaked lime, hydrated lime and pickling lime. It reacts with mercury- the heavy metal precipitates out as Hg(OH)- mercuric nitrate- and will settle as sludge in the sump reservoir, before even reaching the fish tanks.

Seabird Guano- Nigrogen ranges from 1-13, Phosphorus ranges from 10-12, Potassium ranges from 1-2.5, depending on bird source. Good source of phosphorus but more importantly, probably the best source for micro-nutrients that the system needs, as the ocean food chain is represented here. If system is located in the mountains, trip to ocean may take a week but, once located, source would be free.

Algae absorbs phosphates but they need a source. If we supply the source and feed the algae to the Tilapia, then the crop plants will have a steady supply of this nutrient. There is some concern in regards to e-coli being introduced into the system through bird guano, as all warm blooded animals can carry a virulent strain. If the algae is grown in a pond separate from the fish and harvested for feeding, there is less chance of possilbe contamination. Composting the guano would kill the viruses but I don't know if that is an option.

All of these things are readily available and are of little or no cost which is very important for the locals. Feel free to experiment and post your findings on your experiences.

It would be nice if we could incorporate solar ovens and small methane digesters, as well as the aquaponics system, as all three of these combined would have a huge positive impact on locals in regards to food security, reduce human engery devoted to water and wood fuel/cooking issues and sanitation as well as protect the environment.
So do I make the team?

I personally think aerobic composting usually makes more sense than anaerobic digesting. You don't have to worry about gas capture, storage, and pressurization. Digesters take a lot more equipment, and yeah, you get methane and such, but you could always grow some woody plants and use a rocket stove.

Actually, in arid regions where plentiful carbon materials can be scarce, digesting might be more appropriate than trying to compost all of it. I do strongly support humanure composting mind you! It does take lots of carbon material to keep it properly managed.

Now it might be possible to utilize urine as a nutrient source for certain things but there can be issues with that since the health, diet, and chemicals ingested of/by the people contributing the urine can affect the safety of the operation. When strict control of the urine donors can't be maintained, the operation of using urine safely needs to become more high tech in which case, for these situations, perhaps it would have been better to compost/digest all the human waste in the first place.

Finding methods of getting potassium and Iron into the systems are quite important. It would be interesting to know what types of media/gravel/soil/sand are common in the area since that can greatly affect the way in which certain nutrients are handled and which way the system will most likely need buffering. Limestone gravel or shell as a large portion of the grow bed media will keep the pH quite high at least for any relatively young system.

If you go anywhere near Potassium Hydroxide BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL....

It is about as strongly "basic" as hydrochloric acid is acidic....indeed it's often used to "neutralise" strong acids......

TAKE EXTREME CARE with WATER....



General Wiki article.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_hydroxide

And I'm not so sure about using calcium hydroxide either.... Janet (JP) stopped using it. It didn't buffer well, and was too strong, so the pH tended to bounce a bit. In fact it'll give some nasty pH swings.

Heh, it hadn't occurred to me that a place might not have trees. Goes to show how much our expectations are shaped by our environment

Calcium hydroxide didn't hold the pH as steady as the potassium bicarb. Also, it is a bit nasty to work with. The stuff I have is powdered, and makes little clouds when disturbed. Not something I want to breathe in, and only shippable in limited quantities in the US.

Any other suggestions for a pH adjuster that can be made with local materials, that is also inexpensive? This is what we're here for, to brainstorm together, to come up with the best possible solutions. It is possible that the locals can receive assistance to access some of the nutrients required to operate the system, that would be nice and make our job easier but I'm thinking worst case senerio. It is better to err on the side of overkill, then forget to include something. I would hate to go on a project like this and find out that something vital is missing and the locals don't have assistance, or don't have the money to afford what they need, or that, even though they have assistance/ money, still can't get it because of muddy roads or something.

I use chicken egg shells in my system as a buffer.