Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Epcot Center is at Disney World in Florida. I've never been to either of the Disney establishments, but was forced to learn which is which by my brother who worked at DW for a few years.

So theres a Disney Land and a Disney World? ... i would have guessed that disney land was IN disney world Is there Disney Town or Disney Suburb?

Yeah, doesn't make much sense to me, either. But you know us Americans; logic and sensibility aren't always very high priorities in what we do...

Yeah Rupert, I heard that the horticulture team at the Epcot The Land attraction boat ride has added an AP component. That attraction includes a ride through a high tech greenhouse where a variety of food crops are grown hydroponically. My neighbor mentioned he had seen the AP set-up there so I plan to visit again soon.

Ron, you have to have read or seen The Song of the South for the Splash Mt ride to make sense story-wise. IMHO WDW in Florida has a better version of the ride.

You're right. There are several water features at the theme park that hold AP potential. Since many visitors toss coins into the water, it would probably not be optimal conditions.


- John

Teach the fishies to find and swallow the coins. Whoever harvests and processes the fish gets a "bonus".

I haven't watched Song of the south yet, but I was aware that that is what the ride was based off of. I was aware that there was music with the animatronics, but all I could hear was noise. Pirates of the Caribbean was done soooo much better decades before Splash Moutain. I believe the Walt factor played a role. Pirates was the last ride he was personally involved in.

How did I know that Pirates was your favorite attraction? it is one of mine too.


- John

Perhaps it was the hat... and facial hair.. that gave it away...

Oddly, Star Tours is #1 for me, followed by Space Mountain, then Pirates.

Confessed Disney-holic here. One bit about the Splash Mountain water: it is full of transmission fluid!
We did the Magic Kingdom behind-the-scenes tour a few years ago and one thing they showed us was a gigantic filtering pool behind the ride. The audio-animatronic characters (singing robots) on that ride are hydraulically operated and they all leak into the water. The water and oil are then separated in the filter pool and both sent back to do their job again. I guess that's recycling, kinda. Wouldn't work for AP I imagine.
The AP setup at Epcot is not extensive-just some NFT troughs after a solids removal filter of some sort. Probably a couple thousand gallons and lots of fish! But it is what drove me, and probably others to explore if AP is feasible at home. And I ended up here. Yay!

I love Splash Mountain, and I also took the "Behind the Seeds" tour at The Land at EPCOT, recommend that to everybody here if they get the chance. Lady from work just got back from DW and their camera was ruined on the last hill at Splash Mountain!

Just read the entire thread, Ron. Sweet system and I'm impressed with anyone who is willing to work that hard to set it up.

Hope you have many years of bounty... I know your 'lovely assistant', Miss Maggi, will some day look back with many fond memories.

BTW, have you any family in Texas?

Mike

Ron, I'm deeply impressed with the system.. and that you managed to bury your tanks in such a small space is a wonder.

My question... rather sideways-- Tilapia in the Salton? Did they get put there??? They aren't native species, right? Or does the U.S. have a variety?

Either way... you managed to catch fingerlings... did you consider pulling in a pair of breeders... or did you wish to perform your harvest in a more stealthy manner? You did say you selected for 'feeder streams'', are they used as 'bait fish', but enough managed to escape? The Salton is a salt sea... so, our feral Tilapia survived the salt, found fresh water, food... and made a home? That alone is amazing.

I ask, because to purchase, I'll have to get an 'import license' every time... and they're only $15, but once you get the licence, you only have 30 days...

The tilapia get introduced into our waterways to keep the vegetation down. They were introduced into the waterways leading into the Salton sea to keep them clear. No one thought they would be able to survive in the Salton Sea at the time. Everyone thought that during the winter they would all die off or get eaten by other fresh water predators like bass. Turns out that the can and do survive in the supper high salinity of the Salton sea. As Covina is the only other fish in he Salton sea, they really don't have issues with predation. They do have two annual dieoffs, one in the winter, due to the cold, and one in the summer due to algal blooms. But most survive the dieoffs. The variety is Mozambique. I am sure you can find some locally. Ask around to see what kind of fish people catch where. Then go get some. I am not sure you will be able to just scoop them up like I did. The Salton Sea is incredibly thick with tilapia. I most certainly will pull a pair of breeders. I believe their offspring will grow out much faster, as they will be more used to pellets. Thank you for the nice compliments.

I decided to give a bit of an update on my system, as it has been a while and we are pulling out of winter. I added an air pump to aerate the raft.
The raft plants look like they are doing much better than they were, which was pretty bad. I am not sure if it was due to the cold, lack of aeration, or lack of nutrient due to less feeding. Though most of the cabbage is doing well in the gravel, so I am more apt to believe it is aeration that is the cause.