Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

thank you for the advice. I still don't understand what acronym is used for pond air pumps: Here it says, what happened to CFM?

More like this then? CoachChris, is there a formula for air quantity per DWC/FT/MT? I was wondering if multiple smaller pumps, purchased at different intervals would provide some redundancy and perhaps be quieter?

1 stone every 4' of DWC.

Up too early... Browsing online stores...


I know I should be patient Right?

I wouldn't waste your money, just throw in the fish, and don't feed much until it's finished cycling.

thanks Colum, Uh oh I'm already surfing deeper perhaps crazier; http://www.saltysupply.com/product-p/em1732.htm
I do love letting my imagination go wild
check out the description of the modes! hot dog!

Beautiful photo's, Brian, and an impressive vision. Good luck with it all. With all the effort you are putting in, you'd hope there is going to be smooth running system at the end for you both to enjoy.
While it looks fantastic, I don't envy you your snow, though. I feel my bones hurting just looking at it.
Doh. Just realised I was looking at your early pages. Don't mind me. I'll go back to reading through and enjoying what has happened on this thread.

Ok. So I've read this far and have only become more impressed with the persistance you have shown as I read each page. Kidney stones!! I feel for yer brother. I've given birth to a couple of these things over the years and can only admire your efforts to work on. I was a writhing, groaning mess when I've gone through it. With an arthritic back?!
Like all the others watching from around the world, I'm looking forward to you tasting the fruits of your efforts (and posting the obligatory snaps).
More power to your back! And your elbow as you down another jug of water.

Thank you thank you TeeCeeKay, your words mean the world to me. Yesterday my wife and I made the 160 mi (257km) trip to see a nephrologist (kidney hypertension) specialist. All I can say is, "wow!"
I should have done this years ago. The doctor was super informative and clarified so many issues. Through blood-work and urine analysis they hope to adjust the chemical imbalance which causes gout, and the related calcium oxalate stones, as well as address a mild case of hypertension too.

This next weekend, I hope to finish the paneling in the greenhouse, and perhaps finish at least two Media GBs
While we were in Santa Fe we bought another ten bags of red lave rock, hauling them home in my wife's little VW Jetta TDI. "Make every trip pay," my brother always told me. The pieces of lava are bigger than I've see others use. The guy at the HomeDepot said, "you can break them." Maybe, I'll try it on a few bags. I just don't want to make any more dust out of the pieces. any one know of a effective technique for crushing red scoria?








We got a lot done in our garden as well yesterday. I moved a bunch of huge rocks out replacing those with railroad ties.



I know the arguments about treated wood in gardens, but I decided after pulling up one that has been in the garden for a number of years, seeing roots, bugs and mycelium growing on and in it, that those ties are past their toxic stage.

one last pic of the dirt garden



As usual, I've got multiple irons in the fire. I want to swap the top honey supers on our new beehives, so I've asked the advice of my good friend and top northern New Mexico bee-keeper Ken Garrison
Star G Honey Company
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Hi, Brian:

Heck, no! there's no reason not to disturb the bees at this time!
A beekeeper should see his bottom boards twice a year, minimum... once in Spring and again in Authum. I've been working through my colonies... inspecting brood nests... checking queens for good laying patterns...in some cases, removing queen cells and dividing colonies ("making splits") to prevent swarms issuing into the wild and possible oss of half the workforce... and in general doing the Spring beework.

Pick a nice sunny day with little or no wind and open 'em up!

First remove any honey supers on top of the two deeps and set them aside standing on their ends. Then I move the bottom deep to the top and the top deep to the bottom. The bees work upward during the winter and that places empty cells above the queen so they can progress upward the rest of the Spring and into the Summer.

After the deep supers have been shifted, check any medium honey supers which were on top during Winter and smoke and brush all the worker bees out. Remove any full frames of capped honey for extracting for human food or save in a well-protected, moth-proof cool place. Leave any unfinished frames in the honey super and leave one or two honey supers with good drawn comb or good foundation up on top for current blooms.

Have fun! And call or email if you need any advice...

All the Best!!
Ken

Ken Garrison
Star G Honey Company

fyi, the message from my buddy and beekeeper seems contradictory to the autohives doesn't it?

Greenhouse interior finally getting paneled!!!






Yes, I'm about as happy as I can be!
Now back to building grow beds. Oh yeah a friend has donated a large roll of fiberglass cloth so I'll be making some grow-beds Colum-style. I was worried about how I'd clean my beds with fragile pond cloth with lava rock as the media.

Getting closer every day...


Today I've got a couple friends coming to help, thank goodness for Jason and Matt. We'll work on smoothing out the sump tank with Fastwall stucco. I also want to do the floor with dry-set flagstone so I have a level place to set the aquarium. I've got to get gravel for the bottom of the wicking dirt beds, and probably some sand for under the flagstone. God I know it sounds like a lot, but with a little bit of luck, we'll get most of it done.
Also, pulled the trigger on two pumps this morning

Looking awesome Brian. Can't wait to see some water flowing.

Nice choice with your pumps. You'll be pleased.

With the lava rocks, are there any landscaping places around? They'd be massively cheaper than individual bags of the rocks.