[Carol]

Aloha everyone. Well I've spent the last two weekends sitting on my bum from 8am to 5 pm learning all about aquaponics and have thought of a design systems that dirt cheap and easy to build.

One can easily have a green tank of water if they want to breed fish... but the more interesting tank is the one that feeds the fish poop to the water beds where the vegetables are grown.

I've got all the plans for a commercial system but was really thinking of what would work for a simple family. These systems have to be designed so the air bubbler gets oxygen to the fish to keep them alive, but the commercial system can cost in electricity. We were looking at both solar and wind generator to cut down on th electrical bill, however solar is also expensive. I want something, cheap, low maintenance and exceptionally effective.

The commercial system is made out of plywood and fibreglass, then coated with latex paint on the outside.. I have to check on the inside. Basically it is like building a boat inside out for the fish tank. But we also came up with a way of using stakes, rebarb, hogwire fencing or another type of flexable fencing to set up for a circular tank where a roll of foam, felt of some type of insulator could be used on the outside of the tank and then cover in gardner's shade cloth because it holds up to UV radiation and then there would be the 100 milimeter liner inside with the netting to prevent the fish from putting holes in the liner.

The fish breed when the water is warmer.

The fish water is pumped out of the fish tank into the water beds which are 12 inches high and 30 feet long. The waterbeds are covered in 2 inch foam insulation with circular holes cut into them to hold the little 2 inch basket that holds the soil and two newly sprouted seeds. Using the fish water production time is cut in half for both fruits and vegetables. One can even grow sweet lettuce successfully, tomatoes, leeks above water where the root system is down beneath the float, onions, beans.. almost anything. So these systems really work. One just has to keep the Ph right for the fish. There is no fertilazation ever needed and the kicker is one can grow prawns under the floats as well. They get huge 8 - 12 inches. The fish we use is Talipia or catfish. We were thinking of doing an experiment of growing rice and Taro as well. One method would be to use organic cotton and place over a coat wire mesh roll directly over the water instead of the float rafts and see how that work. The fish tank has to be covered either with shade cloth or some type of roof to prevent algea buildup.. just as the waterbeds need to be covered with the rafts for the same reason.

What is exciting is how easily it is to grow one's own food and have it filled with nutrition. One is producing their own fish to eat, prawns, vegetables and fruit in a very small space. This system can also easily go into a green house in cold climate areas as well.

While I was away in the trainings my husband made a leg band for the young chicken that has been living in the bathroom since she was a hatchling so he can take her out for walks without fear she'll take off and get attacked by the older hens. So he comes home for lunch today and puts her little leg leash on and off they go outside for a walk. It is too funny.