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Aquaponics

  • 02-02-2012 3:14pm
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 76 ✭✭


    hi all,
    i am an ex fish keeper and have been keeping fish for many years, all be it i haven't had fish for a year or so, last year i grew a few different veg's and fruits in the garden and we have gotten an allotment for this year. i have been researching alot on the net the last while on different ideas for planting and growing. one thing that keeps coming up is aquaponics and i was wondering if anyone has given it a shot?
    Thanks
    Gareth


Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 4 c day


    hello,it seems a really new suject here , i recently started an on line course on it ,i find it very interesting i hope to build a system in may using 1000 litre IBC tanks.i believe it could be one of the furture forms of farming, here is some links and sites i usehttp:/
    /aquaponicscommunity.com/page/what-is-aquaponicshttp:/
    /www.aquaponics.net.au/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=15
    http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/
    also a book by slyvia bernstein, aquaponic gardening, available on amazon


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 870 ✭✭✭Jagle


    no different to hydroponics.
    which are lovely government outlawed no?


  • Registered Users Posts: 4 c day


    no different to hydroponics??


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 870 ✭✭✭Jagle


    from the point of view of growing plants without soil using water no?


  • Registered Users Posts: 76 ✭✭gardoyle27


    yeah but in terms of farming fish it is completley different, there is a lot more in making sure you are growing enough plants to dispose of the waste from the fish,

    i never new hydroponics was made illegal, must research that?? have you any idea as to why it was done?

    LOL someone better tell this guy
    http://hydroponics.ie


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  • Registered Users Posts: 76 ✭✭gardoyle27


    c day wrote: »
    hello,it seems a really new suject here , i recently started an on line course on it ,i find it very interesting i hope to build a system in may using 1000 litre IBC tanks.i believe it could be one of the furture forms of farming, here is some links and sites i usehttp:/
    /aquaponicscommunity.com/page/what-is-aquaponicshttp:/
    /www.aquaponics.net.au/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=15
    http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/
    also a book by slyvia bernstein, aquaponic gardening, available on amazon

    thanks for this, i understand the process the reason i ask is that i would love to see a running system for real rather than just watching some small vids or seeing pics, the idea has really caught my attention and was wondering what species of fish people running them in ireland people have chosen.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,407 ✭✭✭Cardinal Richelieu


    Jagle wrote: »
    no different to hydroponics.
    which are lovely government outlawed no?

    Why is hydroponics outlawed?


    Sits back with coffee and watches


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 870 ✭✭✭Jagle


    http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2010/en/act/pub/0022/index.html

    and look under point 4, sale of certain objects.

    now wheres my coffee


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,407 ✭✭✭Cardinal Richelieu


    Jagle wrote: »
    http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2010/en/act/pub/0022/index.html

    and look under point 4, sale of certain objects.

    now wheres my coffee

    Ok I looked up point 4 and quoted it below.
    4.— A person who sells any object knowing that it will be used to cultivate by hydroponic means any plant in contravention of section 17 of the Act of 1977 shall be guilty of an offence.

    Then we look up section 17 of the Misuse of Drugs Act mentioned above.
    7.—(1) A person shall not cultivate opium poppy or any plant of the genus Cannabis except under and in accordance with a licence issued in that behalf by the Minister.

    (2) Every person who cultivates opium poppy or a plant of the genus Cannabis in contravention of subsection (1) of this section shall be guilty of an offence.

    If you read the exclusion in the statue you quoted you will see food is excluded from the act you quoted.

    The NFT system is used by some salad growers in Ireland in one form or other
    today.

    So hydroponics is not outlawed in this country unless you want to run your own drug cartel and the sale of hydroponic equipment if its to be used for the production of illegal drugs is outlawed. Are you buying the coffee or going to grow it hydroponically?:D


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 870 ✭✭✭Jagle


    ah sorry misread it, well least thats cleared it up.

    haha no, takes years to grow coffee and one plant wouldnt get ya much i dont think. was gonna try it with peppers. saw this great video on youtube of hydroponic peppers in a guys backgarden


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  • Registered Users Posts: 76 ✭✭gardoyle27


    lol i was thinking it was weird for them to outlaw it altogether, but yeah it makes sense. so back to my orignal post, is anyone on here doing anything cool with an aquaponics set up? Either way, what species of fish would be considered good eating and not need bundles of space to get to good eating size, personally i was thinking trout but space would be a problem


  • Registered Users Posts: 9 neopn


    I came across some posts interested in Aquaponics and what started as an experiment has become an obsession. I got allot of great info and ideas from the http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/ website and i was looking for one to look at in Ireland and i found one in Headford near Galway also his brother works in Australia at backyardaquaonics small world eh!

    I will try to make a video of where i am today and explain how my system runs, its just for starting and i have plans to expand it if it holds up to my expectations this summer. If anyone is interested in looking at our system please feel free i'd be glad to share our experience as we have made some mistakes that could easily have been avoided.

    All i know is that the fruit, veg and fish are happy and as the temperature rises hopefully they will grow faster!


  • Registered Users Posts: 4 c day


    the ibc systems on http://backyardaquaponics.com are very impressive, a great resource,does his brother still have his system in galway,what type of system is yours? id love a video of your set up, hopefully it will take off here, im becoming an addict myself and hope to build a system asap.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,407 ✭✭✭Cardinal Richelieu


    neopn wrote: »
    I came across some posts interested in Aquaponics and what started as an experiment has become an obsession. I got allot of great info and ideas from the http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/ website and i was looking for one to look at in Ireland and i found one in Headford near Galway also his brother works in Australia at backyardaquaonics small world eh!

    I will try to make a video of where i am today and explain how my system runs, its just for starting and i have plans to expand it if it holds up to my expectations this summer. If anyone is interested in looking at our system please feel free i'd be glad to share our experience as we have made some mistakes that could easily have been avoided.

    All i know is that the fruit, veg and fish are happy and as the temperature rises hopefully they will grow faster!

    So what fish, veg and fruit are you growing at the moment? I take it from your comment above your using the system at the present.


  • Registered Users Posts: 9 neopn


    c day - I don't know if he still has his system in Headford as when i visited it was frozen solid! For this reason i decided to bury mine around 3 feet to try to avoid this and it is inside my polytunnel. I made a quick video yesterday with my iphone but the video is 1gb so I don't know the best way to upload this, maybe to youtube which I have an account with but never uploaded a video to it? I chose the IBC system because they are dirt cheap and have connections that can be made work for you and they are light when empty but very strong. I got my 1,000 liter IBC for €70 it wasn't the cheapest but it had some sort of orange juice stuff in it so it was easy to clean out and wasn't toxic even if it did stink!

    Cardinal Richelieu - I left the tank full of water with no fish for two weeks and I had to get something in there so I picked up 10 x goldfish of which 2 months later and I still have 7 whom are very happy. I put 15 - 20 small trout in there about two weeks ago and they are loving it. I had some strawberry plants from last year that were starting to show signs of green growth so I put them into the system I then went around and scavenged around 10 lettuce plants, some rocket, a few spring onions and in total around 8 strawberry plants. I was only planting what I had available so that it might filter some stuff out of the water. I did not expect everything not only to survive but to grow in February with what I thought was very little nutrients in the water. I am a bit behind on the sowing this year and have not sown a single seed yet. I have some kale outside and I was thinking of putting that into the aquaponic grow bed to fill it a bit.

    Can you upload photo's to boards.ie? Love to share what i have learnt so far and get some feedback. You learn something new everyday with this its great. The only problem i have with the system is you go out and start to feed the fish and 30 minutes later your still looking at the fish! :)

    If this system performs anywhere near like what i think it will over the summer i will be redesigning and expanding BIG TIME!


  • Registered Users Posts: 9 neopn


    Eventually the video uploaded to you tube here is the url:
    http://youtu.be/FuUwgJfVVDc
    Hope it works! It just a general look at the system as to go into every detail would take a long long time but if there's anything you want more info on please ask or if you want another video of something in detail.
    Thanks again for the interest its enjoyable to help others in whatever way i can.


  • Registered Users Posts: 9 neopn


    Hi, also uploaded a video of the bell siphon kicking into action for anyone who may be interested.
    http://youtu.be/2LaK4X1RC-g

    Also I'm uploading some pictures to my Facebook page sorry i uploaded all that i could find of the building of the system. If i find any more I'll add them in. If anyone is interested in seeing the system please feel free to contact me and I'll give you my address. If you do a search for me in Facebook Paul Nestor
    http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=366758170008929&set=a.366757106675702.88650.100000242472869&type=3&theater

    Have a great weekend!


  • Registered Users Posts: 1 dubflaps




  • Registered Users Posts: 72 ✭✭deegs2


    Jagle wrote: »
    http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2010/en/act/pub/0022/index.html

    and look under point 4, sale of certain objects.

    now wheres my coffee
    4.— A person who sells any object knowing that it will be used to cultivate by hydroponic means any plant in contravention of section 17 of the Act of 1977 shall be guilty of an offence.

    WTF...?? which brown envelop taking politician came up with this one.....


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