AquaponicsGold-byColleandPhyllisDavis

InventorsofPortableFarms®AquaponicsSystems(utilitypatentapplicationfiledDecember24,2013)

TheinventorsofPortableFarms®AquaponicsSystemsarerevealingmanyoftheirTRADESECRETSforgrowingdeliciousfoodinaquaponicssystemsfortheveryfirsttime.Takeadvantageofour43yearsofrefiningourownandourcustomer’saquaponicssystemsandlearnfrom

ALLofourmistakessoyouwon’thavetomakethesameones.

Learnhowtocareforyourfishandthenharvestandenjoythefreshfishfromyouraquaponicssystem.

Letusshowyouhowtogrowhealthy,pesticidefreetablevegetablesforyourfamily.

GrowTablesUnplantedGrowTablesPlanted–40dayslater

PortableFarms®AquaponicsSystems–3ModulesinPFASLLC’sResearchand

DevelopmentCenterinSanDiego,CaliforniaUSA

FirstEditionofthisbook,AquaponicsGold

PublishedFebruary2015asanebookbyColleandPhyllisDavis.

TherightofColleandPhyllisDavis,tobeidentifiedastheAuthorsoftheWorkhasbeenassertedbytheminaccordancewiththeCopyright,DesignsandPatentsAct1988.

©Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeanswithoutthepriorwrittenpermissionofColleorPhyllisDavis,norbeotherwisecirculatedinanyform,printedorinanyformofonlinepublishing,orcoverotherthanthatinwhichitispublishedandwithoutasimilar

conditionbeingimposedonthesubsequentpurchaser.

ISBN:978-0-9962055-0-4

WrittenbyColleDavisandPhyllisDavishttp://portablefarms.com

PFASLLC–BasedintheStateofFlorida,USA,PublishedbyConcepttoLicensingLLC

AboutUsColleandPhyllisDavisandtheirutilitypatent-pendinginvention,

PortableFarms®AquaponicsSystems

YearlyProductionfromPortableFarms®AquaponicsSystemsA100′x100′(30mx30m)unitproduces80,000vegetablesand23,000

pounds(10,400kg)offish

A24′x46′(7.3mx14m)unitproduces8,600vegetablesand1,156pounds(2,550kg)offish

A10′x20(3mx6m)unitproduces1,100vegetablesand400pounds(180kg)offish

DrawingofaPortableFarms®AquaponicsSystem–5’x40’GrowTable

Wehaveworkedineveryaspectofaquaponicsfrombuildingandconstructingbackyardgreenhouses,installingcommercialaquaponicsfarmstoworkingcloselywithourglobalcustomerstoadvisethemhowtogrowhealthyfishandawiderangeoftablevegetables.

Itisasadtruththatwehaveinadvertentlykilledtoomanyplantsandfishovertheyearsandasaresultofthesetragedies,wehavelearnedfromourmistakes.Thisbookoffersthesolutionswehavelearnedforavoidingcommonmistakesthatareoftenmadewhenworkingwithaquaponicssystems,soyoucanenjoygrowingfoodforyourfamilybeginningonthefirstdayyoucompletetheinstallationofyourworkingaquaponicssystem.

PhyllisDavis,harvestingbokchoy.Averageweightofeachplantis12lbs.

AstheinventorsofPortableFarms®AquaponicsSystems,wehaveworkeddiligentlyinourAquaponicsResearchandDevelopmentCentersinbothCaliforniaandFloridatoexperimentwithfishvarietiesandfishcareandseedselectionsandplantingexperimentsforgrowingvegetableswithsimpletechniquesformaximumproductioninaquaponicssystems.Wehavealsoworkedcloselywithourglobalcustomerstohelpthemdetermineseedvarietiesthatareeffectiveinaquaponicssystemsfortheirregionandmarket.

Asoftoday,PortableFarms®AquaponicsSystemshavebeensoldinalmostall50USStates,in10CanadianProvincesandin11countriesoutsidetheUS.Ourcustomershaveinstalledsmallaquaponicssystemsintheirgaragesandbasementsandinsmallgreenhousesintheirbackyard.Theyhavealsocreatedcommunityfarmsingreenhousestofeedseveralfamiliesaswellaslarge¼acrecommercialaquaponicsfarmsforsellingfoodlocallytocustomerswhowanttobuythehealthiest,pesticidefoodavailable.

ToviewtheinteriorofaPortableFarms®AquaponicsSystemina2minuteYouTubeVideo,CLICKHERE.ToviewPhyllisDavis’presentationofPortableFarms®AquaponicsSystemsataninventor’scontestinSouthernCalifornia(shewasawarded2ndplace)inan8minuteYouTubeVideo:CLICKHERE.ThisbookdoesnotprovideinstructionsforbuildingaPortableFarms®AquaponicsSystem.However,ifyourgoalistobuildyourownPortableFarm,pleasevisitAquaponicsUniversitytoviewthecurriculumforthecoursework.Thepurposeofthisbookistofillinthegapbetweentheburgeoningvarietiesoftechnologyavailabletodayforaquaponicsandallthevariousgrowingtechniques.Itisourpleasuretooffermanyofourowntime-testedandeffectivetechniquesforraisinghealthyfishandplantsinaquaponics.ReadtheHistoryofPortableFarms®AquaponicsSystems.

Thisbookisdedicatedtoourglobalfriendsandcustomerswhohavegrownalongwithus.OurpersistencehasbeenpossiblebecauseofthegenerosityandsupportwehavereceivedfromLaneMcClelland,LaurieRoberts,PhilEstes,RichardConnor,EdgarSanchez,GeorgeSpoerri,DebraShetka-AttorneyatLaw,andmanyothersalongtheway.

PresentedbyLeadInventor,ColleDavis,ManagingPartner,CEO,PFASLLC

Presentedby,Co-Inventor,PhyllisDavis,ManagingPartner,President,PFASLLC

TableofContentsAboutUs

Introduction

ChapterOne

ChapterTwo

ChapterThree

Chapter4

Chapter5

Chapter6

Chapter7

Chapter8

Chapter9

Introduction

ColleDavisholdingthreelargeIndiaMustardGreensgrownwithaquaponics.

Thisbookpresentsthesolutionstoproblemsthatwehavefacedwhileworkinginthefieldofmedium-basedaquaponics(gravelorsubstratebasedsystems)overmanydecadesworkingwithourcustomersfromallovertheworld.

Youwillfindimportantinformationinthisbookthatisoccasionallyrepeatedforabetterunderstandingofthematerialsinvariouscontexts.Thereisalottolearnaboutgrowingfishandplantsinaclosedloopaquaponicssystemandsomeofthisinformationisnotintuitivesinceaquaponicsdoesnotusesoilasthegrowingmediumforraisingplants.

Asvariousdesignsforaquaponicssystemscontinuetogrowinpopularity,moreandmoreattentionisbeingdevotedtovariousmethodsforraisinghealthyfishandvegetables.Thisbookoffersmanysuggestionstothoseinterestedingrowingfoodintheirownaquaponicssystems.

TheFutureofAquaponicsAquaponicsistrendingandtoday,evencityplannersarefocusingonfundingforbothhydroponicsandaquaponicssystemstocreatehigherdegreesoffoodsecurityinlargecitiestofeedtheirgrowingurbanpopulations.Theirplansincludetheuseofvacantlotsfortheinstallationofattractivegreenhousesandretrofittingemptywarehousesforgrowingfoodyearroundwiththeadditionofgrowlights.

Thefutureoffoodproductioninurbanareasinvolvesgrowingfoodincontrolled-environmentssuchasgreenhousesormodifiedwarehousessogrowersarenolongerdependentonweatherconditionsforgrowingfood(drought,highwinds,torrentialrains,snow,hail,extremeheatorcoldweather).Aquaponicsfarmsareabletogrowfoodyearroundandselllocallytoareadymarket.Plus,thereisnoneedtouseharshchemicalsorpesticidestoprotecttheirplantsinthecontrolledenvironment.

Aquaponicshasbecomeapassionformanypeople.Asaresult,therearemanydesignsforaquaponicssystemsavailableonlineas‘opensource’(free)informationforthoseinterestedinreplicatinganinventor’ssystemandinstallingtheirownaquaponicssystemsforgrowingfood.

Thepopulationoftheworldismovingtocities(wherethejobsare)andthereisanincreasingneedforfreshhealthyfoodgrownlocallyforurbandwellers.Aquaponicsis

thefutureforurbanagricultureaswellasareliablefoodproductionfacilityforremoteanddesertareasandareassusceptibletodesertification:

Thedayofthefamily-ownedfarmischangingaswespeakbecausetheaverageageofUSfarmersis59yearsold.

AsUrbanAgriculturebecomesakeytalkingpointforcityleaders,itisbecauseover50%oftheworld’spopulationcurrentlylivesincitiesandhealthyfoodisavitalnecessityforitsresidents.

Currently,thestatisticsaregrimforthetopicofUrbanAgriculturesinceonly5%oftheworld’sfoodiscurrentlygrownincities.

AccordingtoUNprojections,2/3oftheworld’spopulationwillbelivingincitiesby2030andUrbanAgriculturemustbecomeafocusforcurrentfundingtoinstallgrowingsystemsforitsresidents.

Ifgrowingandtransportingfoodbecomesanissueinalargeurbanarea,itwillcreatechaos(thinkNewYorkCityorLosAngeles).UrbanAgricultureisattheforefrontofdiscussionsforlargecitiestocreatefoodavailabilityforresidents.And,ascityplanningcommitteesconsideralternativeagriculturaltechnologies,bothhydroponicsandaquaponicsarehighontheirlistofsuggestionsforfundingconsiderationsinthecomingyears.“Fresh,LocallyGrownFood”isalsohighonthelistofchef’soptionsaswellasthosefamilieswhoenjoypreparinghealthymealsathome.

Aquaponicshasbeentrending(albeitslowly)foraboutdecade,butinlightofdroughtissuesintheSouthandSouthwesternUSaswellasinothercountriesdealingdroughtissues,extremelyharshwintersandissuesrelatedtoflooding,investorsandcityofficialsarelookingatnew‘technology’asawaytoaddtocommunitylevelsofsustainabilitybycreatingcommunityfarmsaswellasmicro-farmsforgrowinghealthyfood.Morefundingisnowavailabletoinvestors;accordingtoMicroEntrprise,“Directtocustomerneighborhoodmealssalesthroughcommunitysustainedfarming(CSA),farmersmarketsandfarmstandsimprovedfromabout$600millionto$1.2billionfrom1997to2007.USDAapproximatesthatfarm-levelworthoflocalmealssalesamountedtoconcerning$4.8billionin2008(1.7percentofearningsfromallfarmmanufacturing)andareexpectedtocontinuedouble-digitgrowthinto2015aswellaspast.”

Inthetwenty-firstcentury,theworldfacesanenvironmentalcrisis,issuesrelatedtoclimatechange(droughtandfloodingaswellasrecord-settingheatwaves)andanenergycrisis.Inaddition,manypartsoftheworldfaceseverefoodshortages.Twentiethcenturyagriculturaltechniqueshaveharmedtheenvironmentandconsumeaninordinateamountofenergyandwater.Manycountrieslackthelargeamountsofarablelandandwaterneededtosustaingrowinghumanpopulations.

Developednationsuselargeamountsofpesticidesandartificialfertilizerstogrowtheirgrains,fruits,andvegetables.Atthesametime,theyusehugeamountsofgasolineanddieselfueltopowertheirfarmmachinery,largeamountsofelectricitytoprocesstheir

food,andenormousamountsoffueltodelivertheprocessedfoodtogrocerystores.Theraisingoffarmanimals,particularlycattleandswine,isnotoriouslyinefficientintermsoftheamountoflandandenergyrequiredtoraisecornandotheranimalfeedforeachpoundofproteinproduced.

UNreportstellusthatin2012,forthe6thtimeinaneleven-yearspan,theworldwilleatmorefoodthanitproduces.With7billionpeopleintheworldnowandtheexpandingpopulationgrowthoftheprojected9.3billionin2050,theremustbeashifttowardsvegetarianismandtheoptionforfarm-raisedfishasaproteinsourceformany,andashiftawayfrommeatheavydiets,butthiswilltaketime.Growingcropstofeedcattle,pigs,lamborsheeptakeupmorelandandemitmoregreenhousegasesthanproducingcropsfordirecthumanconsumption.Inthe21stCentury,foodproductionaccountsforupto29percentofman-madegreenhousegasses;twicetheamounttheUnitedNationshasestimatedcomesfromtraditional‘dirt’methodsoffarming.

Manyareasoftheworld,suchasCalifornia,requireelaborateandexpensiveaqueductsandirrigationsystemstodeliverpotablewatertofarmingregions.Atremendousamountoffreshwaterevaporatesorisotherwisewastedwithconventionalfarmingmethods.Thirdworldcountriesoftenlackthefinancialresources,arablelandandtechnologytoproducesufficientfood,andinparticularenoughproteinto

maintainthehealthoftheirhumanpopulations.

Therearealsohealthconcernsraisedbyhumansconsumingpesticideresiduesonfruitsandvegetablesandhormonesinchicken,porkandbeef.Wildbirdsandanimalsareadverselyaffectedbypesticideandfertilizer.Localwaters(ponds,rivers,andstreams)arealsopollutedbytherunofffromthepesticidesandfertilizersusedforlocalgrowing.

Therefore,thereisaneedtopromoteanew“green”methodoffarmingaroundtheworldfor‘locallygrownfood’inanyregiontoproducehealthierfoodthatrequiresfarlesslandandwater,andatthesametime,isenvironmentallyfriendly:

•Eliminatestheneedoruseofartificialchemicals

•Providessustainabilityforpeoplelocally

•Substantiallyreducesenergyconsumptionforplanting,harvestingandshippingfood,andgreenhousegasemissions.

•Also,providesjobsforlocalpeoplestrengtheningthelocaleconomy.

PhyllisDavisharvestingtwolargesheadofBokChoygrowninaquaponics.

WhatISAquaponics?So,letusbeginwithasimpledefinitionofaquaponics:

Aquaponicsisthegrowingoffish,orotherwater-basedanimals,alongwithlandplantsinacontrolledenvironment,tomaximizetheuseoftheenergyand

nutrientsinthesysteminordertoharvestthegreatestamountofvegetablesandfishproteinfromthesystem.

Thewordaquaponicscomesfromwordsaquaculture,whichisthecultivationoffishorotherwater-basedanimals,andthewordhydroponics,whereplantsaregrowninasterilemediumorcompletelyinwater.

Bycombiningthefish,waterandplants,aquaponicsuseanintegratedenvironmenttoproducevegetablesandfishinverysmallspace,withverylittlewater.

AquaponicshasitsrootsinancientChinaandpartsoftheaquaponicssystemweredevelopedinotherareasoftheworldwherehighconcentrationsofpeoplelivedwhowereobservantoftherelationshipsthat

existednaturallyintheirenvironment.

InChina,farmersknewthatlandlivestockwastecouldbeaddedtotheirfieldsorpondstoincreaseproductionofvegetablesandfruitbearingplants.Theyalsonoticedthatdifferentfishhaddifferenttolerancestothelevelofland-animalwasteintheirwater.Forexampletoomuchpigorchickenwastecausedmanyfishtodie(themodernexplanation

forthisislackofoxygen)sotheywerecarefulaboutbalancingtheirsystemformaximumyieldandminimumfishloss.

TheseChinesefarmerswereabletorefinetheirsystemssotheycouldgrowchickensinpensabovepigs,(withthewastedroppingthroughalongwithanyspilledfood)whowereinapenoverapondwithcarpinit,andthenthewaterflowedtoanotherpondwithotherlesstolerantfishsuchascatfish,andperhapsotheraquaticanimalsandcertainlyotherwaterplantsweregrownandharvested.Thesesystemsweresocalledflow-throughsystems,meaningthatwaterwasusedoncethroughtheponds,andthenreleasedtothelocalpaddies,streams,lakesorocean.Thesludgefromthebottomofthepondswasusedonthefieldsandsomeofthewaterwasusedinthepaddiesforfertilizerbeforeitwasreleased.

Aquaponicshasbeenexploredforseveraldecadesasapossiblesolutiontotheforegoingenvironmental,energyandfoodshortageproblems.Inaquaponics,fishandplantsaregrowntogetherinanintegratedclosedloopre-circulatingsystemwithaverylowrateofwaterusageorwaterlossduetoevaporation.Thefishwaste(effluent)producedbythefishisdeliveredfromthefishtanktoasettlingtanktoremovetheheavy‘waste’andthensenttotheGrowTablestoprovideafoodsourceforgrowingplantsinthegravelandtheplantsprovideanaturalfilter

forthewaterthatkeepsthefishhealthy.Thissymbioticrelationshipbetweenthefishandthegrowingplantsisthegoalofaquaponicsbycreatingasustainableecosysteminwhichbothfishandplantscanthriveandasaresult,producessafe,freshproteinandhealthyvegetables.

Aquaponicsissimple,elegantandrequiresverylittleenergytoproducehighquantitiesoflocallygrownvegetablesandhealthyfish.

Itisourpleasuretoshareourstrategiestoyouregardingaquaponics.

ChapterOne

AnOverviewofAquaponics

A6’x16’GrowTable–PortableFarms®AquaponicsSystem–growinggreenssuchaskale,Swisschardandbasil

Thereisagrowingmovementacrosstheworldtosecureandeatorganicoratleastlocally-grownfoodstoincreaselocaleconomiesandreducethecarbonfootprint.Thismovementhasbecomesopowerfulandwidespreadthatnearlyeverymajorsupermarketintheworldofferstheircustomerslocallygrownfood.Thismovementhasalsopushedseedsalestonewheightsaspeopleplantsoilgardensorinstallhydroponicsoraquaponicssystemstogrowhealthyvegetablesfortheirfamiliessotheycancontrolthequalityofthefoodtheyeat.

Aquaponicsisacutting-edgeandwatersavingtechnologytoincreaseafamily’slevelofsustainabilityandhealthandbyinstallingtheiraquaponicssysteminagreenhouse,familiescanextendtheirgrowingseasonyearroundandhavecompletecontrolofwhatfoodstheygrowandwhattheyarefeedingtheirfamily.

Question:

“HowisitpossiblethataquaponicscangrowsuchDELICIOUSandnutrientrichfoodyearround?”

Answers:

Insunlight,plantsusephotosynthesistoturnCO2andwaterintooxygenandsugar.

Inthedark,plantsswitchtothesamesystemanimalsusetostayalive,thebuildingandrepairoftheorganismitself.Addedtothisphenomenaofgrowth,isthefactthatasthetemperatureincreases,chemicalactivityspeedsup.

Theclosertothe‘ideal’temperatureinagreenhouse,thebetterthechancethereis

fortheplantstogrowtomaturity.Theidealtemperatureforplantgrowthis,interestingly,73°Fattheleafsurfaceoraboutthesametemperatureashumansenjoy.

Inaclimaticallyadaptedgreenhouse,temperaturescanbecarefullyregulatedsotheminimumandmaximumtemperaturesareadjustedsotheplantscancomfortablytolerateheatandcoldtherebycreatingthebestpossibleconditionsforgrowth.

Idealgrowingconditionsareprovidedinagreenhouseandinanaquaponicssystemformaximumcropproductions:

Allofthefood(nutrients)fortheplantsarrivesbeforetheplantsneeditorwantit.

Thewaterisalwaysavailableandisrefreshedacoupleoftimesaday

Thelightlevelsarealwaysperfectinthestructure

Theaircirculatesinagentlefashiontohelpwithpollinationandtohelpavoiddampnessinthestructure

Thetemperatureispleasantandvariesabitsoasnottobemonotonous

Therearenobugsorweedsorpoisonsorharshchemicalsusedtocontendwith,ever.

Asaresultofanidealenvironment:

Theplantsgrowfasterthantheseedpacketssaytheywill

Foodgrowninanaquaponicssystemismuchhealthierthan‘regularly’grownplants,andasaresult,theyarehealthierforyou,theyTASTEBETTERandarehigherinnutrition.

Thefoodinanaquaponicssystemisgrownwithoutanychemicals.Thinkaboutit;ifchemicalswereused,theywouldkillthefish.

Theplantsmatureinlesstimeandrequire90to95%lesswaterthantheirdirt-grownfriends

Theplantsstaycleananddryatalltimes

Theplantsareharvestedwhentheyareattheirpeakofripenessandmaturationwhichmeanstheirflavorandnutritionalcontentarealwaysatoptimallevels

Theyaresimplythebestvegetablesontheplanet.

Let’sbeginwithafewtruismsaboutraisingfishandhealthyvegetablesinaquaponicssoyoucanbegintounderstandtheprocessfor‘lettingnaturetakeitscourse.’Afterall,wearegrowingfoodnaturallybyofferingboththefishandvegetablescompatibleenvironmentsandidealgrowingconditionssotheywillthriveinaquaponics.

Aquaponicsrequiresnoharshchemicals,fertilizersorinsecticidesinthegrowingofthefood.

Aproperlyinstalledaquaponicssystembeginstoprovidehealthyproduceapproximatelyfortydaysafterinstallation.

Tilapia-Oreochromismossambicus

Anaquaponicssystemusingtilapiaprovidesaproteinsource(fish)withinseventoninemonthsafterthesystemisoperational.Atthattime,theyaregenerally11”longandweigh1.25pounds.

Aquaponicssystemsuseaminimalamountofpotablewaterforfoodproduction(theaveragewaterrequirementisreducedby90to95%comparedwithconventional‘dirt’farming).

Aquaponicsiscapableofprovidingfreshlocallygrownfoodandfoodsecurityforfamilies,groups,andcities.

Awelldesignedandproperlybuiltaquaponicssystemcanbeassembledandoperatedasacarbonnegativeinstallation.

Toprotectthevegetablesfrominsects,birdsandrodents,itisbesttoinstallanaquaponicssysteminaclimaticallyadaptedstructuresuchasagreenhouse,enclosedgarageorbasement(althoughtotally-enclosedstructuresmustrelytotallyongrowlightssincethereisnonaturalsunlight).

Werecommendyourgreenhouselocationbepositionedinalocationwithsixhoursofdirectsunlightavailable.

PhyllisDavisholdingone22-poundheadofBokChoygrowninaquaponics.

Inawell-designedaquaponicssystemwithcrushedgravelasthemediumbase,aGrowTablespaceof25to30sq.ft.willfeedoneadulttheirtablevegetablesyearround–FOREVER.

Usethenumberofpeopleyouwanttofeedtimes(x)the25sq.ft.requiredforeachpersonandtheresultingfigurewillbethesizeofGrowTablespaceyouwillneed.That’seasy.

IntheUS,checkwithyourStateAuthoritieswiththeFishandWildlifeDepartmentandfindoutiftilapiaislegalinyourstate.TilapiaarethefishofpreferenceinALLaquaponicssystemsintheNorthernHemisphere.Theyareafreshwater/warmwaterfishandtheyareveryhealthy.

Positionyourfarmclosetoanavailablesourceoffreshwater.Thiscanbeassimpleasagardenhoseorawaterlineburiedundergroundtokeepitfromfreezing.Thereisverylittleevaporationinsidethegreenhousebecausethewaterisnotexposedtotheairverymuch,buttheplantstranspireandliterallypumpwaterintotheairtobringnutrientuptouse.Inhotweather,theplantsinaGrowTableof100sq.feetcan‘drink’upto10gallonsofwaterperday.

Electricityalsoneedstobeavailableinsidethestructure.Thiscanbeassimpleasrunninganextensioncordfromthehouseorgaragetothegreenhouse.Westronglysuggestthatitbeeitherburiedorrunthroughconduitundergroundoratleast8ft.ormoreabovethegroundtopreventaccidentswithcuttingorrunningoverthewire.Thebestsolutionistorunthewireinsideconduitandplaceitunderground.Ifyouhaveafriendwhoisanelectrician,havethemputintheelectricalsystemforyouandincludethreeoutletsforthecontrolcenter,airpumps,exhaustfanandcirculatingfanandlightingandthenwhenyouhaveaharvest,offerthemfreshvegetablesinexchangefortheirservices.Solarisanevenbettersolution.Whenyou’redealingwithlivingaquaticanimals,theyrequiredailycare,attentionandyes,evenaffectiontoremainhealthyandgrowtotheirfullsize.Ifyourfishare‘stressed’foranyreason,theywon’teat…andiftheydon’teat,they

don’tpoop…andiftheydon’tpoop,yourplantswillnotbehealthy.So,ifyou’regoingtobegoneforlongerthanadayorso,askafriendorneighbor(thatyoutrust)thatwillfeedyourfish.

15operationalaquaponicstasksincludethefollowing(manyofthesetaskswillbediscussedindepthinvariouschaptersinthisbook):

1.Maintainadequatelevelsofwaterinthefishtankatalltimes.

2.Feedyourfishahighproteinfishfeedeachday(singingtoyourfishisoptionalbuttheydoenjoyhumancontactandtheydoenjoythesoundoftalkingandsinging).

3.Alwaysweardisposablegloveswhenpreformingtasksinyouraquaponicssystem.

4.KeepthepHbalancedintheFishTankandclarifier/settlingtankunder7.2pH.

5.StocktheappropriatenumberoffishinthefishtankthatisinbalancewiththeareaoftheGrowTable.

6.24/7aerationprovidedforthefishatalltimes(bubbles).

7.Carefullycontrolthewatertemperaturerangethatisproperlymaintainedwithinaverynarrowrangeinthewaterinthefishtank–78degreesto80degreesF.

8.Monitorthemovementofadequatewaterflowthroughoutthesystemthatisdeliveredtotheplantsatvarioustimeseachday.

9.Consistentlyplantseedsintostartermediumuntiltheseedsbecomeseedlingsaftera1or2weeks.ThentheseedlingsaremovedintotheGrowTabletogrowintohealthyplants.

ThentendtotheplantsintheGrowTableduringtheirgrowthperiod.

Andharvesttheplantswhentheyareattheirpeakofperfection.

Then,onthedaythematureplantsintheGrowTablehavebeenharvested(canbetrickyandtakespracticetoplanahead),plantnewseedlingstoreplacethoseplants.

10.Harvestplantswhenthedesiredstateofripeness/maturityhasbeenreached.

AtomatowithTobaccoMosaicVirus.Theyrotbeforetheyripen.11.MakesurethatNOONEisallowedinsidethebuildingthatsmokes(toavoidthedreadedTobaccoMosaicVirus)orhasdirtontheirbody,shoesorclothes

12.Performroutinemaintenanceonallmechanicalorelectricalcomponentsonschedule

13.Cleanallsurfacesinthebuildingtokeepthefloors,surfacesandworkingareascleananddustfree.Werecommenddilutedvinegarwaterforcleaningsurfaces.

14.Occasionallyrinseoffoftheoutsideofthebuildingifnorainhasoccurredinthelast60days.

15.Carefullyremoveanydeadordiseasedplantsassoontheyarenoticed.

ChapterTwo

HereisaListof17OurTRADESECRETS

ThisisashortlistofTradeSecretsthatarekeytothesuccessofgrowingfoodinPortableFarms®AquaponicsSystems.ThislistofTradeSecretsisdiscussedingreaterdepthinsubsequentchaptersofthisbook.

TRADESECRET#1

Thecarryingcapacityforfishinanaquaponicssystemisbasedonanabsolutemaximumof1fishpergallonofwater(1fishper3.6liters),limitedbythetwicethenumberofsquarefeetofGrowTableandthisisbasedontheweightofthefishatthetimeofharvest.WerecommendnotstockingtheFishTanktoitscapacityuntilyoulearnhowtoefficientlyoperateyouraquaponicssystem.

Beverycarefulwhenapplyingthisratio.Forbestresults,itismuchbettertoerronthelowsideoffishstockingwhencalculatingthenumberoffishrequiredinsteadofpushingthesystemhardwithmorefish.Onceyouhaveabetterunderstandingofhowtodealwiththehighernutrientloadsproducedbytheexcessfishandfishwasteinthesystem,thenyoucanexperimentwithhigherfishloading.Forexample,ifyouhavea100gallonFishTank,considerstartingwithonly50tilapiainyourFishTank.

TRADESECRET#2:

Tocalculatetheaquaponicssystems’fishcapacityforbuildingyoursystem,startbysizingtheGrowTabletobebuiltandthenmultiplythewidth(usually5to6feet)bythelength(from5or6feetto40feetorevenslightlylonger)tofindouthowmanysquarefeetofgrowspaceyouhaveintheGrowTable.

TRADESECRET#3:

TosizetheFishTankcorrectly,multiplythenumberofsquarefeetintheGrowTable

timestwotocalculatethenumberofgallonsneededfortheFishTanksize.ThenumberoffishthesystemcansupportisalsobasedonthenumberofsquarefeetofGrowTablespacetimestwo,butthisformulaisappliedmorecritically.EventhoughtheloadingrateforfishappearstobethesameastheFishTanksizingitisNOT.

TRADESECRET#4:

NomatterhowlargeyourFishTankis,aslongasitholdsatleasttwicethenumbergallonsastherearesquarefeetoftheGrowTableitwillbetherightsize.

TRADESECRET#5:

ThenumberonecauseforstressedorsicklyfishorfishproblemsisOVERFEEDINGYOURFISH.Onlyfeedyourfishwhattheywilleatin15seconds.ItisfarbettertoUNDERFEEDyourfishthanitistoOVERFEEDYOURFISH.Byfeedingyourfishatypeoffeedthatfloats,youcanmonitortheirfeedinghabits.

TRADESECRET#6:

Wefeedourfishahigh-protein‘catfishchow’thatincludessoy-mealasamainingredientfromlocalFeedandGrainStorestofeedtoourtilapia.Itgenerallycomesinlarge50poundbags.However,forasmallaquaponicssystem,youwillnotneedmuchfoodforyourfishandyoumightwanttoconsiderasmallbagoffishchowbyPurina,GameFishChow(32%protein)orAquaMaxbyPurinaMills(32%to41%protein).Bothareexcellentfishfeedavailableatmostpetstoresandyouwillraisehealthy,happytilapia.

TRADESECRET#7:

Onlyfeedthefishduringthedaylighthours.

TRADESECRET#8:

WerecommendplasticfoodgradewatertroughsforFishTanks.Callaroundtolocalfeedsupplystoresandhardwarestoresinyourareatofindplasticfood-gradewater-troughtanks(notgalvanizedtanksunlessyoupaintthemwithepoxypaint–thezincistoxictobothplantsandfish,plustheyareknowntoleak).Ifyouareverykind(itneverhurtstosmileandbeg)totheclerksinthefeedstores,they’llorderyouatanktobedeliveredtotheirstoresoyoucanpickitupthere.Theyhaverelationshipswithtankvendorsandcataloguestoorderfromthosevendors.

Ifyoucan’tfindwhatyou’relookingfor,shoponline.Here’sagoodlink:http://www.tank-depot.com/productdetails.aspx?part=HCP-AQ-100TRADESECTRETS#9:

ItisvitalyoukeepyourGrowTablefullofseedlingsandplantsatalltimesbecausetheplantsstripthenutrientsfromthefishwastebeforethewaterflowsbackintotheFishTankstokeepthefishhealthy.IfyoufailtokeepyourGrowTableplantedtoitsmaximum,yourfishwillsufferbecausetheplantsarenotstrippingthenutrientsfromthewater.Ontheoppositeendofthespectrum,ifyoukeepyourGrowTablefullof

seedlingsandplantsanddonothavefishinyourFishTanks,yourplantswillsufferfromthelackofthenitrogenprovidedbythenutrientstream(thepoop).

TRADESECRET#10:

Temperaturevariancesbetweenfishandplants:

Thetemperaturenecessarytomaintaingrowthandhealthfortheplantsandthefishisslightlydifferent.

Thefishpreferawarmwatertemperaturebetween78and85degreesF,whiletheplantsprefer72to73degreesF.

AquaponicsSystemsworkmosteffectivelywheninstalledinsideagreenhousestructureformaintainingtemperatureandprotectionfrombugs,birdsandpredators.

Thetolerancelevelsforthefishandvegetablesinanaquaponicssystemarealsoslightlydifferent:

Thefishcanbekeptintanksaswarmas92degreesF,yettheycansurvivewatertemperaturesaslowasthelow50’sF.Theystopeatingwhencold.WerecommendusingaquariumheatersintheFishTanksandinsulatingtheFishTanksandclarifiers/settlingtanksincoldclimates.

Theplantscanstandhighertemperatures(104degreesF),andtheysimplystopgrowingataround50degreesF.Ifairtemperaturesremainbelow60degreesF,blossomswilldropand/orthevegetablewillnotmaturetoharvest.

Suddenchangesintemperaturesarenotwelcomedbyeitherthefishortheplants.

TRADESECRET#11:

Ourmotto:ABPwhichstandsforAlwaysBePlanting!AquaponicssystemsareincrediblyproductivesomakesureyouarealreadyplantingseedsingrowingmediumtosproutintoseedlingsbeforethefoodinyourGrowTableisreadytoharvest(generally10daysto2weekspriortoharvesting.)RememberthenecessarybalanceoffishtoplantratioexplainedinTradeSecret#9.

TRADESECRET#12:

BecauseeveryinchofthespaceintheGrowTableisSOVALUEABLE,werecommendtheinstallationofasimpletrellisabovetheGrowTablesoyourplants(especiallybloomingplantsliketomatoes,beansandcucumbers)willgrowskywardandnotcrowdyourGrowTablewithvinesandleaves.Werecommendusing2”orlargerplasticcoatedchickenwire.Therearemanychoicesforchickenwirerangingfromplastic,wireorPVCcoated.Yourchoiceisuptoyou–justmakesureitishas2”openingssoyourplantsreceiveenoughsunandair.Iftheholesaresmaller,you’llhaveproblemswithplantsunabletogrowthroughsmallerholes.Hereisalinktoourwebsiteforphotosanddirectionsforinstallingasimpletrellis.

TRADESECRET#13:

GrowLightsareoptionalforuseinanaquaponicssystembutthedaysaresignificantly

shorterfromNovembertoMarch(NorthernHemisphere)asifyouwanttoreceivethefullbenefitofyoursystem’smaximumproductionduringwintermonthsthentheinstallationof4hoursofT-8GrowLightswillprovideyouamajor‘bump’inyourproduction(onelightfixtureoffourT-8bulbsper25sq.ft.ofgrowspace).Addthisextragrowtimetothelatesunlighthours(sunset)whenthegravelisthewarmestandtheplantscanderivethemostbenefitfromtheextralight.GrowLightsarealsomandatoryifyoursystemreceiveslessthansixhoursof‘direct’sunlight,orifitisindoors(warehouse)andreceivesnosunlight.Werecommendaminimumof10hoursandmaximumof18hoursofGrowLightsforindoorgrowing(plantsandfishneedssleeptoo).

Werepeat:Despiteinstallinggrowlightsinwintermonths,iftheairtemperatureinsideagreenhousestructureregularlydropsbelow60degreesF,mostbloomingplants(tomatoes,cucumbers,etc.)willnotproduceabundantbloomsthatcreatefruit/vegetables.

TRADESECRET#14:

Inmanypartsoftheworld,theresimplyisnotenoughyear-roundsunlighttomeetthelong-daylightrequirementsthatcertaincropsrequire.Ingreenhouses,wheresunlightistheonlyformoflight,thegardenerdetermineswhatcanbegrownby:

•CropType:Somecropsrequirehigherlevelsofdailylightlevelsthanothers.ThisisknownastheplantsDailyLightIntegralorDLIandismeasuredinMolesperDay.

•TimeofYear:Thehoursofavailablesunlightorphotoperiod,havingbeenreducedinwintermonths,maynotprovideadequateDLIthathadbeenatsufficientduringsummermonths.

•Region:Therearewellestablishedchartsthatshowhowmuchsunlightisavailablebasedonregionandtimeofyear.Whenchoosingcroptypesforyouraquaponicssystem,itisimportanttodetermineifadequatesunlightlevelsareavailableinyourareaforthedesiredcropsyouwishtogrowanddecideatwhattimesoftheyearthoselevelsareavailable.

Ifyear-roundcropproductionisdesiredinareaswhereadequatesunlightlevelsarenotavailabletomeettheseneeds,thensupplementallightingsystemsallowthegrowertomeetthecropsDLIandareanecessaryadditiontotheaquaponicssystem.

TRADESECRET#15:

Besuretoinstallshadecloth(70%-allowingin70%ofsunlightisaveragestrength)abovetheGrowTables.Somepeopleinstalltheirsunshadeonwiressoitcanbemovedovertheentiregrowingareaallowingthesmallplantstobeprotectedandthenthelargerplantsareabletoreceivefullsunlightwhentheyarelargeenoughtocovermostofthegravel.It’suptoyou.Placingtheshadeclothonwiresallowsmuchmoreflexibilityandishighlyrecommended.

TRADESECRET#16:

Ifyourfarmwaterislowinnitrates,youcanalsoadjustthefeedingofyourfishtoadjustwaterqualityinyourfarm.Ifyoursystemislowinnitrates,feedyourfishMOREfoodtobalancethesystem.Ifthereistoomuchammonia,decreasethefeed.

TRADESECRET#17:

FISHPOOPISNOTENOUGHforgrowinghealthybloomingplants.FFMineralRockDustprovidesaquaponicsgrowerstheperfectbalanceofmanytraceelementsnotconsistentlyavailablefromjustplainordinarynitrogen-richfishpoop.

Nowyoucanconsistentlygrowbloomingplants(yearround)withtheadditionofFFMineralRockDustbecauseyourplantswillreceive57nutrient-richelementsalongwiththefreshavailablenutrientsinyourfishpooptogrowhealthyplants.Nowyourplantswillreceiveadequatelevelsofcalcium,iron,magnesiumandpotassiumwhicharejustfourofthevitalelementsnecessarytoproducehealthygreenplantsforgrowingfood.

ChapterThree

GrowingHealthyVegetablesinAquaponics

Kohlrabiinaquaponics

Aquaponicsiscapableofgrowingmostgreens(lettuces,bokchoy,basil,Swisschard,kaleandotherherbs,etc.)andmanybloomingplantssuchastomatoes,cucumbersandbeans.

AquaponicssystemsthatusecrushedgravelintheirGrowTableasthesubstratearenotdesignedtoproducestarchesorgrowrootvegetablessuchaspotatoes,onions,carrots,beets,radishes,etc.(believeme,we’vetriedadozentimes).However,wehavehadsomeluckwithgrowingkohlrabi(photoabove)whichcreatesalargeediblebulbabovethegravel’ssurface.

FFMineralRockDust

FFMineralRockDustprovidesaquaponicsgrowerstheperfectbalanceofmanytraceelementsnotconsistentlyavailablefromjustplainordinarynitrogen-richfishpoop.

Pleasenote:PFASLLCdoesnotshipFFMineralRockDustoutsidetheUnitedStatesexceptforaminimumorderof2200lb./1000kgtoteplusshippingcharges(seafreight).

Photo1:FFMineralRockDust.Itlookslikechocolatetalc.It’sverylightandpowdery.

(FFMineralRockDustspillingoutofasaltshakerontoadinnerplate).

Aftermanyyearsofexamination,legalitiesandtesting,thismineralrockdusthasbeenCertifiedasOrganicbytheDepartmentofAgriculture.ThisFFMineralRockDustisdesignedtobeFISHFRIENDLYwhenappliedatrecommendratesofuse.

ThisFFMineralRockDustcontainsNOnitrogenwhichisalreadybeinggenerouslysuppliedbythefishwastefromthefishinyourFishTanksothecombinationofthefreshlyproducednitrogenfromthefishwasteandthemanymacroandmicromineralelementsintheFFMineralRockDustprovidestheperfectcombinationforgrowinghealthyplantsinaquaponicssystems.

TheuseofFFMineralRockDustkeepsyoufromplayingthe‘chemicalnumbersgame’andconstantlyguessingwhetheryou’redoingitcorrectly.BysprinklingFFMineralRockDustonyourseedlingspriortoplanting,you’llneverhavetoaskyourselfANYofthesequestions:

WhatnutrientsshouldIusetosolveavarietyofgrowingissuesinaquaponicsincludingconsistentlybloomingplants?

HowmuchyoushouldIaddtomyaquaponicssystem?Isitsafeformyfish?HowoftenshouldIbeaddingchemicalstomyaquaponicssystems?

TheFFMineralRockDustwerecommendisanorganicamendmentoradditiontoasystemthatissafeandeffectivetouseinaquaponicssystems.ThispristinemineralproductisusedbyCertifiedOrganicGrowersandis100%Organicand100%Natural.FFMineralRockDustisnotwidelyavailableandisfoundonlyinlimitedquantitiesdrilleddeepfromamountaininEurope;itisminedandshippedonas-neededbasis.PFASLLCisveryfortunatetohaveatrustedsupplierwhooverseesallfacetsoftheshipmentsandlegalagriculturalgradingofthisqualityproduct.EachbatchthatisminedandshippedtotheUSbyshippingtankermustthenbetestedandoverseenbyoursupplierthroughtheDepartmentofAgriculture.Itisacomplexandarduousprocess.

ThemineralsinFFMineralRockDustarevitaltogrowingbothgreenplantsandbloomingplantsineverystageofgrowth:Seedplanting,rootdevelopment,plantgrowth,planthealthandplantblossoming.TheuseofthisFFMineralRockDustproducesplantsthatarehealthyduringeverystageofgrowthanddevelopment.Thisproductisalsoenvironmentallyfriendlyanddoesnotpollutenordoesit‘burn’plantsorharmfish(ifusedasdirected).

Butplease,useasdirectedtoassurefishsafety.

AftertheinitialplantingoftheseedlingsthathavebeensprinkledwithFFMineralRockDust,don’tbesurprisedifthewaterinyourfishtankbecomeslightlycoloredlikeicedtea.Thisisnormal.

OneoftheexpressionsweusefrequentlyregardingplantinginourPortableFarms®is,“If

aplanthasa‘happychildhood,’itwillgrowtobeahealthyplant.”Andit’ssotrue.Ifyoutakecareofeverystageofplantingyourseed,lovinglygrowingaseedlingandplacingitintoyourGrowTable,youhaveafarbetterchanceofgrowingahealthyplant.Ifanystepofthisprocessduring‘childhood’isneglected,youwillbedisappointedwithyourgrowingefforts.

ThefirstthreeweeksaseedlingisgrowinginyourGrowTable(especiallytrueofallgreenslikeLettuces,Swisschard,Asiangreens,etc.whichareharvestedataround40days),theplantsLOOKSMALLbecausetheplantisspendingallitstimeandenergygrowingastronghealthyrootsystemunderneaththegravel.Then,duringthesecondthreeweeksofgrowth,theplantsgrowsvisiblyeachday(likemagic)untiltheyreachtheirfullmaturityat40or45days.

Caveat:Allelectricalpumpshaveafinitelifespan.Intechnicalterms,thisiscalledMeanTimebetweenFailures.TheFFMineralRockDust,ifappliedcorrectlyasperinstructionswillnothastenthisprocess.PFASLLCrecommendsthereplacementofelectricalwaterpumpsinyoursystemsonaregularbasis(generallyannually).

IfyoufindyourownsupplierforFFMineralRockDustthenpleaseorderfromthem.Ifnot,pleasevisitourwebsite:CLICKHERE.Callformoreinformation:239-14-7092(Skype).

Plantyourseedswithintwoweeksofthetimeyouexpecttocompleteyourinstallationofyouraquaponicstobecompletedwhich,inmostcaseswilltakeafewdaystobuildtobuildyoursystemsoPLANTYOURSEEDSASAP.

Aftertheseedshavebeguntosprout,andafteryourfarmhaswaterrunningthroughtheGrowTable,youcanplanteachofthesmallseedlingsintothegraveldeeplyenoughsothatthegravelreachestothetopoftheshouldersofthecubes.

Westronglysuggestyouplantinwavessoyoucanenjoyanongoingharvest.

FIRSTROUNDOFPLANTSINANEWAQUAPONICSSYSTEM:WerecommendthefirstplantinginyournewaquaponicssystemincludeALLGREENS(lettuces,basil,Swisschard,bokchoy,kale,etc.)andnottoincludeanybloomingplants(tomatoes,cucumbers,peppers,etc.)untilafteryouharvestthisfirstbatchofgreens.

This40or45daysofgrowingandharvesting‘onlygreens’allowsyoursystemto‘cure’andraisethenitrogenlevelinthefishtanks(withyourbabyfish’spreciouspoop)inordertobalancethepHinthesystemformaximumgrowing.Thisfirstroundofgreensencouragesthegrowthofbacteriainthegraveltochangethenitritestonitratestoprotectyourplantsfromnitritepoisoningandenhanceplantgrowth.

ALWAYSBEPLANTING:A.B.P.–Yournewmantra

Photo2:OasisHorticubesareaPlantingMediumDesignedforAquaponicsandHydroponicGrowing

Placeoneseedineachcube.WebuyourOasisHorticubesfromHortAmericas.

Photo3:Theserockwoolcubesarealsocommonlyusedforplantingandgrowingplantsinaquaponicsandhydroponicssystemsandavailableatmosthydroponicstoresoronline.Bothwrapped(plasticexterior)andunwrappedrockwoolcubeshavebeenusedinaquaponicsforbothseedplantingandcloningpurposes.Wesuggestyouexperimentwithbothwrappedandunwrappedtoseewhichcubeworksbestforyou.

Rockwoolisasoillessgrowingsubstrate.AccordingtoGreentreesHydroponics,rockwoolismadefrommeltedbasaltrockandchalk.Thematerialsarecombinedandheatedtoameltingpoint,afterwhichtheyarespunandcompressedintoamat.Rockwoolis“chemicallyandbiologicallyinert”accordingtothehydroponicsproductsdistributor,andoneadvantageisthatitdoesnot“modifyorrestricttheavailabilityofnutrientstotheplants.”

Pleasenote:OasisHorticubesarenotthesameFloralOasis.TheyarebothporousandlightweightbutFloralOasisismadewiththeadditionoftoxicchemicalsthatcanharmyourfish.

Werecommendthe1inchOasisHorticubes(Photo2)whichhaveanextremelyporousdesignanditmakesthemparticularlysuitedforstartingplantsbyseed.TheyarecompletelypHneutral;thecubeshavenofertilizerbuiltinthem,soorganicgrowersusethemforstartingseeds.

OasisHorticubesprovideacleanmediumforcropsrequiringhighwaterusage.Frequentlyusedforhydroponicandaquaponicsseedgerminationofvegetables,herbs,andflowers,itsuniquedesignallowsfordrainageofexcesswaterfromthebaseoftheseed.Thesecubesarefreeofpathogens,providinganenvironmentthatreducesdiseaseandinsectproblems.

Let’sbeginwiththebasicstepsforplantingseedswhichyouwill‘transplant’intothegravelofyourGrowTablewhenyourseedlingsare1½”to2”tall.

Wehavefoundaround300seedvarietiescanbegrowninaquaponics(forexample,adozenvarietiesofbasil,adozenvarietiesoftomatoes,etc.)butmanyvegetableplantsprefertobegrowninadrier-sandy-gardensoil/dirt.Forexample,we’veneverhadmuchluckgrowingzucchiniandsquashormelonsinaquaponicsbecausetheypreferadrier-sandy-gardensoilwithmaximumlevelsofmid-summerandearlyfallsunlight.Yes,wehavegrowntheminaquaponics,butwithlesssuccessthanwehadhopedbecauseofblossomdrop,vegetablesnotforming,orthevegetablesformbutarestuntedandfailtogrowtofullharvestsize.

Wedon’trecommendgrowingperennialsinaquaponicseither.Forexamples,asparagus,strawberriesorblueberriesbecausetheyonlyblossom/sproutonlyonceperyearandtherestoftheyeartheylaydormantbuttheirrootscontinuetogrowandthenthoserootsbegintorotinthegravel.

Infact,wedon’trecommendanyplantsstayinyourGrowTablebeyondthetimetheplantstopsgrowingandreachesmaturityorwhentheplantstopsbloomingandproducingfood.Forexample,tomatoesgrowmassiverootballs(thatresemblealargeflatbasketball)betweenfiveandsixmonthsaftertheybeginproducingfruitintheGrowTableandshouldberemovedfromthegravel.Why?Tworeasons:

One,therootballhasbeguntorotandwill(magically)begintoproduceants,aphidsandearwigsthatbegintoeatonthedecayingrootball.

Andtwo,becauselargerootballsimpacttheflowofwaterintheGrowTableandcancauseproblemsforotherplantsintheGrowTable.IfyouleaveplantsintheGrowTablelongerthannecessarytoproducefood,youareinvitingproblemsforyourentireaquaponicssystem.

Readtheplantingdistance(betweenseedlings)ontheseedenvelope.Someplantsneedtobeplanted4inchescentersandsomeplantsrequire10or12inchcenters,etc.ofspacingsolayoutasimplegridonapadanddecidewhatseedsyou’dliketoplantinyourGrowTable.It’sfuntomixandmatchandseewhatyouenjoygrowingandwhatyou’refamilylikestoeat.Forexample,WELOVEBASILsoIplantafewbasilplantsyearround.Wealsoenjoygrowingourownlettucesandofcourse,tomatoes.

Hereisalistofcommonvegetablesthatareeasilygrowninaquaponics,butfeelfreetoexperimentwithdifferentvarieties.Remember,aquaponicsisnotconducivetogrowingrootcropssuchaspotatoes,onions,carrots,orbeetsinaquaponicsbecausetheycannotgrowwell(tomaturity)undertheheavygravelintheGrowTables.

Allvarietiesofbasil;ourfavoritetasteisGenovese

PacChoi(likeBokChoi)

AllvarietiesofcucumbersbutourfavoritesareLemonCucumberandAmericanSlicingCucumbers

Allvarietiesoflettuce–ourfavoritesarebib/butter,Romaine,andredlettuce.

LeafyAsianGreensofallvarieties–EXPERIMENT!WelovetogrowatleastadozenAsiangreensandthey’reallsorichintasteandhighinnutrients.TokyoBekana,RedorSummerfest,Komatsuna,VitaminGreen,Shiro,Flamingo.

KaleandourfavoritevarietyisToscano

SwissChard–redormulti-colored

Tomatoes–cherryorlargetomatoes(dependsonyourchoicesfortaste.HereisashortvideofromBurpeeSeedCompanyexplainingthedifferencebetweendeterminateandindeterminatetomatoes.http://www.burpee.com/vegetables/tomatoes/tomatoes-determinate-and-indeterminate-types-article10648.htmlWelikethetasteandlongerseasonofbloomingandtomatoesthatindeterminatetomatoesprovide(insteadofdeterminate),butyoumustveryvigilantaboutpruningbackthevinesoftheindeterminateplantortheywillovertakeyourfarmwithfoliagesorepeatafterme,“Ipromisetoprune,prune,prune.”

MustardPlants–RedMustard,GreenWaveMustard(tasteslikewasabi).Theseplantsgrowlargeandlusciousanddelicious.

Peppers–Greenpeppers,bananapeppers,hotchiliandjalapenopeppers.PeppersdoNOTgrowquicklynordotheybloomquicklyorproducepeppersquickly,sobepreparedforthemtostayintheGrowTableforseveralmonths.Theygrowfasterinthesummermonths.Ifyouhavepatience,you’llenjoygrowingpeppers.Ifnot,plantquicklygrowingplantslikegreens.

Greenbeans-Weenjoyallvarietiesofgreenbeansbutdon’tplanttoomanybecausetheirvinesgrow20’to30’long.

ALWAYSBEPLANTING:A.B.P.–Yournewmantra

NOWISTHETIMETOSPRINKLEYOURFFMINERALROCKDUSTONYOUROASISPRIORTOPLANTINGYOURSEEDS(Photo3).

Photo4:SprinkletheFF-MineralRockDustlightlyovertheOasisGrowingMedium

Photo5:AfteryousprinkleyourFF-MineralRockDustonyourgrowingmedium,usefishwastewaterifit’savailable(ifnot,slightlywarmtapwaterisfine)topourovertheOasis.

Photo6:AfteryouhaveaddedwatertotheGrowingMedium,tiltthetrayintotheGrowTableorasinkanddrainoutexcesswaterintoasinkortheGrowTablebeforeseedplantingoryourseedswilldrown.Youonlywantthegrowingmediumtobeverymoistbutnotsubmerged.

YourOasisshouldbeplacedinawaterproofplastictraybutmakesuretheOasishasaironthebottom(underneathit)soitdrainswell{Photos6-11}.TinyrootswillsproutoutofthebottomoftheOasisbeforeyou’llseegrowthoutofthetopoftheOasissoyouwanttomakesurethereis‘air’forthenewrootstobreathe.IfthereiswaterinthebottomoftheTable,you’rebabyplantwillliterallydrownbeforeithasachancetosprout.ThisrequirestheOasisdoesn’tsitdirectlyonthebottomofthetray.Youhaveacoupleofoptions(orbecreativeanddevelopyourownmethod,please):

Photo6:Plasticwithopenings-findathydroponicstores-Photo7:Slottedplasticinatray(DollythedogphotobombingPhoto7)

Photo8:LayOasisCubesintray

OryoucanrollfoiltoelevatetheOasisinthetrayorgowildandusethematerialinPhoto9.

Photo9:Rollaluminumfoilandthen‘flattenroll’byhandPhoto10:PlaceOasisinTray.

Photo11:Lightdiffuserforfluorescentlightfixtures

ThesediffuserscanbepurchasedinlightingsectionsathardwarestoreslikeHomeDepotorLowes.ThisismyfavoritechoicefortheoasisanditcanbecuttofitthesizeofthetrayyouwillusetoplaceyourOasis.Iusealargetraywithhandlesformovingiteasily.IwashitaftereveryusesoIcanreuseitagainwhenIreplantseeds.

Notallseedsthatyouplantwillsprout,soalwaysplantafewmorethanyouthinkyou’llneed.And,sincefoodgrowsrapidlyinaquaponics,it’svitalthatyouplanaheadforreplantinganewseedlingthat’s1.5”to2”talltheinstantyouharvestaplantfromyourfarm.Harvest.Replace.Harvest.Replace.Harvest.Replace.Etc.,aslongasyouwanttogrowfood.

Also,pleasechecktheexpirationdateonyourseeds.Iftheyarepasttheirdateforplantingthenthrowthemawayandbuynewseeds.Iknow,surprise,butseedsdonotlastforeverandgenerally,ayearfromthedatethey’repackagedisallasellerwillguaranteethem.Eventhen,thepacketwillstate,“85%guaranteedtospout,”etc.Sostudythepacketandplantaccordingly.

AfteryouCAREFULLYdroptheseedsintotheOasis,it’stimetoshredtheedgeofthe

OasissoitmakestheinterioroftheOasis‘cover’theseedslightlyandmakesit‘dark’inthecenteroftheOasis.Justtakeasmallstickandgotoeach‘hole’andslightlyshredtheedgeofeachholesoit‘collapses’abitandsincetheOasisisdamp,it’sveryeasytodo.

Photo12–ShredtheOasis’topedgestocreatedarknessabovetheplantedseed.

Lookcloselyandyou’llseewherewe’veshreddedtheOasisabitaroundeachholetocovertheseed.Nothard.Nottimeconsumingbutitrequirespatienceandprecision.(Calmingmusicandnocoffeearebothgoodideasduringplanting.)

Learnto“ThinklikeaFarmer”

Ifyouandyourfamilyeat4headsoflettuce(forexample)perweek,you’llplantfiveorsixseedsoneweektogetfourgoodseedlingsoutoftheplanting.Thenextweek,you’llplantfiveorsixnewseeds.Thenextweekyou’llplantfiveorsixnewseeds,etc.untilyoureachthe7thweekandeveryweekthereafterthatyou’dlikefreshlettuce.

Astheseedssproutto1½”tall,you’llplantfourofthenewseedling/plantsduringweekone.You’llplantfourthenextweek.Fourthenextweeketc.,untilyou’vereachedthe7thweek,atwhichtimeyou’llbeginharvestingyourlettucefromweekoneandYOUWILLREPLANTANEWSEEDLINGINIT’SPLACE.You’llrepeatthisprocessaslongasyou’dliketoeatfreshlettucefromyouraquaponicssystem.

7weeksinGrowTable

6weeksinGrowTable

5weeksinGrowTry

4weeksinGrowTable

3weeksinGrowTable

2weeksinGrowTable

1weekinGrowTable

WeuseWoodenDeli-PicksasmymarkersintheOasiswhichcanbepurchasedatrestaurantsupplystores(WEBsurantStore,orSmart&FinalontheUS-WestCoast,etc.).Remembertousewaterproofink(permanentmarkers)onyourwoodsticks.You’llthrowthesesticksawayafteryouharvestyourplantsandyouwillNOTreusethem.They’llbeverydampfrommultiplewateringsduringtheplant’slifespanandtheyarenotreusable.

Photo13and14–DeliSandwichPickstousetomarkyourseedsplantedintheOasis.

Photo15–PlantedOasisaboutaweekafterplanting.

Somearereadytoplantnow.Somewillbereadyinafewmoredays.

EventhoughyoupresoakedtheOasispriortoplantingtheseeds,NOWISTHETIMEtogivethemasmallsecondwateringofwarmfishwastewater(ifyouhaveit,ifnot,thentepidtapwater).Avoidgettingthestickwetifpossible.Iuseapointy-nosedwateringpitchertowaterthetopoftheOasis.Makesureyoudrainthetray(tipandpour)afterthiswateringsothecubesnotstandingwaterinthebottomofyourtray.

Photo16:NarrowNoseWateringBuckettowateronlyseedsinOasisandnottheDeliSticks.

Next,keepyournewlyplantedOasisinadarkplacefor24hours.Igenerallyputtheseedtrayinablackplasticbagandthenplaceitinthebottomofaclosetonthecarpet,oronapieceofwoodoronStyrofoamtokeeptheOasisWARM.DonotplaceyourOasisseedlingsoncement,granitecountertop,metaloroutdoors(regardlessoftheseason).

KeepyourOasismoistandwaitforrootdevelopment.Donotoverwater.ILIGHTLYwatertheOasisinthe‘nursery’aboutevery2days(dependingontheseason–Iwatermoreiftheweatherishotanddry).Dependingontheplant,differentseedstakelongertosprout.Whenthenewseedlingsare1to2”tall,simplycuttheindividualcubeswithaknifeandtransplanttheentirecubeandseedlingintothegravel.

Forfasterseedsproutingincooltemperatures,Ialsouseathermostaticallycontrolled‘seedheatingpad’incoolorcoldclimates.Placepadunderthenewlyplantedseedstomaintaintheirtemperaturesbetween75degreesFand80degrees.ThereISaslighttricktorememberwhenusingaheatingmat(alsocalledpropagationmats),sobeforewarnedthattheheatcausesthewaterintheOasistoevaporatemorequicklyandyouarerequiredtokeepavigilanteyeontheplantingstoassuretheyhaveenoughwatersoyoudon’tdehydrateandkill(cook)theseedsortheyoungplants.Lotsofstoressellseedlingheatingmatssodoyourresearchtofindasimple,affordableone.(Manypeopleuseheatingpadsorelectricblanketsbutpleasebecarefultheseedsdon’tgetabove80degreeF,oryou’llkillyourseeds.)

HereisanAmazonlinktoaViagrowTMSeedPropagatingSeedlingHeatMat,20.5”X8.5”:ProductFeatures:

Warmsrootzone10°-20°aboveroomtemperature

Speedsgerminationandencouragesstrongrootgrowth

FitssnuglyunderastandardsizeseedTable

Highquality,waterresistantconstruction

Forprecisetemperaturecontrol

TobuyOasisHorticubesinsmallamountsisnoteasybecausegenerally,theyaresoldinlargeboxesforcommercialgrowing.Youcangettheminsmallamountsatafewplacesso‘Googlesearch.”

ThefollowingcompaniesofferOasisHorticubesinvarioussize/amounts.

Hort-America

GreenhouseMegastore

GrowersSolution

ParadigmGardensOr,enter“OasisHorticubes”inasearchengine(Google,Yahoo,Firefox,Opera,etc.)formoreselections.

It’sbeenourexperiencethatwealmostforceourselvestoplanttoomuchtostayupwiththedemandofharvestingourvegetables,becauseifwedon’t,wefindthatwemustwaitseveraldaysfornewseedstosprout.So,thinkahead,chooseyourseedsanddecidehowmanyyouwanttoplantandwhereyouwanttoplanttheminyourGrowTable.Ifyou’ll‘thinklikeafarmer’you’llbehappierwithyourunitbecauseitcanonlydowhatyoutellittodo.

It’sacommonmistakeforearlyfarmerstowaittoolongtoharvestorplanttoomuchofonevegetableandthentheyarerequiredtogiveawaythesurplus.PLANAHEAD.Makeplanting-and-harvesting-calendarssoyoucanmaximizeyourproduction.

BEFOREyouplantyourseedlingsintothegravelintheGrowTable,WATERTHEOASISWITHTEPIDWATERFIRSTbeforeyouplantsthemsoit’slessofa‘shock’totherootswhenyouplacetheminthegravel.

ContinuetocheckeachplanteachdaytomakesurethattheOasisforeachseedlingisstilldamp.Irecommendyoucontinuetowateryourplantswithawateringpitcher-byhandifnecessary-forthefirstfewdaysorafullweekaftertheyareplantedinthegravelintheGrowTable(especiallyinthesummermonthsand/ordyerclimates).Ittakestheseedlingsafewdaysfortheirrootstogrowdeeplyenoughintothegraveltoreachthewarm,nutrientrichwaterthatfillstheGrowTable.IfthewaterstaysintheGrowTableinsteadofdrainingafterflooding,itwilldrownyourseedlingsandtheywillalldie.WefloodanddrainourGrowTablestwiceperday(Ittakesabout40minutestofilla20’GrowTableandabout2hourstodraintheGrowTablebackintotheFishTank–twiceperday).Plus,duringsummerorwarmweather,thegraveliswarmandtheheatfromthegravelcandryoutyourOasisquickly.Oncetherootsarelongenoughtheycangrabwaterandfoodforthemselves;thentheOasiscanbedrytothetouchandit’sokay.

Photo17–HorticubeswithseedlingsPhoto18–SeparatingHorticubes

Photo19-SeedlingsinHorticubesPhoto20–CreatingholeforHorticubes

seedling

Photo21(left):PushthegravelawaytomakeholePhoto22(right):-Insertthecubeintothegravelandsurrounditwithgravel.Infact,addafewmorepiecesofgravelaroundtheedgebyplantingitabitdeeperthanIdidtheoneinthephotoabove.

Pleaseconsiderproperspacingonyourplantswhenplantingseedlingsinthegravel.Whileitmayseemliketoomuchspacetoplaceyourplants10”to12”apart(forexample),youmustfollowthedirectionsbecauseifyouplanttooclosely,theairdoesn’tcirculatewellintheGrowTableandyourplantswillNOTgrowwellandyou’llfindmoldonyourleaves.

Ifyouplaceyourbloomingplantstooclosetogether,whentheymature,theywillnotblossomandproducefood.Generally,theseedpacketwilltellyouhowfarapartyoushouldplantbecauseeachvarietyofeachplantrequiresdifferentspacing;somegrowwider,shorter,taller,etc.thaneveryothervariety,sotakeyourguidancefromtheseed-packetinstructions.WhileyourGrowTablemaylooksparseafterplanting,veryquickly,itwilllookfullandlush.Infact,plantanyplantthatBLOSSOMS10”to12”apartsothey’llhaveamplesun,airflowandroomtospreadoutandproducemorefood.

Remember,eventhoughaquaponicsgrowsawidevarietyoffood,youstillneedtokeepinmindthatsomefoodlikestobegrownincoolerairtemperatures(coolerweatherandearlyspring)andsomeliketobegrowninwarmerairtemperatures(latespring,summerandearlyfall).Ifyouhaveawell-builtacclimatizedgreenhousethatcoolsinsummerandheatsinwinterinextremeclimates,youarelessimpactedbytheseasonsifyoucanusegrowlightsaboveyourplantsfromNovembertoMarch(NorthernHemisphere),youcanextendyoursunlightforyourplantsfrom4:00PMto8:00PM.But,still,it’seasiertogrowvegetablesthatarerelativelyseasonal.

AquaponicssystemscaneasilyrelyoninstallingsimpleT-8FluorescentLightshungabovetheirGrowTablesfromNovembertoMarch(NorthernHemisphere)from4-8PM.Thisextendeddaywillgiveyouthe‘bump’inproductionequaltoabout20%.HereisanexampleoflightsandfixturethatwehaveusedsuccessfullyandareavailableatHomeDepot.Youwillneedone4-bulbfixtureper25sq.ft.abovetheGrowTable.

Productspecsfor(linkabove)lightfixture:

EnergyefficientT8fluorescenttechnology

Adetachablewireguardprotectsthebulbs

12in.reflector

Pullchainpowerswitch

5ft.powercordandgroundedconveniencepoweroutlet(max.5A)Heavydutymetalhousinginatexturedgrayfinish

Requiresfour32wattT8fluorescentbulbs(soldseparately)

Suspensionsmountfromceilingusingtheincludedmountingchains

CULlistedtoUSandCanadiansafetystandards

Startsreliablydownto0degreesFahrenheit

ActualColorTemperature(K)6500

AssembledDepth(in.)48.25in

AssembledHeight(in.)4in

AssembledWidth(in.)12in

CertificationsandListings4-ULCertified,ETLListed

PLEASENOTE:Typicalfluorescentlightbulbsarenotaseffectiveforgrowingbloomingplants(tomatoes,peppers,etc.).

ThefourT8-bulbsREQUIREatotalof128wattsofpowerandforbestresultsusethe6500KelvintubeswhicharelabeledasSuperNaturalSunlightforeffectivegrowing.Chooseyourseedscarefullytogrowhealthyplants.Forexample,manyvarietiesoflettuceprefercoolertemperaturesandothervarietiesarefarmoretoleranttowarmertemperaturesandtheseedpacketssay,“heatresistantseeds.”Studyseedcatalogsandstudythedescriptionscarefullywhenchoosingyourseeds.Thismaytakesomeonline

studyandresearchasyoudetermineseedsyou’dliketogrowinyourclimate,perseason.

Considerorderingaseedcatalogorvisitingwebsitesfromseedcompaniestostudythegrowthtimefromseedtomaturity/harvest,howlargeaplantgrows,etc.WerecommendorderingacatalogfromJohnny’sSeedandvisitingthewebsitesofFerry-MorseSeedsandBurpeeseeds.Ofcourse,therearemanyfineseedcompaniesandwebuyfrommanyofthem,butthesethreecompaniesoffermanyorganic(around400ormorechoicesfororganicseeds)andnon-organicseedchoicesandthey’reallveryhelpfulonthephoneifyouneedadvicewhenorderingandmakingyourselections.

IfyouarenotintheUS,findlocalseedsinyourcountrytopurchasesincethesecompanieswillnotshipseedsoutoftheUSduetocustoms‘issues.’

Experimentwithseedvarietiesbeforeplantingtoomuchofanyoneplant.Forexample,chooseawidevarietyofseedsforlettuce,basil,tomatoes,chards,etc.beforeyouplanttoomanyofthem.Allowyourselftimetolearnhowtoplantandhowtoharvest.

Ittakestimetolearnhowtoaddressissuesinyournewfarmbecauseofmanyvariables:

WatchyourpHbalanceandkeepitunder7.2.Forexample,lettucepreferstobegrownbestatalow6.0to6.2pHlevel.

ImportantLesson:SIMPLEIndoorPollinationTechniques

Plant’sblossomsopeninthemorningafterthesunisupinmid-skyandthengenerallycloselateafternoon.Pleasenote:ThemajorityofbloomingplantscapableofgrowinginaquaponicsareALMOSTself-pollinatingplantssuchastomatoes,beansandpeppers.But,sincewe’regrowingfoodindoors(greenhouse,garageorbasement,etc.),you’llneedtogiveMotherNaturealittlesupportbyinstallingacirculatingfantomovetheairwhentheblossomsareopenedthewidestduringthemid-daytimeofday(10AMto2or3PM).Continuetokeepthefanmovingduringtheseuntilafewdaysbeforeharvest.INFACT,wealwaysrecommendyoukeepafanaircirculatingnearyourfarmtodiscouragemoldormildewonyourleaves.Afterall,thewateristheFishTankisWARM(78to80degreesF).

Wealsorecommendgentlyshakingthestalksofthetomatoplant,beanorpepperplanttoagitatetheblossomsforincreasedpollinationduringthemid-daywhentheblossomsareopenedthewidest.

Cucumbersarenotconsideredself-pollinatingbutafanseemstobeenoughtomovethepollinationfromthestamentothepistils.

Whileanelectrictoothbrushisafunpollinationtool,it’sonlyusedincommercialfarmoperations.Hereisagreatlessonfromthisinnovativegardenerwhoshowsyouhowtoencouragepollinationforyourself-pollinatingplantsliketomatoesandpepperswiththeuseofanelectrictoothbrush.Brilliant.Itdoesn’tdisturbthestamens(male)orpistils(female)andprovidesamplepollinationforyourplants.BEGENTLEoritoverstimulatestheblossom.Youdon’tneedanelectrictoothbrushmethodinyourPortableFarms®AquaponicsSystem.Justshakethebranchesofyourplantsmid-daytohelppollinateyourplantseveryfewdays.

Plantingandharvestingareanongoingprocessandyouneveractuallycatchup,yousimplystayupwithanincrediblyproductiveaquaponicssystem.

Chapter4

TheFishandtheSupportofTheirHealthandGrowth

Photo1:Tilapia

Photo2:CaliforniaHybridTilapia

FishStressorstoAVOIDoryourfishwillnoteatorpoopconsistently:

Aswementioned,temperaturechangesintheFishTankisafishstressor.Werecommendaquariumheaterstohelpmaintainthewatertemperatureof78to80degreesF.

Deprivingyourfishofairbubblesinthetankswillstressyourfish.EvenanHOURofoxygendeprivationstressesthefish(especiallywhenairtemperaturesarehot).

Overfeedingyourfishorfeedingyourfishtoooftenwillstressyourfish.ThenumberonecauseforstressedorsicklyfishorfishproblemsisOVERFEEDINGYOURFISH.Onlyfeedyourfishwhattheywilleatin15seconds.ItisfarbettertoUNDERFEEDyourfishthanitistoOVERFEEDYOURFISH.Whenyourfisharesmall(lessthan2”inlength)feedthemapinchoffoodseveraltimesperdayandnomore.Forexample,ifyouhave50fishina100gallonFishTank,feedthem1/8thofateaspoonofahighproteinkoifishflakefood(availableatpetstores)fourtimesperday(alwaysindaylighthours).Whenthey’re2”long,we’llgrindupcatfishchowtofeedthemonetablespoonthreetimesperday.They’rebabiesandshouldbespoiledandfussedoverwithlotsofooohs-ahhhsandbabytalkwhenyoufeedthem.

Photo3:Tilapia

ColleDavisbalksatallowingustopublishanyphotosof‘deadfish’becausewecareforourfishandyes,weevenlovethem.Wedooffersketches,drawings,renderings,andwepublishphotosofuncookedtilapiafiletsandcookedtilapiabutwedon’tpublishpicturesofdeadfish.But,weconvincedhimtoallowusaddthisonestockphoto(thatwepurchased)toshowyouaclose-upofatilapia.Atfirstglance,youwillseethey’renotthe‘prettiestgirlatthedance’andtheydon’thaveglamorousfeaturesorgrandcoloring,buttheyareaveryhappyandhealthyfishandapleasuretoworkwithinaquaponics.

PFASLLCdoesNOTbreedorsellfish.Webuyour1″tilapia“fingerlings”fromlocaltilapiabreeders.

IntheUS,contactyourState’sFishandWildlifeDepartmentforlocaltilapiabreedersinyourarea.ForthoseofyouintheUS,hereisalistoffishbreedersbyStateprovidedbytheFederalFishandWildlifeDepartment.Ofcourse,thesearenottheONLYbreeders/hatcheries,butyoucanbegintomakecallsanddoyourownresearch.

Alabama Hawaii Massachusetts NewMexico SouthDakota

Alaska Idaho Michigan NewYork Tennessee

Arizona Illinois Minnesota NorthCarolina Texas

Arkansas Indiana Mississippi NorthDakota Utah

California Iowa Missouri Ohio Vermont

Colorado Kansas Montana Oklahoma Virginia

Connecticut Kentucky Nebraska Oregon Washington

Delaware Louisiana Nevada Pennsylvania WestVirginia

Florida Maine NewHampshire RhodeIsland Wisconsin

Georgia Maryland NewJersey SouthCarolina Wyoming

Seethe

YouTubeVideobyPhyllisDavis,Co-InventorofPortableFarms®AquaponicsSystemsandPresidentofPFASLLC.Sheexplainstilapia,thefishweuseinourPortableFarms.CLICKHEREtoview.

WerecommendEdgarSanchez(greatguy)ownsTilapiaFarmingatHometobuyfingerlings.EdgaralsooffersbreedercoloniestosellandshiptocustomerseastoftheRockies.We’vereferredhimtomanysatisfiedcustomersovertheyearswhoswearbyhishardybreedingstock.Heisquotedassaying,“Abreedercolonyconsistsof6femalesand1male.Youcaneasilybreedtheminahomeaquarium!AndinmywebsiteI’llshowyouhowyoucanturnyourbackyardintoaTilapiafarm!”

Again,ifyouareintheUS,pleasechecktheFishandWildlifeDepartmentinthecounty,regionorareaoftheplaceyouintendtoplaceyouraquaponicssystemandmakesuretilapiaarepermittedinyourarea.Becausetilapiacanbreedsoprolifically,someareasrestricttheuseoftilapiaeveninclosedloop-systems.InSouthernFlorida,BlueTilapiaarelegallycertifiedandweraiseBlueTilapiainourfarmshere.

Photo4:(Sketch)BlueTilapia–ThebreedoftilapialegalinSouthernFlorida.

InsulatingYourFishTank

TheInsulatedFishTankisamulti-partcomponentconsistingofastockwateringtank,alidwithawindowinit(usedtocoveranopeninginthetopoftheinsulatedbox).YoucaninsulateawateringtroughoranIBCToteoranyotherfishtanktomaintaintemperaturesof78to80degreesFforthehealthofyourfish.

Aninsulatedbox(Photo6below)isbuiltfromplywoodorflakeboardandreinforcedineachcornerwith2x2’sor2x3’sforstrength.ThetopoftheFishTankinsulatedcontainerisaveryshallow,upsidedownbox,justdeepenoughtocreatealiptoholdtheinsulatedtopinplace.Or,itcansimplybeaflatcovermadethesameasoneofthesidesofthebox.Aftertheboxisbuilt,theinsulation,rigidbeadboard,1.5inchesthickisgluedinplaceonthebottom,sidesandtop.Iftheaquaponicssystemisinahightrafficareathecornersneedtobeprotectedwithangleironorthemetalsheetrockcornerpieces.

Photo6:200gallonInsulatedFishTankboxwithlid/cover

Photos7&8:(above)–Awoodenframecoverisusedingreenhousecover(plastic)tocontaintheheat,reducethewaterlossfromevaporationandtoprotectthefish.Thistransparentlidiseasytokeepcleanandprovidesamplesunlightforthefish.

TheexactmeasurementsoftheinsulatedFishTankboxcanvarybecausethestocktankscomeinavarietyofsizesthatvaryfromthenominallistedsizedependingonmanufacturer.

TheinsulatedboxesandtheGrowTablewilllookmuchnicerandmorefinishediftheyarestainedorpainted.Thisstaining/paintingisapersonalpreferenceandhelpspreservethewood,plusitlooksbeautifulbutagain,it’soptional.

Thebuildingoftheinsulatedbox‘inplace’inmucheasierthanbuildingitoffsiteandcarryingittobeputinplace.Theboxesarenotheavy,buttheyareawkward.BuildingthemnearwheretheywillbeuseddoesrequirethemtobebuiltoffsetfromtheGrowTablebecausethestocktankhastobeplacedinsidebeforethetopisputinplace.DONOTFASTENTHETOPDOWNYET.Makesurethelid(movablecomponent),notthetop,islargeenoughforapersontohaveaccessinsidethetankduringfeedingorharvestingactivities.Anopeningof18x24inchesisusuallyasufficientsizeforthelid.

InordertokeeptheheatintheFishTankplacethewatertrough/tankonatwoinchpieceofStyrofoamorsimilarrigidinsulation.Thispreventstheheatfromflowingoutofthetankandintotheground.

Photo9:Thisisanexampleofinstallingbeadboardinsidethefishtanktohelpmaintainheatbetween78and80degreesyearround.Thewiresgototheheaters.

Photo10:Incooler/colderclimates(areasthatnight/daytemperaturesdropunder40degreestomaintainaconstanttemperature),youcanalsoaddStyrofoam‘packingpeanuts’betweentheinsulationonthewallsoftheinsulatedboxesandthefishtank.

Inadditiontotheinsulatedbox,youwillneedtotheinstallintotheFishTankoneortwoaquariumheatersintothewaterintheFishTank.Wehaveverysuccessfullyusedtwo150wattaquariumheatersandtheyareincrediblyeffectiveatkeepingthewatertemperatureconstantat78to80°F,evenfor400gallonsofwater.

PLEASENOTE–theseheatersneedtobereplacedaboutevery6to12monthsbecausetheygrowcrudfromthefishwasteandbreak.

Inhot-to-severely-hotclimates,arrangementsmustbemadetocooltheGrowTabletoprotecttheplants.Thewatercirculationcanbeusedeffectivelytomoderatethetemperatureofthewater,gravelandair.

Coverings:TokeepthefishconfinedtotheFishTank,youwillneedtocovertheFishTankwithsomething.Youcanmakethecoveringassimpleasascreenornetting(inwarmclimates)overtheentiresurfaceoraselaborateasacompleteinsultedcover(incoolerclimates).Tilapiaareveryfastandentertaining(clown-likereally)andtheywilljumpoutofthetankifyou’renotcareful,especiallyduringfeedingsokeepthetankcoveredtoprotectyourfish.

Photo12:ThisisanearlydesignofaPortableFarms®AquaponicsSysteminstalledinatropicalclimateandweusedasingleacrylicsheetovertheexposedtanktoletthesunlightinthetankandkeepthefishfromjumpingout.

Photo13–Thisplasticframe(greenhouseplasticcoveroninsideofframeandoutsideofframesoit’s‘doublelayered)isanidealFishTankcovertomaintaintheheatinthewaterandprotectthefish.It’salsodurableandeasytowash(hoseoff)fromtimetotime.WegenerallyusearagwithdilutedvinegarandwatertocleantheinterioroftheFishTank’slidasanadditionalcleaner.

Again,thefishneedtobeconfined,becausetheywilljumpoutifgiventheopportunity.Whentheyaretinythisislesscritical,butinstalltheFishTankcoverassoonaspossible.

Feeding:

Photo14:Tilapiafeeding

Incaseyouwerewondering,therearenoORGANICFISHbecausetheUSDAcannotstandardizeaquacultureregulations.“What?!FishCan’tBeOrganic?”–Published11-10-2014–HuffingtonPost-byLisaJ.Bunin,Ph.D.,organicpolicydirectorofCenterforFoodSafety,“NeitherwildfishnorfarmedfishcanbecertifiedorganicbecausenoorganicstandardsexistintheU.S.toregulatethem.Butthatmaybeabouttochange—fortheworse.Why?TheU.S.DepartmentofAgriculture(USDA)iscurrentlyproceedingwiththedevelopmentoforganicaquacultureregulationsthatcouldallowwildfishandocean-basedfishfarmstobecertifiedorganic.”Toreadarticle:CLICKHERE.AGAIN:Whenthefisharesmall,theyalwaysseemhungry,butthemostfrequentproblemforkillingfishisoverfeedingthem.Feedthefishlightly–onlywhattheycanconsumein15seconds.MorefeedthanthefishcaneatquicklyandyouareprovidingVERYEXPENSIVEFERTILIZERtoyourplants.

Wefeedourfishahigh-protein‘catfishchow’thatincludessoy-mealasamainingredientfromlocalFeedandGrainStorestofeedtoourtilapia.Itgenerallycomesinlarge50poundbags.Thisfeedfloatsandit’seasytoaccesshowmuchthefishwillconsumein15seconds.

However,forasmallPortableFarms®AquaponicsSystem,youwillnotneedmuchfoodforyourfishandyoumightwanttoconsiderasmallbagoffishchowbyPurina,GameFishChow(32%protein)orAquaMaxbyPurinaMills(32%to41%protein).Bothareexcellentfishfeedavailableatmostpetstoresandyouwillraisehealthy,happytilapia.Pleasenote,it’sourexperiencethattheAquaMaxfeedmakesthewaterintheFishTanksslightlycloudy.Plus,wedon’tlikethesmellofthefeed.Thefishloveitandthat’swhatisimportant,butpleaseknowthatthewaterinyourFishTankswillbecloudyandhaveastrongsmell(especiallyifyouoverfeedyourfish).

Photo15:FISHFOOD

HereismoreinformationaboutAquaMax:

GUARANTEEDANALYSIS

Crudeprotein(min) 41.0%

Crudefat(min) 12.0%

Crudefiber(max) 4.0%

Calcium(Ca)(min) 1.65%

Calcium(Ca)(max) 2.15%

Phosphorous(min) 1.15%

Sodium(Na)(max) .40%

Ingredients:Fishmeal,dehulledsoybeanmeal,groundcorn,poultryby-productfishmeal,fishoil,wheatmiddlings,flashdriedbloodmeal,pyridioxinehydrochloride,menadionedimethylpyrimidinolbisulfite,cholinechloride,DL-methio-nine,calciumpantothenate,Lascorbyl-2-polyphosphate(sourceofvitaminC),thiaminmononitrate,biotin,folicacid,cholecalciferol,riboflavin,nicotinicacid,dl-alphatocopherylacetate,vitaminAacetate,ethoxyquin(apreservative),zincoxide,cyanocobalamin,mangaousoxide,ferrouscarbonate,coppersulfate,zincsulfate,calciumiodate,calciumcarbonate,cobaltcarbonate.

Tilapiafingerlingscanbestartedonpetstoreflakefoodorregularcatfishchow.Evenkoifoodfromthepetstoreishighinprotein(around32%)andthefingerlingsloveit.Beginfeedingyourfishassoonastheyareswimmingintheirnewhome.Alightfeedingseveraltimesthefirstdaywillgetthemstarted.

It’sthefishwastethat‘fertilizes’yourplantssomakesuretheygetenoughfoodbutwithoutoverfeedingthemandmakingthemsickorfoulingtheirwater.

Rememberthe15secondrule.Ifthereisanyfeedleftafter15seconds,reducetheamountoffeedinthenextcycletomatchthefingerling’seatingrequirements.Overfeedingyourfishkillsthem.

Iftherearemorethanafewpiecesoffeedfloatingafterthefishhavefedinthisshortperiod,itwillbecycledintothesystemaswasteandbecomeexpensivefertilizerforyourplants.Thisexcessfeedwillcansometimesfoulthewaterandstink,butnotnormallybecauseofthecyclingthewaterthroughthehugetreatmentsystem.

Onlyfeedthefishduringthedaylighthours.Itdoesnotharmthefishtobehungry.Overfeedingcanbeaproblemifyouhavetoomanysmallfishinasmalltank.By

followingthesuggestionsaboutstockingratesandfeedingadvice,thereisverylittlechanceyouwillkillthefishandfoulthewaterbyoverfeedingthem.OneoftheluxuriesyouhavewithaPortableFarms®comparedtoanaquariumistheHUGEwatertreatmentsystemrunningallthetime.

Restockingfeedingschedule

Whenrestockingyourfishtank,youwillharvestfishthatare11”longand1.25pounds)but,youwillhavefishthatarelessthan11”longand1.25lbs.thatneedtoremaininthetanktogrowfullsize,andyou’llthenintroducenew1”fingerlingsinyourtank.

Directionsbelowarefeedingdirectionsafteryourestockyourfishtankwithfingerlings:

Feedtheregularfishandthebabyfish(fingerlings)theirfishchowfeed(thisfeedresemblesdogfood)andfeedbothsizefishatthesametime,butfeedthem1/3ofwhatyouwouldnormallyfeedthem–andfeedthemthreetimesperday.(Reminder,donotfeedyourfishafterdark).

Youwillusetheregularsizedfishchowfeedalongwithahandfulofgroundfishchow(samechowbutground)whenyoufeedthefish.

Grindalargebowloffishchowbyplacingitinabagandusingahammertomakethepiecessmaller.Wearglovessoyourhandsdon’ttouchthefishchowandintroducethepossibilityforthespreadofbacteriaorpathogens.

Again,feedthefish1/3theamountyouwouldusuallyfeedthemateachfeeding.

Continuethissplit-feedprocessforafewweeksandthenreducetolighttwice-a-dayfeedings.

Photo7:Atubofduckweedtofeedyourfish

Youmaydecidetoattemptgrowingduckweedinacontainernearyourfarmtofeedyourfishandhelpaddextraproteintoyourfish’sdiet(Photo7).Weuseaseparateduckweedgrowingsystemthatprovidestheduckweedweuseforourfish.Theproteininduckweedrangesfrom15%to45%underoptimalgrowingconditions.

Duckweedisthesmallestfloweringplantonearth.(Googlesearchitformoreinformationorvisitlinksatbottomofthissection).Underidealconditions,duckweeddoublesinvolumeevery36hours.

Whenwehaveitavailable,wefeedourfishonesmallhandfulofduckweedperfishtank,everyday.Thenextday,whenit’stimetoharvestmoreduckweed,theduckweedtankortrayisfullagain.Amazingstuff.Itlookslikealgae,butitisnot.Duckweedisverycommononponds,quietstreamsandheavilywateredareas.Plantnurseriesoftenhaveduckweed,socallaroundtofindacoupleoftablespoonstostartyourownduckweedsystem.

Occasionally,addhosewateroraverysmallamountoffishtankwatertomaintainwaterdepth.

PLEASENOTE:Wedonotprofesstobeexpertsatgrowingdomestic-raisedduckweed(andwedon’tknowofanysuccessstoriesfordomesticraisedduckweed).Infact,quitetheoppositeistrue.Weaffectionatelyrefertoourselves‘duckweedassassins’becauseweregularlykillentiretanksfullofduckweedwithouteverknowingWHY.Wehavegrownduckweedincontainersandopen-airtanksoff-and-onformanyyearsandwehavenotalwaysbeensuccessfulinoureffortstomaintainourduckweedfarms,butwekeeptryingandwecontinuetoexperimenttofindtheanswerstopassalongtoyou.

Ourfarm-raisedduckweedseemstogrowwellfordays,weeksandsometimesevenmonths,andthenforsomeunknownreason,itbeginstodieoffinthegrowtanksandthenitdisappearsaltogether.Wehaveexperimentedwithdifferentduckweedvarieties,aswellasexperimentingwithavarietyofmethodsforsustainingourduckweedcrops,andwedon’tknowthe‘magicformula’forsuccess.

However,ourlatestinquiriesintogrowingduckweedsuggestsputtingPVCinthetanksfortheduckweedtogrowaroundit(whichmakessense)sowe’regoingtotrythatandwe’llkeepyouposted.(Wenevergiveup.)

ThereisavastamountofscientificresearchandavailableinformationontheInternetaboutduckweed.

Duckweedseemstoovergrowinplacesthatpeopledonotwantitlikeponds,riversandlakesbutit’sbeendifficultforustodomesticateandraiseitintubsformorethanafewweeksbeforeitdies.Ifduckweedcoversthesurfaceofabodyofwater,thereisanoxygendepletionwhichkillsfishintheponds,riversorlakes.(Wefeedourtilapiaonlyenoughforthemtoeatwhichaccountsforabout20%oftheirfeed.Theremnantsarepickedoffovertime.)

Photo8:Duckweedclose-up

Funfact:Peopleaskedusforalongtimewhatduckweedtastedlike.Onedayourconstructionengineersaid,“Well,Iguessyououghttotasteitsoyoucantellthem.”SoIdid.Ittasteslikewatercress.Tangy,pepperyandverycleantasting.”Wethoughtyou’d

liketoknow.-Colle

Also,starchthatcomesfromduckweedcanquicklybechangedintoethanol,whichitcanbeusedinsteadofcornforethanol.Farmersfromlarge-scalehogfarms,ridtheirwastethroughlargeduckweed“lagoons.”Ithelpsmanagetheiranimalwastesthroughbiologicaltreatmentandcaneven‘clean’hog-wastewaterandmakesthewaterpotablebyrunningthewaterthroughenoughduckweed.Interesting,eh?

Hereareafewlinksforyoutostudyduckweedanditsbenefitsandcomplexities:

http://www.fishfarming.com/duckweed.html

http://www.lrrd.org/lrrd7/1/3.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemna

http://www.mobot.org/jwcross/duckweed/Fish.htm

Photo9:Duckweedinkid’s8’swimmingpools

Here’saquickexplanationonehow.com,“HowtoPlantDuckweed.”CLICKHERE.Here’saquickexplanationonehow.comabout“UsingDuckweedinAquaculture.”CLICKHERE.Read“HowtoGrowDuckweed.”–CLICKHERE.Infact,hereisalinktoatechnicalworkingpaperbyresearchersfortheWorldBank,DuckweedAquaculture,ANewAquaticFarmingSystemforDevelopingCountries,byPaulSkillicorn,WilliamSpiraandWilliamJourney-EmenaTechnicalDepartment,AgriculturalDivision.http://www.p2pays.org/ref/09/08875.htm#Morphology

Chapter5

FishHarvestingandRestockingFishTank

Tilapiaisalow-fat,white-fleshedfishthatissweet,fine-texturedanddoesn’ttaste‘fishy.’

BakedTilapia-Delicious

EnjoyyourTilapiabybaking,broiling,grillingorsteamingit.BecauseTilapiahasaverymildtaste,itistheperfectfishtomixwithawidevarietyofspicesandflavorstocreatesubtleorbolddishestosatisfythemostdiscriminatingpallet.

ThehistoryofTilapiaasafoodcanbetracedbackover4,500yearstoAncientEgyptwithitsoriginsintheNileRiver.TilapiahasbeencalledSt.Peter’sFishsinceearlyBiblicaltimesbecauseitisbelievedtobethefishthatJesusfedthemultitudesinthebiblicalparable.

ThefishusedinmostaquaponicssystemsaregenerallyTilapia.However,youcanusecatfish,orperhapsseveralfishdependingonavailabilityandyourStateregulations.Werecommendtilapia.

PLEASENOTE:WedoNOTrecommendgrowingtrout,bass,salmon,andotherfishwhichprefercoldwater.Theplantsinthefarmspreferwarmwater(78to80degreesF)insteadofcool(54degreeFwater).

ReleasingyournewbabyfishintoyourFishTanks:

Mosttilapiaaredeliveredinplasticbags.(RefertoPhoto1below).Placethebagcontainingthefingerlings(smallfish)inthetankwiththetopopenandoneofyourairstonesinthebagtooxygenatethewater.Afteranhour,placeagallonoffish-tankwaterintheplasticbagwiththefish.Aftertwohours,verycarefullyremovetheairstoneandgentlyreleasethefishintothefishtank.Holdthebagbythebottomcornersandslowlypullthebagupoutofthewater.Youcanfeedthefish-averysmallamountofflakeyfishfood-rightaway.

Photo1–FingerlingsinplasticbagPhoto2-Fingerlingsafterbeingreleased

Photo3:TooyoungtoharvestPhoto4:Harvestsize,11”inlength,yieldstwo4oz.fillets

Whensomeofthefishreach11inchesinlength,youcanbegintoharvestthem.Becausethefishgrowatdifferentrates,youwillhavefishintheFishTankthatare11+incheslong,alongwiththeirsiblingsthatareonly5to6incheslong.Becauseofthisdifference,theinitialharvestinghastobespreadoutoverabout3months.Afterthisfirstroundofharvestyouwillbeharvestingonaschedulethatworksbestforyou.Wehaveusedthreedifferentmethodsofharvestingthefish.Eachisdescribedbelow:

Photo5-FreshTilapiaFilletsPhoto6–Tilapiadrawing

Method#1

Ifyouonlywanttoharvestoneortwofishfordinner,youcanactuallycatchthemwithahookandline.Tilapiawillgrabanythingfallingintothewatersoifyousimplydropasmallhookontheendofalineintothewater,theywillgrabit.Hint,theyareREALLY

FASTsobepreparedtohavethemgrabthehooktheinstantithitsthesurface.Thisworksespeciallywellifthefisharehungry.Werecommendthismethodformostsmallinstallations,whenworkingwithsmallchildrenandtoreallyshowoff.

However,itdoesn’tmeanthatyouwill‘catch’thelargestfishthathavegrowntoharvestsizeifyouhavemanyfishinyourtank.Somewillbeharvestsize,andsomewillnotbeharvestsize.Wedon’trecommendyoucatchandreleasemorethanonefishatatimebecauseitwillSTRESSTHEFISHinthetankandifthey’restressed,theywon’teat.Iftheywon’teat,theywon’tpoop.Iftheydon’teat/poop,youwon’thaveenoughnutrientsforyourplantsinyourGrowTable.

Method#2

Placeahooptypefishnetabout8-12inchesdeepunderthesurfaceofthewaterandthenthrowsomefoodintothetankabovethenet.Ifyou’requickenough,youmaycatchoneortwofishonthefirsttry.Afterthat,theywillnotcometothefood.Theyarenotdumb.

Photo7and8:TheseareveryaccuratepicturesofTilapia.

Theycomeinavarietyofcolorsrangingfrompink/peachtodarkgray(mostcommon)toalmostblackornearlywhite.

Method#3

Thismethodmakesaninterestingassumption;thatyouarebothsmarterandfasterthanatilapia.Weneverusethismethodanymoreanddiscourageitsuseespeciallywhenpeoplearearoundbecausewebelievewearesmarterandfasterthanthefish,buttheymanagetoshowusupallthetime,soInolongeruseMethod#3.Havingsaidthat,youneedtwonetsthatareatleast14inchesacrossandhaveaflatsideawayfromthehandle.Apoolcleaningnetactuallyworkswellifyouuseashorthandle.

Withonenetasclosetothebottomofthetankaspossibleandfacingtoyourleft,(rightifyouinsist)andwiththeothernet,herdthefisharoundtothefirstnet.Whentherearefishinthefirstnet,liftbrisklyoutofthewaterandadmireyourcatch.Ifyouthoughtthiswaseasy,counthowmanytimesyouhavetorepeatthisprocesstocatchonefish.Remember,theexperthere,neverusesthismethod.IhavepeopletellmetheyaresuccessfulatdoingthismethodandIaskforavideo.Ihaveneverreceivedone,yet.‘Nuff’said.

Method#4

TheCommercialMethodisthepreferredmethodbecauseitishasbeenprovenovertime.

Plus,thismethodiseasyonyou,easyonthefishandyoucansortthefishasyouwork.

YouwillneedasecondAuxiliaryTankofthesamecapacityastheFishTanktomovethemajorityofthewateroutoftheFishTanktofacilitatetheharvestingofthefish.Inmostinstanceakiddiepoolworkswell,aslongasitscapacityisthesameorlargerthantheFishTank.YouwillalsoneedaSumpPumptopumpthewateroutoftheFishTankandintotheAuxiliaryTankandthenbackintotheFishTankagainwhenyou’refinishedharvesting.Youcanuseahighcapacityfountainpumptomovethewateralso.Thenyougettomovethesumppumporfountainpumptotheauxiliarytanktomovethewaterback.Itisuptoyouhowthewaterismoved.

MakesuretheAuxiliaryTankisatleastthecapacityoftheFishTankandisplacedonalevelsurface.Checkitagain.Becarefulalsothatyouhavesomewaytokeepthesidesonthekiddiepool(ifthistheauxiliarytankofchoice)standingupuntilithasabout6inchesofwaterinittosupportthesides.

PlacetheSumpPumpintotheFishTankandplacetheopenendofthehosethatisconnectedtotheSumpPumpintotheAuxiliaryTankandstarttheSumpPumprunningtoreducethewaterlevelintheFishTank.

Thistransfertakesawhilesomonitoritcarefully.Thefishwillactconfused,buttheyarenotterriblystressed.Thewaterwillsimplybecomeshalloweralittleatatime,andthefishwilltendtocongregatealongtheedgesofthefishtank.

ReducethewaterlevelintheFishTankdownto1½”deep.Byreducingthewatertothislevel,itallowsyoutoeasilyseethefishyouwanttoharvest.Italsoforcesthelargerfishtoleanoverontheirsideandthatslowsthemdownconsiderably.Onlyharvestthefish11incheslongandlargerandleavetherestofthefishintheFishTank.Themostimportantaspectofthismethodisthatthefishcannotswimawayfromthenetnearlyasfastwhenthewaterisdeeper.Almostanytypeofnetworkswellforthismethodaslongastheopeningsinthenetareaninchorlessissize.Refrainfromstartingtheactualremovalofthefishuntilthewaterhasreachedthepredetermineddepth.Thiswaterreductionmethodalsoreducesthestressonofthefishandonthepeopleinvolvedintheharvesting.

Afterremovingallofthefull-sizedfishfromtheFishTank,movetheSumpPumptotheAuxiliaryTank,placetheopenendofthehoseintotheFishTankandpumpthewaterbackintotheFishTank.AgainwatchthisprocesscloselytomakesureasmuchwateraspossibleflowsbackintotheFishTank.

HarvestingthefishusingthisMethodnormallyrequiresthreeroundsofharvestingoveraperiodofthreemonthsfromthesamebatchoffish.Theremaystillbeafewfishthatarelessthanthe11”forharvestsizethatareleftintheFishTankafterthethirdharvest.Youcansimplymovethemtoadifferenttank(ifyouhaveothertanks)ofsimilarsizedfish,orleavetheminplaceandaddyournewfingerlingsintotheFishTanktostarttheprocessagain.

Restocking:

IntroducingnewfingerlingsintoFishTankwithexistinglargerfishcanbealittlescary.WhenyouhavecompletedthesecondharvestoffishfromthetankandstillhaveaggressivetilapiaintheFishTankandwanttointroducemorefingerlings,hereistheprocess.

Afteryoufeedthelargerfish,placethebag(Photo1)withthenewfingerlingstomatchthetotalnumberharvestedintothetanktoequalizethetemperature.Afteranhour,placesomeofthewaterfromtheFishTanksintotheplasticbagandthenveryslowlyletmorewaterintothebagbysubmergingit.Thencarefullygrabthebottomcornersintwohandsandgentlypullthebagoutofthefishtankbythebottom.Makesurenofingerlingsaretrappedinthebag.That’sit.(Photo2)

TilapiaareNOTcarnivores,however,theywilloccasionallyeatafingerling,butusuallyitisamistakebecausethefingerlingmovedtoofast.ThefingerlingsadapttotheFishTankveryquicklyandthelargerfishdonotbotherthem.Feedthebabiessomeflakefoodimmediately.Thelargerfishwilleatsomeofitbutitstartsthebabiesoffwithsomefood.

TwodifferentsizegroupsoffishtheFishTankpresentsaproblematfeedingtime.Thelargefishareaggressiveandwilleatanyfoodavailable.Thebabiesneedtobefedseveraltimeseachday.Hereistheinterimsolutionuntilthebabiesaretwotothreeincheslong:Directions(below)arefeedingdirectionsAFTERyourestockyourfishtankwithfingerlings:

Feedtheregularfishandthebabyfish(fingerlings)theirfishchowfeed(thisfeedresemblesdogfood)andfeedbothsizefishatthesametime,butfeedthem1/3ofwhatyouwouldnormallyfeedthem–andfeedthemthreetimesperday.(Reminder,donotfeedyourfishafterdark).

Youwillusetheregularsizedfishchowfeedalongwithahandfulofgroundfishchow(samechowbutground)whenyoufeedthefish.

Grindalargebowloffishchowbyplacingitinabagandusingahammertomakethepiecessmallerorbyusingagrainornutgrinderandsetforcoarsegrinding.Hereisanexampleofagraingrinder.Keepaseparatecontainerofgroundfishchowfeednearyourfishtankinasealedcontainerwithitsownscoop.

Useascooptofeedyourfishsoyourhandsdon’ttouchthefishchowandintroducethepossibilityforthespreadofbacteriaorpathogens.

Again,feedthefish1/3theamountyouwouldusuallyfeedthemateachfeeding.

Continuethissplit-feedprocessforafewweeksandthenreducetotwice-a-dayfeedings.

Chapter6

FishProcessingtoPreparetheFishforCooking

AndasaSPECIALBONUSforAmazonandKindleReaders,10TilapiaRecipesfromPhyllisDavis’cookbook,TenTantalizingTilapiaRecipestoTitillateYourTasteBuds©

Weusetheword‘processingthefish’insteadof‘killingthefish’outofrespectforouraquaticfriends.

Ontoprocessingthefish:

WesuggestyougoonYouTubetoseelotsofwaysto‘preparefish.’Hereareacoupleofmethodsweuse.Here’samethodweagreewithanduseourselvesonYouTube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOTNTN8IFOwAfterthefishisdead,youwillneedtodecidewhatthefinishedproductwillbeforeachfish.

Forexample,areyougoingtofilletitorsimplycleanandcookthewholefishonagrillorintheoven?

Ifyouarefilletingthefish:PLEASEUSEAFILLETKNIFE.Scalingthefishisunnecessaryifyouarefilletingit.Makeacutdowneachsideofthebackfinfromthebackabovetheeyestothecaudalpeduncle(areaconnectingthetailtothebody).Makeacutfromthetopofthebackdownbehindthegillstotheareabelowthegills.Carefullycuttheskinoffdowntothebaseoftheribs,allthewaybacktothecaudalpeduncle.Cutthefilletofftheareafromthebackbonetothemiddleoftheribs.Voila,fillet.Repeatontheotherside.

Here’saYouTubevideoofaguywhodoesagreatjoboffilletingatilapiawithanelectricknife.Thisisdoneafterthefishhasbeenkilledandgutted.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fO56P4n5A24Guttingthefishisdonebymakinganincisionfromtheareawherethegillsmeetonthebottomofthefish,backtothevent.Openthecavityandremovetheintestinesandwashthecavitythoroughly.Thisvideoshowshowtofilletafish(notaTilapia,butasalt-waterfish)butthetechniqueisthesame.http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=ZVI9nP2U8gcOurfavoritewaytopreparethefishistoscaleandgutthemandgrillthemwhole.Makesureyouscalethemwelloryouwillbepickingscalesoutofthemeat.Garnishwithlemonjuiceandlayonthegrill.Yum.

BonusSectionAddedForAmazonAndKindleReaders–10RecipiesforTilapia.

10TantalizingTilapiaRecipestoTitillateYourTasteBuds©

RecipescreatedbyPhyllisDavis,Co-Inventor,PortableFarms®andAmateurChef

TwoforBakedTilapia

TwoforGrilledTilapia

TwoforFriedTilapia

TwoforSteamedTilapia

OneforTilapiaTacos

OneforTilapiaCeviche

Tilapiaisalow-fat,white-fleshedfishthatissweet,fine-texturedanddoesn’ttaste‘fishy’.EnjoyyourTilapiabybaking,frying,grillingorsteamingit.

EnjoyTilapiaasaLowCalorie,LowFat,HighProteinAlternativetoaSkinlessChickenBreast

*4ozTilapiafillet–105calories,1gramfat,23gramsprotein

*4ozskinlesschickenbreast–-140calories,2gramsfat,33gramsprotein

AlltherecipesinthissectionareQUICKtoprepareandQUICKtocookandpreparedwithfairlycommonkitchenspices,butyou’llneedtomakearuntoyourlocalmarketforfreshingredients.Theserecipeswerecreatedforthisbookbecausetheyareallperfectforthebusypersontoprepareahealthy,nutritious,fresh,tastymealforahungryfamilyofallages.

BecauseTilapiahasaverymildtaste,itistheperfectfishtomixwithawidevarietyofspicesandflavorstocreatesubtleorbolddishestosatisfythemostdiscriminatingpallet.

GarlicandLemonBakedTilapia

Ingredients:

4(4ounce)Tilapiafillets

5clovesoffinelychoppedgarlic

5Tablespoonsofoliveoilor5TablespoonItalianDressing

4Tablespoonslemonjuice

¼Teaspoonsalt

¼Teaspoonpepper

Directions:

1.Preheatovento400degrees.Layapieceofaluminumfoilinthebottomofamediumsizedbakingpanandconformfoiltotheinsideofpanleavingedgesoffoilspreadoutandnottuckedunder.Greasealuminumfoilwithcookingsprayoroliveoil.

2.Placefilletsinbakingpan.Ifskinisstillononesideoffish,placeskindowninpan.

3.Inasmallskillet,quicklysautéoliveoil(orItaliandressing)withgarlic,lemonjuice,saltandpepperoveramediumheatuntiltender-2minutes.

4.Pourhotsautéedmixtureovertopoffilletsinbakingpan.

5.Placeanotherpieceofaluminumfoiloverthefishinthebakingpanandsealtheedgesoftheupperandlowerpiecestogetheruntilthefisharesealedwithinthefoil.

6.Bakefor20minutes.

Servewithriceorpotatoes,coleslaw,hotgarlicbreadandchocolatebrowniesfordessert.

Serves4

CrunchyTilapia…andaSecretChutneyThatWow’s‘EmEveryTime

Ingredients:

4(4ounce)Tilapiafilletscutinto2or3inchstripseach

1Cupoat-brancereal(evencornflakeswillwork)

1Teaspoonfreshordriedbasilleaves

¼Teaspoonsalt

¼TeaspoonPepper

¼Cupmilk(skimorwhole)

3Tablespoonsoliveoil

SecretTilapiaChutneythatWOW’s‘emeverytime

Ingredients:

1/3Cupsourcream

1Teaspooncrushedorcreamyhorseradish(ormoretotaste)

3Tablespoonsoffreshlychoppedcilantro

3Tablespoonsofanymixtureofthefollowingchoices(useafoodprocessorifyouhaveone):crushedcashewnuts,choppedredorgreenbellpepper,slicedolives,choppedonion,gratedcarrots,orchoppedbroccoli.

(Optional)Lemonorlimejuice.Ifyouwanttospiceitup,addadashofcayennepepperoradashofTabascoorCholulaSauce.

Directions:

1.Preheatovento400degrees.

2.Greaseorsprayamediumsizedbakingpan.

3.Crushcerealinasmallbagwitharollingpinormixinafoodprocessor.

4.Inonemixingbowl,mixcereal,salt,andpepper.

5.CutTilapiafilletsinto2to3inchstrips.

6.Inanothermixingbowl,pourinmilkthendipeachofyourTilapiafilletsintothemilk.

7.MovethemoistTilapiafilletsfromthemilkintothemixingbowlwiththecereal,saltandpepperandbreadbothsidesofthefish.

8.PlaceyourbreadedTilapiafilletsintothebakingpananddrizzleoliveoilevenlyovertheTilapiastrips.

9.Bakeuncovered15to17minutesuntilthefishflakeseasilywithafork.

10.Whilefishisbaking,mixandblendallingredientsfortheSecretTilapiaChutneyinasmallbowl,andwhenyouservethefish,servethechutneyonthesideofthefishoneachplatewithalemonwedge.

ServeyourCrunchyTilapiawithpintobeans,boilednewpotatoes,HushPuppiesorcornbread,andlemonorcoconutmeringuepiefordessert.

Serves4

GrilledTilapia-Bar-B-QStyle

WeallloveBar-B-Qing!Whetheryou’recookingwithhotcoalsoragasflame,you’llneedtoknowa3secretsbeforeyoucookyourTilapia

1)Yourgrillshouldbecleanwithnoleftoverfoodparticlesfrompreviousfoodtoavoidalteringthetasteofthefish,orhavingthefishsticktoyourgrill.

2)Sprayyourcleangrillwithcookingoilspraypriortoplacingitonthefire(whilethegrillisatroomtemperature).

3)Whetheryou’recookingwithhotcoalsorgasflames,raisethelevelofgrillashighaspossiblesoyourfishdoesn’tcooktooquickly,orsticktothegrillanddryout.

4)YoucanalsogrillawholeTilapia(oranyfish)inastainlesssteelcookingcageplaced

onthegrill.

CaliforniaStyleGrilledTilapiaOverHotCoalsoraGasGrill

Ingredients:

2wholeTilapiaor6(4-ounce)fillets

MarinadeIngredients:

1Cupofoil-preferablyoliveoilbut,youcanalsousevegetableoilorevenItaliandressing.Hereisalistofhealthycookingoils:oliveoil,canolaoilflaxseedoil,peanutoil,saffloweroil,sunfloweroil,andcornoil.Avoidvegetableshortenings,butter,andcoconutoilbecausetheyareloadedwithtransfatsandsaturatedfats.

3Tablespoonslemonorlimejuice

1TablespoonsofItalianSpicesororegano¼Teaspoonblackpepper

¼Cupredbalsamicvinegar,oryoualsoaddredorwhitewineinsteadofvinegar

½Cupchoppedparsley

2clovesoffinelychoppedgarlic

(optional)Ifyou’dliketoaddsomespice,add2dashesCholuluHotSauceorTabascoSauce

The(above)ingredientscreateaneasymarinateforyourTilapiabeforeyoufireupyourgrill.Marinadethefishorabout45minutesintherefrigerator.Bythetimethecoalsarehot,yourTilapiawillhavemarinatedinadelicioussoupofoilandspicesandreadytocookandserve.

Directions:

Elevateyourgrillashighasyoucanplaceitawayfromtheheatsource.Ifyourcoalsareveryhot,you’llgenerallyonlycookawholefishabout4to5minutesoneachside(dependingontheweightofthefish)andcookthefilletsabout3minutesoneachside.Avoidovercooking.Ifyou’recookingwithagasgrill,keepyourflameatamediumtemperatureduringcooking.

Servewithcornonthecoborabakedpotato(cornandpotatocanalsobecookedonthegrillatalowerheatforalongertime),bakedbeans,salad,andwatermelonfordessert.

Serves6

Bar-B-QTilapiawithaTexasTwist

Ingredients:

2wholeTilapiafishor6or8(4-ounce)TilapiaFillets

1CupBar-B-Qsauceofyourchoice

2or3choppedgreenonions.

CreateaneasymarinadebeforeyoufireupyourgrillandletyourTilapiafilletssoak.Bythetimethecoalsarehot,yourTilapiawillhavemarinatedinadeliciousbathofBar-B-Qsauceanditwillbereadytocookandserve.

Ifyou’reinterestedinpreparingyourownBar-B-QSaucefromscratch,therearemanyrecipesincookbooksorontheInternet.And,youcanalsobuymanytastyBar-B-Qsaucesatyourlocalgrocerystoreforthisrecipe.

Forthepast30years,ourfamilyhasenjoyedusingOriginalWoody’sCook-InBarbequeSauceConcentrateforoutdoorgrilling.Woody’sBar-B-QSauceisauniqueblendoftomato,mustardandonion.It’snotsweet,andithasaTexaskick.Italsohasasmokysmell,andwhenwe’regrilling,ourneighborscansmellit’sinvitingfragranceablockaway.Youcancontrolthespicebyaddinglesssauceandmoreoliveoiltoyourmarinade.LinkforWoody’sCook-InBarbequeSauceConcentrate:http://www.woodyscookin.comTheyalsohaveazip-codesearchontheirwebsitethatshowsthelistofretailerswhocarrytheirproductinyourneighborhood.

Directions:

1)Addthechoppedgreenonions,Bar-B-QSauceofyourchoice,andTilapiainadish(largeenoughtoholdmarinadeandfish)andallowthemalltomarinadewhilethecoalsintheBar-B-Qpitareheating.Youdon’tneedtomarinadefishtoolong.Ifit’stoowarmonthebackporchwhereyou’regrillis‘heatingup’,putyourmarinatingfishintherefrigeratoruntilyou’rereadytocook.

2)Elevategrillashighasyoucanplaceit,awayfromtheheatsource.Ifyourcoalsareveryhot,you’llgenerallyonlycookyourTilapiafillets3minutesoneachside.Ifyouaregrillingwholefish,cook3-4minutesoneachside(dependingonthicknessoffish),withskinsidedownfirst,andthenturncarefully.Avoidovercooking.Ifyou’recookingwithagasgrill,keepyourflameatamediumflameduringcooking.Avoidovercooking.

Servewithpintobeans,guacamolesalad,tortillas(cornorflour)andpecanpralinesfordessert.

Serves6

FriedTilapia

WhenfryingTilapiawithgreaseoverahotflame,herearesomesecretstoassureasuccessfuldish:

1)Hereisalistofhealthycookingoils:oliveoil,canolaoilflaxseedoil,peanutoil,saffloweroil,sunfloweroil,andcornoil.Avoidvegetableshortenings,butter,andcoconutoilbecausetheyareloadedwithtransfatsandsaturatedfats.

2)Heatyourgreaseuntilit’sHOTandthenwhenyouputyourfishintocook,lowertheheattomediumhigh.Tilapiafilletsaregenerallynotthick,andyourfishcooksquickly.

DeepFriedBeerBatterTilapia

Ingredients:

8to10TilapiaFillets(4to6ounceseach)cutinto2inchstrips

8Tablespoonsoflemonorlimejuice(freshlysqueezedjuiceworksbetterthanconcentrate)

½Cupchoppedparsley

6Tablespoonsoliveoil

¼Teaspoonsalt

¼Teaspoonpepper

1Cupoilfordeepfrying.

BeerBatterIngredients:

3largeeggyolks

½Cupbeer

¾Cupflour

½Tablespoonsalt

½Tablespoonbakingpowder

Directions:

1)CutTilapiafilletsinto2inchesstrips(themoreevenanduniformtheyare,thenicerthepresentationandthestripswillalsocookuniformly).

2)PutalltheTilapiastripsinabowlwiththelemonorlimejuice,parsley,oliveoil,andaddsaltandpepper.

3)Inanotherbowl,mixeggyolksandbeerandaddflour,saltandbakingpowderandmixuntilsmoothwithnolumpsinthebatter.

4)Begintoheatoilfordeepfrying.

5)Dippiecesoffish,individually,intothebeerbatter,andthenlayordropthemintomediumhotoil.

6)Again,cookovermediumheat.Turnthefishstripsoverafterthreeminutesoruntilgoldenbrownallover.Cook3minutesoneachside.Ifyoumaketheoiltoohot,itwillsmoke,andyourbeerbatterwillcookbeforeyourfishcooks.

7)Drainstripswellandservehot.

ServewithFrenchfriesorbakedpotatowedges,cornonthecob,bakedbeans,garlicbread,tartarsauce,lemonwedges.Servewithcherryorapplepiefordessert.

Serves6

SouthernFriedTilapia

Ingredients:

4(4-ounce)Tilapiafilets

1½Cupscornmeal

⅓Cupflour

2Tablespoonsfreshordriedparsley

¼Teaspoonsalt

¼Teaspoonpepper

¾Cuphealthycookingoilsuchas:oliveoil,canolaoilflaxseedoil,peanutoil,saffloweroil,sunfloweroil,andcornoil.Avoidvegetableshortenings,butter,andcoconut.

(optional)Cayennepeppertotaste

Directions:

1.Beginheating½cupcookingoilinaskillet/fryingpanuntilit’sveryhot.RightbeforeyouputtheTilapiafilletsinthegrease,droponedropofwaterinitandifit‘popsandsizzles’,it’shotenough.

2.Mixthecornmeal,flour,parsley,salt,pepperandcayenne(optional)togetherinamediumsizedmixingbowlbybeatingmixturewithawhiskorfork.

3.WashtheTilapiafilletsoneatatime,layeachoftheTilapiafilletsinthecornmealmixtureinthemixingbowlandcoatbothsidesofthefillet,andshakeofftheexcessandthenIMMEDIATELY,placeeachofthefilletsintothehotgrease.

4.Lowertheheatsinyourpanafterall4filletsareinthegreaseandcook3minutesoneachsideuntilgoldenbrown.Iffiletsarethick,addoneminutetocookingtime.

5.Whenyoutakethefilletsoutoftheskillet,placeonpapertoweltodrainthegrease.

Servewithblack-eyedpeas,freshgreenbeans,slicedtomatoes,tartarsauceandlemonwedges,hotbiscuitsordinnerrollsandchocolatecakefordessert.

SteamedTilapiaRecipes

Becausesomanypeopleareinahurrytopreparemeals,andthey’recalorieconscious,steamingfishisthehotnewrage.Afterall,hotsteamcooksquicklyandcleanupisfastandeasy.You’renotlimitedtoablandtastingfishbecauseyousteamcook,infact,youcanaddyourspicesandevenquickcookingvegetablesandthey’llcookrightalongwithyourfishtocreateafastanddeliciousdish.

Ifyoudon’thaveasteamer(liketheoneabove),youcancreateyourownfishpoacher/steamerbyputtingagrillinthebottomofaroastingpanorrollingupafootofaluminumfoilintoalongcurlytubeandplacingyourfishontopit.Or,youcanbuyabamboosteamer(leftphoto)foryourfishorplacingastainlesssteelcookingcage(below)

inroaster.You’llonlyneedaninchorsoofwaterinthebottomofthepan.Afterall,wewantsteamfromthewatertocookyourfish.Bamboosteamersareinexpensive(around$15dependingonsize)andrangefromsixinchestotwelveinchesindiameter.TheycanbepurchasedatsuchstoresasSears,Target,Wal-Mart.

YoucanalsosteamawholeTilapia(oranyfish)inastainlesssteelcookingcageplacedinsidealargeroastingpan(likeaturkeyroaster)withwaterinthebottomandplacedinanoven,oryoucanalsoplaceonanoutdoorgrill.

GingerTilapia

Ingredients:

1wholeTilapiafish-1¼poundsor4to5(4ounce)fillets

3Tablespoonssoysauce

3Tablespoonsoliveoil

¼Teaspoonblackpepper

¼Teaspoonsalt

1inchofgratedginger-choppedorsliced

6greenonionschoppedinsmallbites

4to5tablespoonssesameoil(canalsobespicy-hotsesameoil)

Directions:

1.Preheatovento400degrees.

2.Ifcookingwithawholefish,washfish,andcut4diagonalslicesinfish.

3.Inasmallsautépan,addoliveoil.Heatoilandaddsalt,pepper,ginger,andonionsintotheoilandsautéfor2minutes.

4.Placefishinsidesteamer.

5.Pourmixturefromsautépandirectlyoverfish,andputlidonpanthenputinhotoven.

5.Bakefor18minutes.

6.Whenthefishiscooked,takeitout;putitonaservingtray.

7.Beforeserving,heatsesameoilinaskilletuntilitisveryhot(watchsoitdoesn’tgettoohotandsmokeupyourkitchen).Afterremovingfishfromoven,pourthehotoiloverit.Remember,it’shotoil,andhotoilsplatterseasily,sogoslowlyanddon’tburnyourself!

Servewithedamame,avarietyofstir-friedvegetablessuchascarrots,mushrooms,sweetpotatoes,greenbeans,greenpeppers.ServewithJasmineorbasmatiriceandlemonsorbetfordessert.

Serves4

SteamedLemonTilapia

Ingredients:

4(4ounce)Tilapiafillets

Juiceof1lemonor¼Cupoflemonconcentrate

¼Teaspoonblackpepper

¼Teaspoonsalt

2Tablespoonsofoliveoil

Directions:

1)Preheatovento400degrees.

2)Createashelloutofaluminumfoil,spraytheinterioroftheshellwithcookingspray.

3)PlacetheTilapiafilletsinthecenteroftheshell,putthelemonjuiceonthefish,thentheoil,andthenaddthesalt,pepper.

4)Closethefoilshellsotheedgesarelooselyheldtogether,butthesteamcanstillgetinsidetheshelltocookthefish.

5)Putasmallamountofwaterinbottomofabigskilletorroastingpan.

6)Placethefoilshellinthemiddleofthebigskilletorroastingpanandcoverwithlidtokeepthesteaminsidethepan.

7)Cookfor20minutes.Ifyouhavemorethan4filletsinshell,cookslightlylonger,checktofishtomakesureisflaky(withafork)beforeremovingandserving.

ServewithBrusselssproutsandpearlonions,spaghettisquash,ahotandcrispyFrenchbaguetteandfreshberriesfordessert.

Serves4

TilapiaCeviche

ThecitricacidthatisinthelimejuiceusedtomakeCevichecreatesachemicalprocesscalleddenaturation.TheacidiclimejuicechangestheproteinsintheTilapia,unravelingthemoleculesandalteringtheirchemicalandphysicalpropertiesandturnsthefleshfirmandopaque,asifithadbeencookedwithheat.Itdoesn’tkillbacteria,butitdoes‘cook’theproteinsinthefishandchangeit

Ingredients:

4(4ounce)Tilapiafilletscutinverysmallsquaredcubes

5Freshlysqueezedlimes(rollthelimesbeforesqueezingtoproducemorejuice)

4Clovesfinelychoppedgarlic

5Ripemediumtolargetomatoes

1Teaspoonoregano

½Cupchoppedredonion

½Cupchoppedcelery

¼Cupchoppedgreenpepper

½Cupchoppedcilantro

¼Teaspoonsalt

¼Teaspoonpepper

(optional)1Cupchoppedavocado

(optional)dashofCholulaHotSauceorTabascoSauceforspice

(optional)choppedgreenorblackolives

Directions:

SoakthecubedTilapiasquaresin¾ofthelimejuicefor3hoursintherefrigerator.Drainofftheliquidanddiscardtherestofthejuice.Mixthefishwiththegarlic,tomatoes,onion,cilantro,oregano,greenpepper,andtheremaininglimejuice.

Servewithhotflourorcorntortillas,orwithtortillachipsandguacamole.Canbeservedasanappetizerorasamaincourse.Servetapiocaorbreadpuddingfordessert.

Serves4

TilapiaTacos

Ingredients:

1PoundTilapiafiletscutintosmall,square,bite-sizedcubes

2Tablespoonstacoseasoning(WeuseWickFowler’sTacoMixbecauseitdoesn’thavesugarinit.It’snotalwayseasytofindbutweorderfromtheInternet.It’sworththetrouble.It’snotexpensiveandgreatforotherrecipes.TherearemanyothergoodtacoseasoningmixesatmostgrocerystoressuchasLawry’s,French’s,OldElPaso,andOrtegaTacoSeasonings).

1Tablespoonfreshsqueezedlimejuice

1Tablespoonoliveoil

1Cupgreencabbage,chopped

1Cupredcabbage,chopped

½Cupfreshlychoppedcilantro

½Cupgreenonions,chopped

¾Cupnonfatsourcream

1Cupofyourfavoritesalsa(mild,mediumorhotinflavor)

(Optional)DashofCholulaHotSauceorTabascoSauceforspice

8(6-inch)Cornorflourtortillasoryoucanbuyasmallboxofcrispytacoshells

6Limewedges

Directions:

1.Inasmallbowl,mixtacoseasoning,freshlimejuice.

2)AddthecubedTilapiatothebowlandcoateachpieceoffish.

3)Inamediumsizedskilled,addcookingoilandheattoamediumheat.Then,addyourfishandsautéforabout5minutes.Youdon’tneedtocooklongbecausefishcooksquicklyandthepiecesaresmall.Whenthey’recooked,takethemoutofthegreaseandputthemonapapertoweltodrainthegrease.

4)Inanothermixingbowl,mixthe2cabbages,thefreshcilantrowiththegreenonions.

5)Inanothermixingbowl,mixthesourcreamandyourfavoritesalsa.IfyouwantyourTilapiaTaco’sspicy,thenaddhotsaucetoyoursalsaorbuythesaucealreadyseasoned.

6)PutcabbageinbottomonfirstlayerofyourTilapiataco,thenalayerofTilapiafishandthensomemorecabbageontop.Topitoffwithupafewtablespoonsofthesalsaandsourcreammixtureandsqueezeawedgeoffreshlimeontop.Foldituptoholdtheingredientsandeat.Andenjoy.Topitwithmoresalsa.

Servewithguacamole,freshsalsa,andtortillachips.Serveflanfordessert.

Serves4

Chapter7

FoodSafetyandTechnologyOn-FarmFoodSafetyfor

AquaponicsSystems

Alwaysweargloveswhenhandlinganythinginyourfarmwhichincludeshandlingfood,gravel,fish,fishfoodorareasaroundfishtanks.Always.Noexceptions.

Neverallowanyonewhosmokesinthefarm.ThetobaccoontheirhandsorclothescancreateTobaccoVirusinyourfarmandwipeoutmost(ifnotall)ofyourtomatoesandperhapsinfectotherbloomingcrops.

Avoidingbringingfoodintothegreenhouseforfearofspreadingfood-basedchemicalsthatwereusedincookingorraisingthatfood.

Avoidtrackingindirtormudintoyourfarm.Thegermsandpathogensinthedirtarefilledwithinsects.Somecommercialfarmsmayrequiretheuseofdisposablepaperslippersinthefarmtoavoidtheirworkersfrombringingindirtinthefarm.

Considervacuumingthefloorsinyourgreenhouseinsteadofsweepingthefloorsinthefarmtoavoidraisingthedustlevelinthefarm.

Ifyouhave‘screens’ontheoutsideofyourfarmandyourunintoproblemswithinsectsinyourfarmanddirtordustblowsconsistentlyinsideyourgreenhouse,considerusinganadditionalbreathabledust-proofscreencoverontopofthescreenstheavoidfinedust/dirtfromenteringthefarm.Dustscreensarecommontoprotectthosewithallergiesintheirhomes.

Washalltoolsyouusetoplantandharvestplantsaftereachusewithsoapandwaterbeforereusing.Theidealtoolstouseareofthehard-plasticvarietythatdonotrustandcanbeeasilywashedaftereachuse.

Ifyouseeanyplantthathasbugs,moldorlooksweak,removetheentireplantimmediatelyfromthefarmandreplantwithanewseedlingthesamedaytoavoidensuingproblemsfromtheplantssurroundingitintheGrowTable.

Alwaysusedrinkable(potable)waterinthefarmsfortheFishTanksandforanyother

usesinthefarm.

CheckthepHbalanceinyourfarmaminimumofonceaweektoassurethatthewaterlevelisbetween6and6.7(ideally)orashighas7butavoidapHreadingof7.2orhigheroryourplantscan’tabsorbnutrients.

CleanareasaroundtheFishTankandtheexposedPVCeveryweekwithasolutionofvinegarandwaterandacleancottontowelorpapertowel.Alwaysweargloveswhencleaning.

Ifleavesfallonthegravelfrombloomingplants,pickthemupsotheydonotdeteriorateontopofthegravelandbuildup.

Whenharvestingplantswithlargerootsystems(suchastomatoes)usethetroweltoremoveexcessiveroots(detritus)fromthegravelintheGrowTable.Youdon’thavetoremoveitallsinceitwill‘breakdown’overtime,butremoveexcessandthrowaway.

DoNOTkeepagarbagecaninsideornearyourfarmbecausegarageattractsinsects(ants,etc.)orbacteriainthefarm.Evenifyouhavealidonthegarbagecan,insectsinsidethegarbagewillflyoutfromthegarbagecantoyourfarm.

Whilekeepingantsoutofthefarmrequiresawell-sealedgreenhouse,antsstillappearoccasionallyinyourfarm.Whileafewantsdon’tlooklikeaproblem,remembertheycancarryaphidswiththemsofindouthowthosefewantsgotinthefarm,tracktheirsourceoutsidethegreenhouseifpossibleandpourboilingwaterovertheanthilltodiscouragefurtherantsinthefarm.Youcanalsoaddaboricacidandsugarsolutioninafewstrategic

locationsinsideandoutsidethefarmtokillthe‘queen’intheanthill.

Aquaponicssystemsareanexcellentfoodproductionsystemthatusesnutrient-richwaterfromfishculturetoirrigateandfertilizeplants.Aftertheplantshaveabsorbedthenutrients,thewaterisre-circulatedtotheFishTanks.Thiscombinationofaquacultureandhydroponicsrecyclesbothwaterandnutrients,resultinginanefficientuseofresources.However,whenfoodplantsaregrowninthepresenceoffishcultureeffluent,foodsafetyconsiderationsbecomeveryimportant.

WehaveincludedthisreportonFoodSafetyandTechnology,OnFarmFoodSafetyforAquaponicsSystemsbecauseitprovides‘standards’forassuringfoodandfishquality.ItalsoexplainsagreatdealabouttheneedforhighlevelsofcleanlinessandsanitarystandardsforaproductivePortableFarms®AquaponicsSystem.WehighlyrecommendyoureadthissectionCAREFULLYandremembertoALWAYSWEARGLOVESwhenworkinginthegravel,workingwiththeplants(plantingandharvesting),washingallutensilsinsoapandpotablewateraftereachuse,andmanymoregoodpracticesvitaltoasuccessfulPortableFarms®AquaponicsSystemswhereveryouliveintheworld.READANDPRACTICETHESEGUIDELINESWITHOUTFAIL.

Thislinkisdirectedtoaveryimportantreport,July2009(below)aboutfoodsafetyasitrelatestothefieldofaquaponics.ItisVERYIMPORTANT;afterall,youaredealingwithfishfecesandyoumustlearngoodpracticesforworkingwithanaquaponicssystem.Thisreportteachespracticesforharvestingfood,howtoreducehazardsinyourkitchenforanyfoodhazardsandmanyotherpointsrelatedtohumansanitation.PLEASEREADIT.PublishedbytheCollegeofTropicalAgricultureandHumanResources(CTAHR)and

issuedinfurtheranceofCooperativeExtensionwork,ActsofMay8andJune30,incooperationwiththeU.S.DepartmentofAgriculture.AndrewG.Hashimoto,Director/Dean,CooperativeExtensionService/CTAHR,UniversityofHawai‘iatMānoa,Honolulu,Hawai‘i96822.ReportbyBy-JimHollyer,ClydeTamaru,AllenRiggs,RuthEllenKlinger-Bowen,RobertHowerton,DarrenOkimoto,LuisaCastro,Tetsuzan‘Benny’Ron,B.K.‘Kai’Fox,VanessaTroegner,andGlennMartinez.

Forthelinktotheentiredocumentthatincludesgraphics:CLICKHERE.

Chapter8

GrowingHealthyPlantsandFishinYourAquaponics

System

Photo1:PhyllisDaviswith1headofBokChoyPhoto2:ColleDaviswith1headof

lettuce

Photo3:PhyllisDaviswith1stalkofKale

Bestadviceinthisdocument:ALWAYSBEPLANTINGSEEDS.ALWAYSBEHARVESTINGPLANTS.Youwillspendmoretimeonthesetwotasksthananythingelseinyouraquaponicssystem.

Pleasereadthisdocumentcarefully:Donotuseanychemicalsonyourplantsthatcouldharmyourfish.Therearemanyinnovatewaystoenhanceplantgrowth,promotehealthyplants(freeofinsectsanddisease),soplease,followtheinstructionsinthisdocument.IfyoucreateproblemsforyourplantsinyourGrowTables,youcanloseentirecropswithinyourcontainedstructure.

Bothmacronutrientsandmicronutrientsinverysmallquantitiesareessentialfortheplantsgrowninanaquaponicssystem.Mostofthesenutrientscomefromthefishwaste,whichhasbeencomedirectlyfromtheingredientsofthefishfood.Plantscanstillgrowwithalowlevelofnutrients,butthefoodwilllookandtastelessthanexpectedandthefruitingplantswillstruggletoblossomandproducegoodfruitandvegetables,andplantswillbemorelikelytosufferfrompestanddiseaseproblems.YouDONOTwanttheseconditionsinyourfarm,soreadthisdocumenttolearnhowtoadjustthepHlevelofyourwaterandthemacroandmicronutrientlevelsnecessarytoproducehealthfoodinyouraquaponicssystem.

WormCastingTea–Thequickandcleanmethod

Therearemanyvendorswhoofferorganicwormcastingsthroughouttheworld.Butityoucan’tfindorganicwormcastingsinyourarea,youcanorderthemfromus:http://portfarm.fatcow.com/store/page3.htmlThewormcastingswesupplyarepureorganicwormcastingsandnotvermin-compost.

Testingprovesthattherearemicroorganismpropertiesinthewormcastingteathatactasaninsectrepellentformanyinsectssuchasaphids,whitefly,spidermites,andothersmallbugsthateatplantjuices.Thisisduetoenzymereleasedinthewormteacalledchitinasewhichwilldissolvechitinwhichistheexoskeletonofaninsect.Althoughit’soptional,werecommendyouspraythe

plantsinyouraquaponicssystemonceaweekwithwormteatocreatehealthierplants.TherearetremendousbenefitsfromtheapplicationofWormCastingtea:

Safeforyourfish(averybigadvantage)

Itisnon-toxictoplants,fish,petsandpeople

Bysprayingthewormcastingteaonyourplants(undertheleavesaswellasontop)andonyourseedgarden,you’readdingnutrientsdirectlytoyourgrowingplantandmakingthemhealthierandminimizinganypotentialproblems

Sinceyou’resprayingtheleavesandfruit/vegetables,pathogenscan’tattackbecauseyou’readdingbeneficialmicrobes(veryimportanttohealthyplantgrowth)tothesurface

Wormcastingteausedasafoliatesprayisbeneficialasafunguscontrolasmorenitrogenisreleased.

Itcanalsobeusedforsuchproblemsasblackspot,blackmildewandtomatoblight

TestingprovesthattherearemicroorganismpropertiesinthewormteathatactasanINSTANTEOUSinsectrepellantformanyinsectssuchasaphids,whitefly,spidermites,andothersmallbugsthateatplantjuices.Thisisduetoenzymereleasedinthewormteacalledchitinasewhichwilldissolvechitinwhichistheexoskeletonofaninsect.

Antsdonotliketowalkoverwormcastingsorwalkoverareassprayedbywormtea.Itmaynotkillants,butitdoesrepelthem.The‘standard’methodofmakingwormcastingteaactuallyworkswell.Ittakesseveraldaystobrew,takesmorestepsandmakesgreatwormcastingteainmostcases.Ifyouhavetwenty-fourtoforty-eighthourstowastegettingyourteaready,usetheoldstandardmethod,remember,itworkswell.

TheWormCastingTeaMethodmakestwoassumptions:

YouhaveaFishTankorwaterthathasbeeninanopencontainerforovernight.(Hereisaquickandcompletewaytoremovechlorinefromwater–VitaminC(justplainwater-solubleascorbicacidwithnofancyadditivessuchasCitrusBioflavonoidsorRoseHips,etc.)attherateof1mgpergallonofwater.Wepickedupthistrickoncuringwaterfromourworkonourownaquaponicssystems.)

Youwanttobrewthewormteaupanduseitthesameday.

Thestandardmethodworksandyoucancertainlyuseittoyourplant’sadvantage.Wetendtobeinahurryallthetimeanddevelopedthisnewmethodtomatchourgroundspeed.

Ingredientsandequipment:

1cupofOrganicWormCastingsbecausetheyarenearly100%organic

10cupsofwaterfromyouraquarium,fishtankwaterorkitchentaporwaterfromagardenhosethathasbeentreatedwithVitaminC

Abuckettohold14cupsofwater(makesurethebuckethasnothadchemicalsinitpriortouse)

Lettheblendertodothework

Wiremeshstrainer(meshstrainerworksbetterthanaspaghetticolander)

Process:

Placefourtofivecupsofwaterintotheblender(thisprocessistoughonblenders,sobuyacheaponetouseonlyforthistypeofwork)

Turnontheblenderandletitrunforaboutaminuteatarelativelyhighspeedtoentrainairintothewateroxygenatingittotheover-saturationlevelbeforeaddingwormcastings

ReducetheblenderspeedtotheslowestspeedorshutitoffandcarefullyaddtheonecupofWormCastingsandturnitbackonsettolow

Replacethetopandruntheblenderatfullspeedfortwominutes

Turnofftheblender

Pourthemixtureintothebucketwith14cupsofwater

Stirthemixturethoroughlyintothewater

Letthemixturesitfor4hours–ifyouaresoinclined,youcanplaceanairstoneorairwandandrunairintothemixfromanairpump.Thisisnotactuallynecessary.

Strainthewormteamixturethroughcheeseclothorpapertowelplacedinameshstrainerintoaseparatecontainer–Thisgetsslowerandslowersoyoumanywanttostopandchangefilterstospeedupthestraining

Pourthestrainedliquidintosprayer–itisVERYblack

Spraytoyourplant’spleasure.

Note:Usetheremainingcastingsthathavesettledintothebottomofthebucketortheremainderofwhatwasinthestrainerbyplacingtheminyouryardatthebaseofaplantortree.

Sincetherearemanyvariableswithinyourstructuretoconsider,thereisnotasinglelistofsimplesolutionstosolveallproblemsbecauseeveryareahasdifferentissuesrelatedtowaterquality,rock/gravelcontent,cropvarieties,wind/weather/humidityissues,seasonoftheyear,choiceoffishusedinthesystem,andofcourse,thehumanelementoftheoperatorwhichissocrucialinthecareofyourfarm.Ifyourunintoproblemsthatarenot

listedinthisdocument,werecommendyouconsultwithalocalbotanistorbiologistwhomaybeabletoshedlightonyourspecificproblems.

TobaccoMosaicVirus

Sinceyoucannotuseanytypeofinsecticideinyouraquaponicssystem,youmustprotectyourplantsandfishfrompredatorsofanykind.NO,NOTEVENNEEMOIL.Werecommendthatanyonewhotouchesthegravelortheplantswearcleangloves,everytimetheyenterthefarm.WealsorecommendthatNOSMOKINGANDNOSMOKERSANDNOE-CIGERETTEVAPORSMOKERSEVERbeallowedtohandlethegravelorhandletheplantsforfearofintroducingthetobaccomosaicvirusintothefarm.ThisNOSMOKINGwarninggoesforthosewhousesmokelesstobacco(chewingtobacco,etc).

WealsorecommendallplantsaregrownfromseedbecausesmallplantsbroughtinfromnurseriesholdahighpossibilityforhavingbeenhandledbysmokersandaresusceptibletotheTobaccoMosaicVirusandtheymayalsocontainaphidsandotherpests.GROWFROMSEEDSONLY.Thisvirusattackstomatoes,cucumbersandpeppersandproducesbumpsontheleaves,unevencoloringandstuntedanddistortedfruit.

Formoreinformationaboutthetobaccomosaicviruswerecommendfurtherreading:http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/dg1168.html

http://www.avrdc.org/pdf/pepper/TMV.pdfAdjustingpHLevelsAquaponicsSystem

[TheletterspHabbreviationforpondushydrogeniitranslatedaspotentialhydrogen]

PleasemonitorthepHlevelinyourlettuceGrowTablesoften.IfthepHshoulddropbelow5.8orgoesabove8.5,youcreateariskoflosing(killing)fishandplants.

Lettuce,herbs,andspecialtygreens(spinach,chives,basil,chard,andwatercress)havelow-to-mediumnutritionalrequirements.IfyoudoneednutrientswhileadjustingpH,considerusingpotassiumhydroxide(KOH)andcalciumhydroxide(CAOH2)becausetheydonotincreasethesodiumsaltsinthesystem,whicharetoxictotheplantsandcan

causetipburn.Thesebasesprovideessentialnutrientstothelettuceplants.Potassiumandcalciumhelptoensurehealthyplantgrowth.

YourbasictestkitshouldcheckpH,ammonia,nitrateandnitrite.Whenyouinitiallyinstallyourfish,theammoniawillnaturallyincreaseovertime;however,oncethereisenoughammonia-oxidizingbacteria(AOB)inthewater(weektotendays),theammonialevelsshouldstarttodecrease.Nitritelevelsshouldnowstarttoincreasethenitrite-oxidizingbacteria(NOB)astheAOBstartstoconverttheammonia.Nitritelevelsshouldcontinuetodroptoalowleveldependingonthebalanceoffishandplantsinyourfarm.pHshoulddecreaseasthenitrificationprocessmakesthewatermoreacidic.ThisisimportantsomakesurethatthepHbalanceisascloseto7aspossibleforthenitrificationprocesstoworkproperly.

MonitorthepHofthewateratthesametimeofday.TakeyourwatersamplefromthewaterflowgoingintothefishtankfromtheGrowTable.

Afterafewmonthsinoperation,youraquaponicssystemmayseeadropinpHwhichmeansithasbecomemoreacidic,nowisthetimetoaddsomepHUPtobringthepHofyoursystemsbacktothemid-to-high6pHwhichisagoodplaceforyourfishandplants.

MoregoodsuggestionsforraisingandloweringpHlevelsinyourfarm:

Rememberthatbothammoniaandnitritecanbeverytoxictofish.Nitrateisnotquiteastoxictothefishandtheplantsuseittoproduceproteinandnucleicacids.

Overtime,thenitrificationprocesscancausethewatertobecomemoreacidicandthepHlevelstendtogodown.IfpHgoeslow,thewaterismoreacidicandneedstobecomemorealkaline.ThiscanbeaccomplishedbyaddingpHUPwhichiscontainsCalciumHydroxide(CaOH2).ToadjustyourpHdownyoucanusepHDown(thesearecommercialproductsandratedasorganic)JustaddalittleatatimeifyournutrientpHistoohighinordertolowerthepHtotheproperlevel.WerecommendtheproductpHDownavailablemanyplaces,butwepurchaseitonAmazon.com.

Startbyaddingaverysmallamountofthechemical(lowerthandirectionssuggest)intoalargebucketofwaterandthenadditslowly,overanentiredaytotheClarifier/SettlingTankifyouhaveoneorVERYcarefullytotheFishTankWHENTHEPUMPISRUNNING,soyoudon’tshockyourfish.Beverycareful.Addasmallamountofthepowdertoabucketofwater.Thenpouritintoyoursettling/clarifyingtankoveraprolongedperiod(likeaday).Remember,itisveryalkalinesodonotjustdumpitallquicklyintothesystem.

Thelongerasystemruns,thepHwilltendtostabilizeandyouwillonlyneedtoaddsomethinglikecalciumhydroxideorphosphoricacidoccasionally.

Ifyourfarmwaterislowinnitrates,youcanalsoadjustthefeedingofyourfishtoadjustwaterqualityinyourfarm.Ifyoursystemislowinnitrates,feedyourfishMOREfoodtobalancethesystem.Ifthereistoomuchammonia,decreasethefeed.

Occasionallyyourcleaningcyclewillbeoutofsyncwiththefishharvestingandsimplyfeedingyourfishmoreoftenhelps.Ifyouhaveveryfewfishthereisaquickmethodthat

willhelpincreasenutrientlevels,butyouhavetofollowdirectionscarefully:Turnoffthewaterpumpordothisafterapumpingcyclehascompeted.Withaboardorpaddleofsometype,stiruptheClarifier/SettlingTanksothewasteisswirlingaboutinthewater.Letitsettleforatleastanhour.Runthewaterpumpforanhouroronefulltripcycle.Resumethenormalcycle.Thisisastopgapmeasureandshouldnotbeusedveryoften.

Whatyouaredoingisfreeingupnutrientsinthesettlingtankforyourplantswhenthereareveryfewfishinthetank.Ifprocuringfishisaproblem,gobuy25to50feedergoldfishtogetthepoopgoingagain.

Chapter9

PestElimination

OrganicSolutionsforControllingAnyUnwantedInsectsinYourAquaponicsSystem

Photo1:WhiteFliesPhoto2:Caterpillar

Photo4:AphidsPhoto5:Ants

Photo6:Butterfly’scomeinthefarmandlayeggs.

Donotuseanytypeofinsecticideinyourfarmbecauseitcankillyouyourfish.Herearesomeorganicsuggestionstohelpcontrolanyproblemsyoumayhaveforcopingwithinsectsinyourfarm.Thebestsolutionfortheproblemofinsectsandotherissuesistokeepyourfarmclean,weargloves,andkeepthedoorclosedtokeepinsectsOUT.Ifaplantlooksunhealthy,pluckitoutofthegravelandreplaceitimmediately.Don’twaittoseeifitwillgethealthy,ifitlookssick,getitoutofthefarmFAST.Noexceptions.

Pleasenote:Thisisimportant)harvestfoodtheinstantit’sreadytobeharvestedanddonotleaveitintheGrowTable.Manyfungalinfectionsoccurduetolackofaircirculationaroundthebaseofplantssokeepthefoliageatthebaseoftheplantcutback.

Sinceweprovidetoursofourfarms,wehave‘waited’toharvestbecauseoffilmcrewsor

importantguestscoming‘inafewdays,’andwehavealwayscreatedproblemsforourselvesbywaitingtoharvesttheplantspasttheirharvestpeakandthendiscoveringafewinsectschewingonthedecayingrootswhenweremovedtheplantsfromtheGrowTable.So,here’sanimportantpieceofadvice:ALWAYSBEPLANTING.ALWAYSBEHARVESTING.Don’twaittodoeither.

FishHealth:

Wearehappytoreportthatweseldomlosefishinouraquaponicssystem.Wehavelostafew,butveryfewovertheyears.Onereasonisbecauseweprovidethemwithproperaeration,goodfood,insulationfromcoldorexcessiveheat,adequatesunlight,andwehavealwaysdoneourbesttokeepourfishfrombeingstressed.Whenfishbecomestressed,itlowerstheirimmunesystemandtheycanbecomesusceptibletodisease.Weweargloveswhenwefeedthemtoavoidhumanpathogensfromgettinginthewater.Wedon’tovercrowdourtanks.WeemptythelumpyfishwasteregularlywithaspecialdesigninourPortableFarms®sotheirwaterdoesnotfoulwithammoniabuildups.Wedon’tusechemicalsthatcouldharmtheminthesystem.Weaddmake-upwaterduringtimesofhotweatherbyplacingthehoseintheGrowTablesbeforeitcirculatesbackintotheirFishTank.Weevengivethemoccasionaltreatsofchoppedcucumberorlettucesgrowninthefarm.

Solutionstoaddressaphids,whitefly,tropicalsnails,thrips,caterpillars,redspidermite:

Werecommendtheuseofwormcastingtea(above)totreatbasicinsectproblems.

Donotuseorganicinsectspraysinyourfarm.Themajorityofthemhavepyrethrum-basedrotenoneandryania,orneemasingredients,allofwhichwillkillthefish.

Forants,mixa1½poundsofsugarand2.5tablespoonsofboraxorboricacidintoaquartofwaterandplaceitneartheopeningofanant’snestoncottonpadsplacedinoldcoffeecups(oremptyyogurtcupthat’sbeenwashedwell)andtheantswilltakeitbackintothenestandkillthequeen.Thissolutionmustbereplacedeveryweekuntilantsdisappear.Ifthatdoesn’tkillthenest,findthesourceoftheantsandpourboilingwaterdowntheholetokillthem.Plantpennyroyal,spearmintortansynearyourfarmtodiscourageants.

Youcanalsouseold-fashionedinsecttrapsbyfillingaglassbeveragebottle(likeaCokebottle),half-fullofvinegarhunginyourfarm.Thefliesgetin,drinkthevinegar,butcan’tgetoutanddrown.UseYellowStickyCardsorFlytrapsoutsideofventsordoortoyourgreenhousetodeterflyinginsects.

Insectandpestcontrolissosimplebutyoumustbevigilanttokeeptheinsectsoutandyourfarmawayfromyourfishtanks,GrowTable,Clarifiedandplantstocontinuetogrowhealthyfood.

DIYSimpleRecipeandDirectionsforFishFriendlyInsectControlSolution™ConcentratedFoliarSolutionforAquaponicsSystemsandOutdoorGardening

PFASLLC–CreatedbytheInventorsofPortableFarms®AquaponicsSystems

Thiseasy-to-makeandconcentratedFishFriendlyInsectControlSolutionusesamildcastilesoaptocontrolsmall,soft-bodiedarthropodsinaquaponicsandcanalsobeused(withamodificationintherecipe)foroutdoorgardens.

ColleandPhyllisDavishaveusedthissimpletechniqueinPortableFarms®AquaponicsSystemsforreducingandeliminatingwhiteflies,aphidsandmealybugsaswellasdiscouragingantsfromthefarms.Whilethissolutionwillnotkillantsoncontact,itdoesdiscouragethemfromreappearingafterrepeateduse.

“Howsoapsanddetergentskillinsectsisstillpoorlyunderstood.Inmostcases,controlresultsfromdisruptionofthecellmembranesoftheinsect.Soapsanddetergentsmayalsoremovetheprotectivewaxesthatcovertheinsect,causingdeaththroughexcesslossofwater.”-ColoradoStateUniversityInsectControl:SoapsandDetergents-byW.S.Cranshaw

PFASLLCRECOMMENDEDDirections:

Use1.5TablespoonsofDr.Bronner’sUn-ScentedBabyMildPure-CastileLiquidSoappergallonofwater.IfyoudonothaveaccesstoDr.Bronner’sSoap,useanypurecastilesoapthatisnon-scented.

PFASLLCrecommendslesssoapinanaquaponicssolutionthanuseinoutdoorgardenmixturestoprotectthefishinthetanks.Outdoorgardenmixturesmayuse2.5Tablespoonspergallonbutthatamountmayharmorkillthefishinaquaponicssystems.

Mixwell.Putsoapandwaterintoaspraycontainerandspraydirectlyonplantswhereinsectsarepresentasafoliarspray.Createarangefrom18”to24”fromthenozzletotheplant.Unlessaninsectiscoveredandmadewetwiththesolution,itwillhavenoimpactontheinsect.

Sprayontopandundersideofleaveswhereinsectsarepresent.

Aftersprayingsolution,letdryfortwohoursandthensprayplantslightlywiththemistfromagardenhose.

Forareasorplantsthatareinfestedwithinsects,repeatspraying/rinsingactionagaininfourtosevendays.

Applysolutionbetween6:00AMand10:00AM.

Donotsprayplantsifthetemperatureisabove85DegreesFasitwillcauseplantdamage.

Encourageplantstodryaftereachtreatmentbyturningonafantopromotedrying.

WARNING:KEEPOUTOFREACHOFCHILDREN–Flusheyeswellfor15minutes

withcleanwater.Ifirritationcontinues,seekprofessionalmedicalcare.

Dr.Bronner’sUn-ScentedBabyMildPure-CastileLiquidSoapisavailableatmanyretailoutletssuchashealthfoodstoresandWal-Mart.Itisalsoavailableonline.ActiveIngredients:95%Coconutoil,potassiumhydroxide,olive,hempandjojobaoils,citricacid,tocopherol.

ThisproductisfishfriendlyONLYifusedasrecommended.Ifthisproductisnotusedasrecommended,itwillkillfish.

Someplantsmaynotlikethesoapysolutionandtheplantscansufferfromphytotoxicitysotestoneplantinaninfestedareaandseeifitresultsininjuryfromspraying.AccordingtotheUniversityofFlorida:

PHYTOTOXICITYOFPESTICIDESTOPLANTS–D.E.Short,ExtensionEntomologistUniversityofFlorida

PlantDamageduetoapplicationofpesticidestoplantsisknownasphytotoxicity.Pesticidephytotoxicityappearsinseveralwaysonornamentalplants,butprobably5typesofdamagemostcommonlyoccur.

1).Burn—Thistypeofdamagemayappearonthetip,themargin,asspotsontheleafor

theentireleafsurfacemayappearburned.Thegrowingtiporbudmayalsobekilled.

2).Necrosis(ordeathoftheplanttissue)—Similartoburnandaffectingplantsinthe

samemanner.

3).Chlorosis(ayellowingorbleachingeffect)—Mayappearasspots,tipyellowing,oras

ageneralchlorosisoftheentireleaf.

4).Leafdistortion—Mayappearascurling,crinkling,orcuppingoftheleaf.

5).Stuntingorotherabnormalgrowth.