EcoRenovator  

Go Back   EcoRenovator > Improvements > Lawn and Garden
Advanced Search
 


Blog 60+ Home Energy Saving Tips Recent Posts Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 06-25-15, 10:35 PM   #201
pinballlooking
Super Moderator
 
pinballlooking's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: SC
Posts: 2,923
Thanks: 172
Thanked 564 Times in 463 Posts
Default

The tilapia are very aggressive eaters. The bluegills just hold back and eat after the tilapia.

Then the catfish waits to the very end and comes up and gets some food when everyone is not really eating much.

It is fun to feed them I did not realize how much I would enjoy feeding the fish with my youngest son.
He likes to put food on his finger and let them eat from his hand.

pinballlooking is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-26-15, 10:32 AM   #202
pinballlooking
Super Moderator
 
pinballlooking's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: SC
Posts: 2,923
Thanks: 172
Thanked 564 Times in 463 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Xringer View Post
That's a very explanatory graphic..
How long before Rampant Plant Growth ocurs?
This was a good question and the answer is now.
Each day I see a good amount of plant growth. It is amazing.

I think we need to put up some trellis for some of the plants this weekend.
pinballlooking is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-26-15, 10:53 AM   #203
pinballlooking
Super Moderator
 
pinballlooking's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: SC
Posts: 2,923
Thanks: 172
Thanked 564 Times in 463 Posts
Default

I will be putting in a couple solar collectors to heat the fish water in the winter. Their water will still need some heat in the winter at night or cloudy days.



I just ordered this vent free gas hot water tank. I know I have solar power and this is natural gas hot water. But this will also heat the greenhouse being vent free. When the greenhouse is closed up in the winter it needs some CO2 this will give the plants some CO2. Providing the plants CO2 can really help their growth.
This heater will be a closed loop system with I think a coil like this one.
1/2" x 50' Stainless Wort Chiller with Garden Hose Fittings.


I will need to get a digital heater temperature controller that will turn on and off a pump that will be in the closed loop for the water heater.


I will base my build kind of off the system that is sold for almost $1,400
AquaHeat Gas-Fired Heating System



Do they make plate heaters with no copper?
Which is more efficient plat heater or the coils like this one?


They sent me the install doc. They require a Plummer install it for warranty just like the big guys.
It is strange to turn it on they say 20 psi it is usually flow that turns them on not pressure.
I wonder if I will have an issue turning it on in a closed loop system with a low wattage pump.

Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	$_12.jpg
Views:	1239
Size:	41.9 KB
ID:	5508   Click image for larger version

Name:	Coil12.jpg
Views:	1456
Size:	17.5 KB
ID:	5509   Click image for larger version

Name:	p-2960-AHMAS01-2-100x80.jpg
Views:	1042
Size:	16.2 KB
ID:	5510   Click image for larger version

Name:	Rxc.JPG
Views:	1259
Size:	103.9 KB
ID:	5511  

Last edited by pinballlooking; 06-26-15 at 03:42 PM..
pinballlooking is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-27-15, 12:36 PM   #204
jeff5may
Supreme EcoRenovator
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: elizabethtown, ky, USA
Posts: 2,428
Thanks: 431
Thanked 619 Times in 517 Posts
Send a message via Yahoo to jeff5may
Default

The immersion coil should work for what you need it to do. If not, just another in the loop. You can get a brazed plate hx made of stainless steel, that would do the job better for less space and more cash. Just remember the BPHX will need a filter so the fish poop and food won't clog up the passages. The open coil will not.

I finally got to the grow store. I bought a quart of custom bloom and 8 oz of pH down. The Ph down is weaker than the Hcl I started out with, but is phosphoric and nitric acid blend. Both of these acids are plant food. Guaranteed NPK analysis is 1-5-0. For these 2 systems for the year, i might not even use the whole 8 oz if i switch to rain water.

Before pics from Monday:




During pics:




After pics today:



I set the pH on the solution before it went in the containers. It looks like the flower box mix i used has a lot of buffer in it. The petunias will green right up once I get the pH to settle around 6.0-6.3, it takes a couple shots of acid a few days apart to balance. I'm better off not adding too much at once, learned that one the hard way before.
jeff5may is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-27-15, 12:48 PM   #205
pinballlooking
Super Moderator
 
pinballlooking's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: SC
Posts: 2,923
Thanks: 172
Thanked 564 Times in 463 Posts
Default

Thanks good point. I will just get a open coil.
Wow your plants really liked that stuff. Big improvement.
pinballlooking is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-28-15, 07:26 AM   #206
jeff5may
Supreme EcoRenovator
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: elizabethtown, ky, USA
Posts: 2,428
Thanks: 431
Thanked 619 Times in 517 Posts
Send a message via Yahoo to jeff5may
Default

I had a very candid and shocking conversation with a partner/officer operator of the grow store. He was absolutely charismatic with his words. The main topic was about related systems (such as aquaculture) and product availability. The first thing out if his mouth was:
"Don't buy eBay or amazon crap, buy from us. Those two places almost killed this business. We will not compete with them, and we sell the same or better products. We do not serve the bottom feeders who would put us out. I have oodles of catalogs in the back office we can look through and set you up a grow space that will do better than the other guy, but if you want my support, you have to support me too."

Long story short, I left with a lot more than the twenty dollars worth of goods I purchased. A couple catalogs, a maximum yield magazine, some nutrients sample vials, and a new perspective on yet another industry trying to be crushed by the internet.

Moral of the story: support your local businesses. They are fighting for your business and their own existence every day.
jeff5may is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-28-15, 05:28 PM   #207
pinballlooking
Super Moderator
 
pinballlooking's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: SC
Posts: 2,923
Thanks: 172
Thanked 564 Times in 463 Posts
Default

The Plants are taking over the grow bed. So we are sending them up.
We build some trellis from a cattle panel and some conduit.
I need to add some plants my nitrates are too high. More plants would help take care of this.





We had these trellis left over for square foot gardening. We just had to get out the reciprocating and do some cutting. We did not use the cattle panel before but we wanted something that would last longer.

I had both my boys using the reciprocating we had enough cuts for them to start getting comfortable with it.

You never think about the safety features on my tools until you show someone young how to use a tool. These safety features make it hard for a young person use a tool.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	20150628_174618.jpg
Views:	1089
Size:	95.6 KB
ID:	5519   Click image for larger version

Name:	20150628_174721.jpg
Views:	1360
Size:	86.7 KB
ID:	5520  

Last edited by pinballlooking; 06-29-15 at 11:34 AM..
pinballlooking is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-29-15, 12:58 PM   #208
pinballlooking
Super Moderator
 
pinballlooking's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: SC
Posts: 2,923
Thanks: 172
Thanked 564 Times in 463 Posts
Default

I ordered a cheap controller for my closed loop hot water setup.
STC-1000 Digital Temperature Control Controller with Sensor. It is the same one they use but they charge $49.95.

AquaHeat Temperature Controller Thermostat - The Aquaponic Source

But Amazon $15.99 shipped plus $1 discount for a book. I don’t need it fast just acquiring the parts to put it together. This will turn on the pump when hot water is needed.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ilpage_o00_s00

Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	61BtP79LaxL__SL1000_.jpg
Views:	1053
Size:	145.6 KB
ID:	5522  

Last edited by pinballlooking; 06-29-15 at 01:57 PM..
pinballlooking is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-30-15, 10:22 AM   #209
pinballlooking
Super Moderator
 
pinballlooking's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: SC
Posts: 2,923
Thanks: 172
Thanked 564 Times in 463 Posts
Default

The plant seem happy to grow up they are already hanging on and climbing up.





Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	20150630_100222.jpg
Views:	926
Size:	114.9 KB
ID:	5526   Click image for larger version

Name:	20150630_100301.jpg
Views:	968
Size:	96.1 KB
ID:	5527   Click image for larger version

Name:	20150630_100312.jpg
Views:	945
Size:	105.2 KB
ID:	5528  
pinballlooking is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-30-15, 10:42 AM   #210
pinballlooking
Super Moderator
 
pinballlooking's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: SC
Posts: 2,923
Thanks: 172
Thanked 564 Times in 463 Posts
Default

I know I have been giving a lot of updates and that makes hard to see the plant growth over a period of time.
Here is an interesting picture. Same plants 9 days of growth now that my fish are eating good.


Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	Jume21_June30.JPG
Views:	1129
Size:	285.4 KB
ID:	5529  
pinballlooking is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:27 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Ad Management by RedTyger
Inactive Reminders By Icora Web Design