Today, IAF explores remediation of effects of large diurnal (between day/night) temperature swings in Aquaponics systems. Small (100 gal and under) systems are particularly vulnerable to quick changes in pH and temperature. Such rapid changes are detrimental to the entirety of the system:
* plants don’t metabolize nutrients, leaving nitrates in the water
* water quality suffers,
* fish feed less (produce less ammonia!) and are more prone to infections
* the biofilter (beneficial bacteria, which turn ammonia [fish waste] into nitrites, into nitrates [plant food]) can be injured, leaving ammonia in the water
* ammonia is MORE TOXIC at high temperatures
* DO (dissolved oxygen) drops, because Oxygen is less soluble as temperature increases
All of these factors mean that temperature fluctuations are a BAD THING. In this video, IAF shares this information, and walks through steps taken to remediate the damage in the current heat wave (100’F+ days, 55’F nights):
* Rotating Ice Packs by day, to keep water temperature from escalating too high
* Sadly, may have to use a heater by night, to keep water temp from dropping too low
* Added a bubbler + air stone, to ensure water has enough DO so fish can breathe easy
* Did a PWC (partial water change), which I try to avoid with Aquaponics, to flush out ammonia and ensure fish stay healthy.
In the context of the Grand Solar Minimum, and the highly irregular and increasingly extreme climate, this really speaks to INDOOR GROWING — AQUAPONICS will produce more reliably in a more controlled environment, without these fluctuations — which is what we want to ensure FOOD SECURITY.
YOU CAN DO THIS AT HOME! –And you should, to produce clean food for your family. It’s that or watch as the food prices continue to increase, and ultimately, the shelves empty completely.
Start taking daily steps NOW towards radical self-sufficiency so that you can thrive in the current Grand Solar Minimum / Little Ice Age.
We are seeing massive crop losses across the world due to the Grand Solar Minimum — ideally, we have alternative systems in place to produce food for our families and communities BEFORE the system collapses completely. What is happening now is historically what happens before famine.
Are you taking responsibility for your family thriving in the times ahead?
Please share with your friends information on the Grand Solar Minimum and the resulting climate disturbances we are experiencing, as well as intensification of the crop losses that have already begun.
We need multiple, redundant sources of food to ensure our food security. Evidencing this, following the Oregon Organic Standoff last month, a city in Australia has taken the step of DESTROYING 11 city blocks of productive food forest — 7 years of effort invested — that was providing fresh fruit and greens to over 200 people. The state is NOT here to ensure our food; only we can step up and take responsibility for the food security of our families and communities.
Please share with your friends information on the Grand Solar Minimum and the resulting climate disturbances we are experiencing, as well as intensification of the crop losses that have already begun.
START GROWING YOUR OWN FOOD TODAY TO ENSURE YOUR FOOD SECURITY!
IAF issues a sincere call to spread awareness of the Grand Solar Minimum we have entered and the importance of GROWING YOUR OWN FOOD, and, in sharing the message, building stronger, self-sufficient communities to thrive in the times ahead.
“Survival seed packs” do a disservice by implying a sense of food security, when in fact, it is the knowledge of how to grow food, save seeds for next year, and share this knowledge with a growing, self-sufficient community. IAF explores how to meet the most basic of human needs in a bottom-up (individual) model, without the state to provide for you.
Also in this video:
* hill your potatoes at 8-10″ high. potatoes are top of list of calorie-rich food.
* viewing spirulina algae at 1200x
Links visited in video ( via http://twitter.com/IceAgeFarmer ):
After several weeks of nitrates at zero, despite increasing feeding (and protein content), today I am introducing new fish to the Aquaponics system.
While balance (and patience!) is always the key in aquaponics, I prefer to establish that balance with a non-zero level of nitrates, which at least guarantees that this is not a limiting factor to plant growth. On the other hand, we want this balance to be relatively low, for fish comfort. Some folks like to run at 80-100ppm, so that if for any reason feeding must be stopped, there is at least a buffer of nitrates for the plants to burn through for a bit.
Fellow aquaponicians: where do you run your system?
YOU CAN DO THIS AT HOME! –And you should, to produce clean food for your family. It’s that or watch as the food prices continue to increase, and ultimately, the shelves empty completely.
Start taking daily steps NOW towards radical self-sufficiency so that you can thrive in the modern Grand Solar Minimum / Ice Age.
The Oregon Standoff reinforces the fact that we must TAKE DAILY STEPS towards securing our food sources: identify all sources of food, and constantly exercise your skills at producing food in any number of ways. The overreach of the global corporate fascist state complicates the process of becoming (and staying) self-sufficient as we see the system upon which most people depend to eat every day break down at every level: political, economic, and most significantly, due to the Grand Solar Minimum, climatic.
Start taking daily steps NOW towards radical self-sufficiency so that you can thrive in the current Grand Solar Minimum / Little Ice Age:
a period during which solar activity diminishes, resulting in drastic climatic and geophysical changes to our planet. These include increased galactic cosmic rays (GCRs), seismic activity, and volcanism; the latter often results in a global reduction in temperatures (see “the year without a summer” — and much more on the IAF wiki).