Aquaponics

[politicalcenter]

I have six pick up loads out back now. They are in two piles. I am hot composting them. Before I put the stuff in beds I'll test he compost for herbicide contamination. I'll test with a tomato plant. A man is giving me all I can carry off. I am planning on at least three orfour loads a week.

 

[knjinnm]

Rich and Steph
Sorry to hear that. :-(

 

[knjinnm]

PC
How are you "Hot composting" horse manure? We have two horses and would like to find away to compost manure but the stuff dries very quickly here in NM. It would be great to grind dry manure and mix it in the soil. Currently we use manure for berms to slow rain flow during the monsoon which starts in a couple of weeks.

 

[politicalcenter]

The first thing to do is to make sure your pile is not too small. It should be at least 3 ft. high but not higher than five feet. It should also be over three feet wide. The manure and bedding should be as damp as a wrung out sponge. To conserve water cover with a tarp or cap with soil or hay. Your carbon and nitrogen ratio should be in proportion. But horse manure is usually pretty close to ideal. Stack the manure and wet if needed. After about a month turn the pile inside out. When you first stack it up it should begin to heat after a day or so. There are plenty of videos that will cover it step by step.

 

[politicalcenter]

. A pick of my new pile.

. This is an older pile that has too much bedding in it. The new pile is manure that the horse owner just piled out back and left it. It is always hot when I put it on the truck so it will probably finish first but it all should be ready come spring.

this is my back pasture...nothing but rock. You can see my ground needs a lot of work.

 

[CertifiedChaser]

So I just started aquaponics this year and I've been doing it for a couple months now. Haven't read through this entire thread yet so forgive me if this question has been discussed but do you leave your pumps running through winter? I live in central Oklahoma and it can get below freezing pretty quickly here and I'm wondering if the pump will be fine.

 

[politicalcenter]

If you don't need it why run it?

 

[RichnSteph]

South Texas here so freezing isn't a problem and I leave mine on all the time.

 

[CertifiedChaser]

Thanks! Didn't want to leave it out there in winter just to find out it freezes and busts. Will the fish still need some form of air pump or will they be fine without one?

 

[politicalcenter]

So I just started aquaponics this year and I've been doing it for a couple months now. Haven't read through this entire thread yet so forgive me if this question has been discussed but do you leave your pumps running through winter? I live in central Oklahoma and it can get below freezing pretty quickly here and I'm wondering if the pump will be fine.

Thanks! Didn't want to leave it out there in winter just to find out it freezes and busts. Will the fish still need some form of air pump or will they be fine without one?

It depends on how many fish you have per square foot of surface area. Cold water holds a lot more oxygen than warm water and you want to have an open space "ice free" for gas exchange. I live in a warm climate and ice is seldom a problem. If I were in an area with a lot of freezing temps. I would get a stock tank heater to keep an open space and to keep the ice from breaking my pond from the expansion of the ice.