General Update-091024

Yea, I know more pictures, and I have some... videos too, but I just am always in the wrong place when I decide to write! This morning I'm at church waiting to lead a Baptism class and don't have access to the pictures.

I had productive day. I finished all four nest boxes, painted them with rot preventer and mounted them to the support rail. The support rail, being only a 2"x2" may sag eventually so I think I'll run a vertical support leg up the center of the rails.

I also mounted all four Fine-X feeders, and moved the water bottles to the inside next to the feeders. The feeders just need a slot cut in the wire. They have a support wire that is mounted to the feeder and that you just slip into the wire caging... easy!

The above doesn't seem like much but it took all day. I also gave guidance to Samuel as he cleaned the front of the house. The tree frogs hang out on the front porch waiting for the porch light to draw bugs, and they aren't much hassle, but they just don't wipe their feet when when they walk around on the vinyl siding and eventually they form dirty spots where they hang out. Sam sprayed on some bleach and water, then scrubbed with a brush... he did a nice job. I won't tell him that the sides are next!

Next is the fryer cages. I think I will create open front communal nest boxes for the six cages. This will allow the rabbits to congregate together when frightened, or for warmth. I think they will be about 24"Wx18"Dx12"H. I'll make one then see how I like it. I will also make the support frame sturdier to enable it to hold the weight. I will need to look at the fryer cages that are next to the AC fan. In the Summer it will blow hot air onto the box and cook the bunnies. I will have to come up with a housing/vent for the AC blower that vents the air away. Currently I have leaned a piece of plywood up against the offending side and that has worked.

After I complete the rabbitry, which I am lovingly calling the "Wise Rabbit Rabbitry", I need to do a few things to the house. Faceing, eaves, windo caulking, all need to be worked on. I little painting too, around the doors and on the front porch. I noticed that the windows need caulking bad. I fear that I already have wood rot in several places.

After the house is repaired then I'm not sure. I want to build the aquaponics system, but I'm getting really antsy about building my ferro-cement hut/cabin... whatever. If I consider that the AP build will be fairly easy and quick then that would come first. On-the-other-hand, I really need to build the back porch greenhouse along with the AP build so then it becomes more complex. I could build the back porch green house before the AP project, just add it into the "house" repairs... 'might do that.

I researched construction for the greenhouse and had all but decided on a PVC frame but then I still need to consider the look when complete. I would like the greenhouse to fuse with the courrent house (a small ranch style on a slab) so then maybe wood... still undecided. I think I will draw both up and get with Gail and see what she says.

Tony
Pensacola, FL

General Update-090926

I finally fixed the rabbitry roof today. I used a 2 ton jack to lift the bow out of the middle, then cut and screwed in a 2"x4" on edge. Previously I had layed the orginal roof support in flat so as I added the shingles the roof began to bow.

It occurs to me that I should comment on the size and configuration of my rabbitry:

My rabbitry consists of two seperate pole constructed frames with a 2.5' isle in between. So, four poles on the South set and a lean-to roof sloping to the South. The 2.5' and another four poles and a roof sloping to the North. So basically I have two 3'x8' roofs. Each four sets of poles are wide enough to support two 2'x2'x8' cages one over the top of the other.

I built the cages seperately and slid them into the frame. The South two cages are actually divided into two 2'x2'x4' cages so 4 cages in all. They will house the two pairs of breeder rabbits. The North cages are divided into 3 cages each for a total of six cages. These will hold 2-3 "fryer" rabbits, those heading for the freezer. All the doors to both sides face in. I also built four 2'x8' trays that go beneath the rabbit cages to catch their manure which i will add to my compost pile.

Before I took the bow out of the roof it had begun to drip into the front. Now, there is a 12" gap between the two roofs but it just hit me wrong that I should also funnel water in the middle! Anyway, fixed now.

I am ready to set up the chicken coop, placing feeders and waters, as well as begin to buy feed and hay. On the rabbit side I still need to build nest boxes but I did get the basic diagram of one so I can build it. I have most of the plywood. Then I will need to buy the waterers and feeders, about $100, I think, all totalled.

Then onto the aquaponics system. Part of me just thinks buy some cheap koi, and goldfish since we don't eat a lot of fish, then the otherside kicks in so I think about some fried catfish and selling, trading, or giving the rest away. Even with goldfish I can raise the vegies.

My plan (currently) is to utilize fero-cement technology. I plan to lay out my 1/2 55 gal drums, join them temporarily, then lay chicken wire down and coat it with cement. Let it dry, flip it and coat the other side making 12' long troughs for my grow bins. I will use the same to build a sump, then use the polly-tank for the fish tank. I figure 2-3 12' grow bins will probably do me well but I will have to work out the correct numbers for the amonia-nitrogen conversion so the fish won't suffer. But even then, I don't intend to raise 200lbs of fish so 2-3 long grow bins will probably be enough.

Tony
Pensacola

Aquaponics Calculations & System Planning

I recently ran into some frustration while trying to recalculate an aquaponics project I am working on. The project consists of 6- 4'x8'x8" ferro-cement grow bins, and will eventually use a 4.5'x6' ferro-cement fish tank. The basic formula is 200lbs fish = 400 gal water = 800 dry gal of medium.

I originally calculated the number of grow bins needed using a 4'x8'x12" size but we never made any bins that deep- with the exception of one 10" deep bin the others are about 8" deep. However this still cannot be used in the calculations because the functional depth (the depth the water shouldn't go above) is 6" so the formula should be 4'x8'x6". Using this I worked the calculations:

• Convert all numbers to the same unit of measure (inches)- 4'x8'x6" = (4'x12") x (8'x12") x 6", or 48" x 96" x 6", or 27648 cubic inches.
• Convert cubic inches back into cubic feet- 27648 cuin / 1728 cuin (1 cubic foot) = 16 cuft
• Convert cubic feet to US dry gallons using website (http://www.asknumbers.com/VolumeConversion.aspx)- 16 cuft = 102.86 dry gallons (dgal)
  
• So each of our grow bins needs 102.86 dry gallons of medium like pea gravel
• We need 800 dgal and we have space for 514.30 dgal however the 514.30 number is using only 5 of 6 grow bins of the above mentioned size. We also have one bin that is functionally 4'x8'x8" = 21.33 cuft = 137.12 dgal.
• So 514.30 + 137.12 = 651.42 total dgal
  
• Therefore 800 dgal - 651.42 dgal = 148.58 dgal needed to meet the requirement for the 200 lbs of fish.
• One solution would be to build another grow bin functionally 4'x10'x8" = 26.67 cuft = 171.49 dgal.

For this last bin we could use 2"x10"x10' lumber, some 2"x2"s for corner supports, and a liner. A 4'x10' support table would need to be built from 2"x4" lumber. Using this method would help us get the last bin in quicker and test the liner method.

The system I build for my microfarm will not need to be so large but will utilize the same formulas. I will probable build a ferro-cement sump tank as well as long ferro-cement grow bins. I was going to use plastic food grade barrels but have only found a couple and they have their own problems.

1. They are... wobbly. They warp and sometimes aid in water spillage. They need cross bracing
   
2. They have rounded bottoms making them a little difficult to calculate medium
3. They are harder to mount on support tables
   

If I just build the grow bins I can make them whatever size and shape I need. On the other hand I might just make them from wood and liner. I will also consider different tops to go on them so I can have mini-greenhouses, bug screens or shade screens.

The fish tank needs some work too. I may put a drain in, or I might just jack it up and use a pump, or even manual siphon vacuum for cleaning the bottom. It just depends on... how I'm feeling that day I guess. I am going to try to utilize a overflow pipe that sucks solids from the bottom, but it may not work.

Lots of work to do.

Anthony Faircloth
Cantonment
8/27/2009