Aquaponics Dissolved Oxygen (D.O.)

Oxygen - Sizing your Aquaponic Air System

credit to: nwestwood

link: http://www.urbanaquaponics.com/content.php?129-Oxygen-Sizing-your-Aquaponic-Air-System

The success of an aquaponic or aquaculture venture depends on providing as near an optimum environment for the rapid growth of the fish as possible. Of all the environmental factors, water quality and in particular, dissolved oxygen (DO) is the most important and critical. 

Although the air we breathe usually contains about 21% oxygen, oxygen is only slightly soluble in water. As a result, aquatic species must spend a great deal of energy to remove what little dissolved oxygen there is. Temperature, barometric pressure, salinity, and altitude all directly affect oxygen concentrations in both air and water.

In addition, each species has varying tolerances to low levels of dissolved oxygen. Salmonids (trout), as a group, require 6.0 to 8.0 mg/L of dissolved oxygen. For catfish and tilapia allowable minimum levels can be as low as 2.0 or 3.0 mg/L although the recommended levels are 5.0 to 6.0 mg/L.

Cold water will hold more dissolved oxygen than warm water. Likewise, it is easier to reach a level of saturation at lower elevations than at higher elevations.

General Aeration for General Systems - The Easy Answer

Most aquatic suppliers provide data sheets that can help you quickly determine your general air flow needs. For example, AquaticEco's chart for their air diffusers here shows the number of pounds of fish a given diffuser will support. (In the column under the blue AES logo.) The AS15L 6" medium pore diffuser will support 14lbs of fish. This is a general guideline and was calculated for adult Tilapia at sea level and 72-78 degree water temperature with a healthy saftey margin. 

If our system is at sea level and we plan on having 125lbs of fish at harvest time, we would need (125/14=8.928) or 9 diffusers. At the suggested rate, each diffuser needs an input flow of 0.5 cfm of air, so we would need a pump that puts out 4.5 cfm (9 x 0.5) at a 3' depth in our tank. For each 1000 feet of elevation above sea level, the air requirement increases by an additional 4%. For example, if our system is located in Denver, Colorado at 5,000 feet, we would need 20% more air diffusers to get the desired result (8.928 x 1.2 = 10.7 or 11 diffusers). In our experience this general guideline contains a wide safety margin. If you want to more precisely calculate your specific system, read on.

How Big of an Air Pump do I Need?

In designing an aquaponic system we ask ourselves:

1. How big of a fish tank can I afford and fit into the space I have?

2. Which kind of fish will I raise and how many can I safely fit in my tank at harvest size?

3. How many grow beds and/or floating raft tanks do I need to process the bio-load from the fish?

4. How big of a water pump do I need to turn over the fish tank water at least once per hour?

5. Finally, How big of an air pump and how many air stones do I need to maintain safe levels of Oxygen? (generally 6.0 mg/L or above).

Key Aquaculture Oxygen Design Parameters:

1. Oxygen (O2) Consumption by the fish and bacteria(1)

A. 0.025kg of O2 needed per kg of feed fed to the fish for the fish.

B. 0.012kg of 02 needed per kg of feed fed for the nitrifying bacteria.

C. 0.13kg O2 needed per kg of feed fed for the heterotrophic bacteria (can be as high as .5)

Total = 0.5kg of O2 needed per kg of feed fed, or 1/2lb of O2 per pound of feed fed.

The author of Recirculating Aquaculture states: "In a pure recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) the ratio of 1.0 kg of oxygen per 1.0 kg of feed fed is the safe recommended design value"(1). However, in our experience the 0.5kg of O2 per kg of feed is adequate in traditional home aquaponic systems.

Next we look at how aeration transfers the oxygen into the water. In Urban Aquaponics we use air diffusers (air stones). There are many other methods aeration, most are more efficient, but more expensive. We will limit our discussion to 6" air diffusers and you can easily adapt the example to other methods.

2. Oxygen Production and Distribution.

A. There is 21% oxygen in normal air.

B. There is 0.075 lbs of air in a cubic foot.

C. By weight, 23% of a cubic foot of air is oxygen (oxygen is heavier than many of the other gases in air).

D. Standard Oxygen Transfer Efficiency rate (SOTE) or rate at which oxygen will transfer to water under "standard" conditions per 1 foot of depth. For a 6" medium pore diffuser it is .01 lbs per foot of depth.

E. Field Transfer Efficiency (FTE) - The actual tested transfer efficiency based upon the existing oxygen content of the water (the higher it is, the less will transfer), temperature and salinity. We assume the input water is at 68-78 degrees and 4.0-5.0 mg/L DO which gives an FTE of approximately .5 (2)

Note: Oxygen is transferred into water by having a density differential (low oxygen water to high oxygen air), exposing the greatest surface area of oxygen to the water and by keeping the oxygen in contact over time. The smaller the bubbles, the greater the surface area, but small bubbles require higher pressure. Medium pore air diffusers are recommended as the most cost effective. The deeper the diffusers, then the longer the time the air bubbles are exposed to the water, increasing diffusion. 

Plants in the system may also require or produce some oxygen (algae produces during the day, consumes at night). Additionally, in a RAS system, there may be other components that require oxygen. For the purpose of this article we will work the calculations as if there were no other demands. We want to produce enough oxygen to maintain 6.0 mg/L of oxygen in the fish tank if the water pumps were to fail, assuming 0.5lbs of Oxygen per 1lb of feed fed. (Again, in our experience this is more than adequate for a typical aquaponic setup, including the plants and other components.)

Lets work through an example system using this 0.5:1 ratio and see how this all goes together.

Let’s assume we have a fish tank in our system that is 250 gallons (946 liters). And we are raising Rainbow Trout and that final stocking density is 1/4 lb per gallon (25-30grams per liter).

Also assume that the fish consume 2% of their body mass at harvest (species vary) or 1.25lbs (567 g) of feed per day. (250 gallons x 0.25 = 62.5lbs x 0.02 = 1.25lbs of feed per day). 

Figuring at the 1lb of Oxygen to 1lb of feed, that means we need 1.25lbs (567g) of Oxygen every 24 hours or 0.052lbs (24g) per hour. Or, using the 0.5 to 1 oxygen to feed ratio, 0.625lbs (284g)/24 hours, 0.026lbs (12g) per hour.

The formula for oxygen injection is as follows:

CFM (ft3/min) of device X lbs of air/ft3 X lbs of oxygen/lb of air X (SOTE X Depth) X FTE X Time = lbs of O2 per Time transferred.

To break this down:

CFM (ft3/min) of device = 0.5 cfm (Using our 6" medium pore diffusers from Aquaticeco).

Lbs of air/ft3 = 0.075 (The weight of a cubic foot of air)

Lbs of Oxygen per lb/air = 0.23 (The weight of the Oxygen in a pound of air)

SOTE = 0.01 

Depth = 3' (assuming a standard IBC tote or typical circular fish tank).

FTE = 0.5

Time = 60 (minutes per hour to get to O2 per Hour)

or

0.5 x 0.075 x 0.23 x (0.01 x 3) x 0.5 x 60 = lbs of O2 per hour per 6" stone = 0.0077625 lbs of O2/hr

You can calculate 3" air stones or calculate different depths by substituting the correct values.

Then we divide the oxygen needs of the example system by the O2 produced by each air stone to find out how many air stones are needed.

0.02604167 / 0.0077625 = 3.35 air stones at sea level.

I'm at 5000 feet so with a 4% loss per thousand feet, I need an extra 20%. I need 3.35 air stones x 1.20 = 4.026 air stones.

If I go with 4 air stones (5 would be safer), and each air stone uses 0.5 cfm, then we need a pump that produces a minimum of 2.0 cfm at 3' depth. (0.5 x 4 = 2.0).

In my own system I have enough fish to reach a density of 1/2lb per gallon (not recommended). I started with an air pump that produced 2.5 CFM at 3' and as the fish grew, the Dissolved Oxygen levels declined to 5.6 mg/L and I had fish that were not eating as well and showing signs of stress and sickness. I added a second air pump (same as the first) and several more air stones (equivalant of 10) and the Dissolved Oxygen level went back up to 6.4 mg/L.

Much higher densities are supported in pure RAS systems through the use of pure oxygen and more efficient aeration methods. These are not generally employed or needed in a properly designed and sized aquaponics system.

Aquaponics Top 10 Requirements

credit to: Fresh with Edge 

link: http://freshwithedge.com/2012/10/top-10-requirements-for-successful-aquaponics/

Saturday morning of the Aquaponics Association Conference was kicked off by featured speaker Dr. Wilson Lennard. Dr Lennard kicked off the festivities with a very fitting speech about the Top 10 Requirements for Successful Aquaponics. Showing off his years of research into this field, I would challenge anyone to come up with a better top 10 list than what we have here. You may be able to modify this list to fit your specific region or situation, but this is a solid base for anyone.

So without further delay, here’s the top 10:

Information

Good quality information is always valuable no matter what stage of the process you are in. Find information with numbers behind it to back it up and trust the science that has been proven. Too many people in this young industry try to completely reinvent the wheel from scratch as soon as they begin their adventure. If you stat with a solid base, decide what works and what could be changed for your situation you will be years ahead of a new custom design making the same set of mistakes as your predecessors.

Correct Design

Knowing what is correct will only come from time. Only time will lead to the ability to say you know what you are doing. Anyone can design a system and show you have wonderful it’s working after 8 months. When that same system is working beautifully 5 years from now, then you have something to impress anyone. In addition to that, the only way that you can prove that something works before running each individual system is to build up your assumptions with Math. Math is what has to be the answer to proper design.

Use Correct Ratios

FACT: The amount of plants that can be grown is directly related to the amount of fish fed per day. This is referred to as the Feeding Rate Ratio. This is the base for any successful ratio. Beyond that you can tweak it to run more fish or more plants, but the base will always be the same.

Maintain Good Water Quality

This is one of my favorite points that he brought up. So many people come to aquaponics from the hydroponics world and only care about the nutrients available to their plants. It’s an easy thing to do, especially when you’re raising something like a tilapia. Tilapia can handle extremely low water quality standards. Their ability to adapt to major variances in tempurature, pH and general water quality is one of the large draws for most people using them for aquaponics. Dr. Lennard brings up the point though, that tilapia deserve good water quality too, toughness should not mean lower standards.In addition to that he pointed out that trout, who are notorious for their necessity for cold, high DO level, and high water quality requirements can actually handle a much higher temperature than what is considered mandatory for a trout as long as the water quality is managed vigorously.

Water Flow Rate

A knowledge of flow rates is important for the design of an aquaponic system. You need to know what the design flow rate is when you create a new system. This leads to the point that your system should be designed from mathematical calculations. Not on what will fill out your greenhouse best or what sizes you can get down at the local hardware store. If you are serious about creating a successful system, you should be creating your system using calculations based on stocking density, water volume and planting/harvest rates.Rule of thumb: Be able to replace the entire fish tank volume in one hour

Proper D.O

This isn’t extremely complex in implementation, being that there isn’t any way (without using liquified oxygen) that you can overdo your DO inputs. So most people will just go a little overboard with it and call it good. One thing that you may want to pay attention to is the fact that you also want to keep proper DO levels available for your root system. In slower moving DWC systems you may need to add air stones to your trough to allow for proper oxygen availability to your plants.

Water Temp

This is something that you think of most with your fish, but it is important to all three. Being that your fish are cold blooded creatures, their entire system temperature depends on the water temperature surrounding them. If water temperature swings in either direction too quickly for a fish the bacteria in the gut of a fish will start to work out of control on any available fish food. This is why it’s important to refrain from feeding your fish in a temperature swing.For your plants the root systems will prefer a certain temperature range depending on the time of season that they grow in with a normal garden/field condition. In addition to that, the efficiency of your nitrifying bacteria will take large hits when temperature starts to drop too far. This will cause water quality issues and possible, depending on your margins for error, can lead to inadequate nutrient availability.

PH Level & Testing

Always know the level of your pH. Your pH level should be a constantly moving target. The level of your pH should be in a constant free-fall (lowering, acidifying) due to the nitrification process causing a drop of hydrogen particles from the amonia.

Buffering

Because of all this occurring with your pH level changes, you should constantly be checking your levels and adding a buffering agent such as calcium hydroxide & potassium carbonate. This should be done on a daily basis to keep from large swings in pH levels.

Quality Fish Feed

Last but not least you need to make sure you are using a high quality fish feed. Keep in mind that using a high quality fish food will lead to high quality fish waste which will eventually become your high quality nutrients for your plants.

These are the top 10 requirements for successful aquaponics that Dr Lennard listed out for everyone. I think this makes up a fairly comprehensive list from what I know so far. Do you have any you would add or anything that you would add to the list that you find mandatory for your aquaponics system?

Aquaponics Fish Food Maker

Aquaponics Small Pellet Mill

credit to: GEMCO Energy

link: http://www.pellet-press.com/Products/Home-Use-Pellet-Mills.html


Introduction:

The home-use pellet mills also named flat die pellet mill, which was first invented in the early 20th century, is mainly for home use. Due to its lower cost and simple construction, this type has become the most widespread at residences and farms internationally. Thanks to our ISO 9000-certified factories, our well-trained engineers’ hard work, and our staff’s efficiency, we are able to provide some of the best design and installation services for wood pellet mills. Through years of experience in this industry we have acquired advanced technology for wood pelletization. The conditioning of raw materials is one of the most important steps in making wood pellets. Taking into account that wood waste is more difficult to compress than feedstuff, our machinery is able to adjust the material's moisture and size to make the finest biomass pellets. 

Key Parts of Home-use Pellet Mill:

Flat Die Flat die and Press Rollers Flat Die and Press Roller Installation


Scope of Application:

Our pellet mills are appropriate for compressing a variety of fibrous biomass material: corn (maize) husks, peanut shells, rice husks, corncobs, cotton seed hulls, wheat biproducts, sunflower seed shells, sawdust, cotton stalks, weeds, house refuse, waste plastic and similar types of factory waste. It is also suitable for raw materials which are otherwise difficult to pelletize owing to low bonding ratios. All of organic bacterial manure, organic fertilizer and compound fertilizer can be also pelletized by our machines at low temperatures.


Advantages of Home-use Pellet Mill:

1. Reliable, versatile and efficient
2. ISO and CE certified
3. Potential for 24 hour continuous running
4. Competitive price with excellent quality
5. Low energy consumption and less manpower
6. Durable spare parts
7. Simple, automated operation
8. Easy maintenance
9. Advanced technological design requiring less labor
10. Stable and durable functionality

Technical Data of the Electric Motor:

  

Model	Power(kW)	Output (kg/h)	Measurements (mm)	N.W/G.W (kg)
ZLSP 120B	3	60-100	750*320*680	80/100
ZLSP 150B	4	90-120	800*450*700	95/110
ZLSP 200B	7.5	200-300	1650*820*1200	200/230
ZLSP 230B	11	300-400	1050*480*930	290/320
ZLSP 260B	15	400-600	1180*540*1000	320/360
ZLSP 300B	22	600-800	1240*540*950	350/380

Aquaponics Grow Media

credit to : Farm Tech Mart
link : http://farmtech-mart.com/grow_media

Although there is no soil in a hydroponic garden, the plants must still be anchored. There is a wide range of inert materials which can be used to support plant roots and we call them "growing mediums". Clay Pellets, Perlite, Vermiculite, Coconut Fiber and Rockwool are the most popular media. The hydroponic media that work best are pH neutral, provide ample support for plants, retain moisture, and allow space for good air exchange. The type of media you choose will depend on the size and type of plants you wish to grow, and the type of hydroponic system being used. 

1. Clay Pebbles (LECA) 

Expended Clay Aggregate pebbles (LECA) main use is as a hydroponic growing media in flood and drain and dripper hydroponics systems like the Wilma. Clay pebbles can also be mixed with other hydroponic growing media like Cellmax, Coco or Soil to give better aeration. To create better drainage when growing in pots add a layer of Clay pebbles in the bottom.

Many growers use clay pebbles as a hydroponic growing media because they have excellent aeration and drainage properties. Clay pebbles are a clean, ph stable, and can be reused a couple of times before they need to be replaced.

Flood and drain or a dripper system will deliver the fast growth rates and yields using clay pebbles.

The centre of a clay pebble is honeycomb to make it light weight and the outside of a clay pebble is covered in a thin layer of solid clay making them suitable for use in hydroponics.

Tired of looking at dirty soil on the top of house plants in pots why not use some clay pebbles to make it look more attractive.

2. Perlite

Good old perlite! It's been around for years, mainly for use as a soil additive to increase aeration and draining of the soil. Perlite is a mined material, a form of volcanic glass that when rapidly heated to more than 1600 deg. f. it pops much like popcorn as the water vaporizes and makes countless tiny bubbles.

Perlite is one of the best hydroponic growing mediums around. Used by itself or as a mixture with other mediums. Perlite is commonly used with vermiculite ( a 50 - 50 mix is a very popular medium), and is also one of the major ingredients of soiless mix's. Perlite has good wicking action which makes it a good choice for wick-type hydroponic systems. Perlite is also relatively inexpensive.

The biggest drawback to perlite is that it doesn't retain water well which means that it will dry out quickly between waterings. The dust from perlite is bad for your health so you should wear a dust mask when handling it.

3. Vermiculite 

Vermiculite is another mined material. In it's natural state it resembles mica rock, but when quickly heated it expands due to the generation of interlaminar steam.

Vermiculite is most frequently used in conjunction with perlite as the two complement each other well. Vermiculite retains moisture (about 200% - 300% by weight), and perlite doesn't so you can balance your growing medium so that it retains water and nutrients well but still supplies the roots with plenty of oxygen. A 50/50 mix of vermiculite and perlite is a very popular medium for drip type hydroponic systems as well as ebb and flow systems. Vermiculite is inexpensive.

The major drawback of vermiculite is that it retains too much water to be used by itself. It can suffocate the roots of plants if used straight.

4. Coconut Fiber 

Coconut fiber is rapidly becoming one of the most popular growing mediums in the world. In fact it may soon be THE most popular. It is the first totally "organic" growing medium that offers top performance in hydroponic systems. Coconut fiber is essentially a waste product of the coconut industry, it is the powdered husks of the coconut itself.

There are many advantages - it maintains a larger oxygen capacity than rockwool, yet also has superior water holding ability than rockwool which is a real advantage for hydroponic systems that have intermittent watering cycles.

Coconut fiber is also high in root stimulating hormones and offers some protection against root diseases including fungus infestation. Dutch growers have found that a mixture of 50% coconut fiber and 50% expanded clay pellets is the perfect growing medium.

One word of caution about coconut fiber, you must be careful when you purchase coconut fiber. There is a commonly available, lower grade of coconut fiber that is high in sea-salt and is very fine grained. Lower grade coconut fiber will lead to disappointing results when used in a hydroponic system.

5. Rockwool

Rockwool is a very popular hydroponics growing medium. Rockwool is a porous substance that forms when a mixture of rocks, mostly basalt and dolomite, is melted at high temperature and specially processed. Given the material's neutral nature, it is used to build plant-growing medium granules or slabs, blocks, plugs, cubes, etc.

Rockwool provides roots with a good balance of water/oxygen As rockwool is composed of 97% air, it is easy to control the air/water ratio in it. Its porous quality also enhances root growth.

. Small cubes are used for starting seeds and cuttings, 3" or 4" cubes for small plants or intermediate growth, and slabs for larger plants. Rockwool can be used with continuous drip or flood and drain systems. Although it is possible to sterilize and re-use Rockwool, most often it is used only once.

More than 95% of all greenhouse vegetable production is carried out with the help of Rockwool -and for good reason. Like mentioned before, rockwool allows control over air and water supply, which are essential factors for plant growth. It also provides other feasible conditions to support a great crop, leading to consistency in plant production and yield, which is an important consideration in commercial harvesting.

Another pro is the easy availability of Rockwool products in a variety of shapes and sizes. This promotes the maximum utilization of Rockwool in various types of hydroponic set-ups.

Aquaponics 'Claimed' Disadvantages

Claimed Disadvantages:
by Matthew McCarthy
credit to :sites.google.com/site/aquapanaponics/4-project-updates/advantagesanddisadvantagesofaquaponics

• Can be expensive to setup as the system requires pumps, tubing, and tanks/beds. This is certainly true though it doesn't necessarily need to be. A small backyard system purchased complete from an aquaponics retailer can cost over $2,000 installed and the larger backyard systems capable of feeding a family between $5,000 and $10,000. Though if you are willing to devote some (or a lot) of your own time and energy then I think similar systems could be built for 25-50% of these costs (this is my guestimate). Grow beds and fish tanks can often be obtained for free (in western countries) and gravel obtained from the local river, though components such as pumps and backup power supplies will still need to be purchased. 

• You need a green house to really have a good aquaponics system. I guess this depends on what type of climate you live in. A green house can be advantageous to provide heat in cold winters, protect the system from heavy rains and keep out pests. This is also true for soil based gardening.

• Setup requires technical knowledge of aquaponics systems and hence is possible to make mistakes. True - there are stories around of people who loose fish and give up on their aquaponics system early on and there is some knowledge required to establish the necessary bacteria within the system. In a lot of cases these failures are because systems have fish stocking rates that are to high. We have yet to stock our system with fish so I can not provide a lot of information from our personal experiences though the initial establishing of bacteria (known as cycling the system) was very simple and took a lot less time then the average system cycling time.

• Water needs to be constantly monitored to make sure the water quality is OK for fish. This is certainly the case during the first couple of months. After the system has matured water testing is usually carried out only once a week unless there are problems. Seems very complicated for the amount of fish I will get. Yes keeping a healthy environment for the fish is where most of the complexity lies within the system. Water needs to be free of toxins (especially ammonia and nitrite) and also have enough oxygen for the fish you are keeping. This can involve adding extra aeration sources and making partial water changes to improve water quality. Stocking fish at a lower density will in most cases reduce the pressures on a system and make it more tolerant to changing conditions and less likely to suffer from the above problems - though this means you will have less fish to eat.

• Aquaponics requires electric energy input to maintain and recycle water within the system. In most cases you will need to provide electricity to run a water pump and possibly aeration pumps as well. We run our 80w water pump for 5 minutes every hour to flood and drain our three grow bed buckets. As we currently run the pump day and night this amounts to 2 hours of usage a day - so similar to having a light in your house (with an old style bulb) on for the same length of time. We plan to add another three grow beds to the system so this will increase our electricity usage further. At this stage we have not made any attempt to optimize the flood/drain cycle so there may be opportunities to reduce the number of times the system is flooded each hour or to not run the system at night with little impact to plant growth. 

• If one or more components fail this could lead to the loss of fish and or plants. In this regard you are dependent on using reliable technology (and back up systems) to ensure that your fish, which require oxygen in the water, remain alive an healthy. Your plants are likely to be unaffected in the short term, as the growing medium will likely retain more then enough moisture, though if the fish are not provided enough oxygen, they can suffer and die. This is the same situation for aquaculture systems.

• You can't grow root crops. You can grow pretty much anything in an aquaponics system from fruit trees to root crops, though depending on the type of growing medium potatoes and carrots may grow into some weird shapes. Most people focus on growing leafy vegetables.

• Ok so you don't have to add fertilizer or nutrients but you do have to provide fish food. Yes you do, the fish eat the food and their waste is used to produce nutrients for the plants. Of course you also have to feed fish in an aquaculture system and in an aquaculture system fish waste is not used in such a productive way. Fish are some of the best animals at converting food into body mass (different fish species vary) and so are an efficient way of producing meat and protein. Most people buy commercially available fish food for their fish although many people supplement this feed by growing worms, duckweed and other plants and animals.

Aquaponics Organic Pesticide

Neem oil
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Neem oil

Neem oil is a vegetable oil pressed from the fruits and seeds of the neem (Azadirachta indica), an evergreen tree which is endemic to the Indian subcontinent and has been introduced to many other areas in the tropics. It is the most important of the commercially available products of neem for organic farming and medicines.

Neem oil varies in color; it can be golden yellow, yellowish brown, reddish brown, dark brown, greenish brown, or bright red. It has a rather strong odor that is said to combine the odours of peanut and garlic. It is composed mainly of triglycerides and contains many triterpenoid compounds, which are responsible for the bitter taste. It is hydrophobic in nature; in order to emulsify it in water for application purposes, it must be formulated with appropriate surfactants.

Azadirachtin is the most well known and studied triterpenoid in neem oil. The azadirachtin content of neem oil varies from 300ppm to over 2500ppm depending on the extraction technology and quality of the neem seeds crushed. Neem oil also contains steroids (campesterol, beta-sitosterol,stigmasterol).

Neem fruit

The method of processing is likely to affect the composition of the oil, since the methods used, such as pressing (expelling) or solvent extraction are unlikely to remove exactly the same mix of components in the same proportions. The neem oil yield that can be obtained from neem seed kernels also varies widely in literature from 25% to 45%.

The oil can be obtained through pressing (crushing) of the seed kernel both through cold pressing or through a process incorporating temperature controls. Neem seed oil can also be obtained by solvent extraction of the neem seed, fruit, oil, cake or kernel. A large industry in India extracts the oil remaining in the seed cake using hexane. This solvent-extracted oil is of a lower quality as compared to the cold pressed oil and is mostly used for soap manufacturing. Neem cake is a by-product obtained in the solvent extraction process for neem oil.

Neem leaves and flowers

Neem oil is not used for cooking purposes. In India, it is used for preparing cosmetics (soap, hair products, body hygiene creams, hand creams) and in Ayurvedic, Unani and folklore traditional medicine, in the treatment of a wide range of afflictions. The most frequently reported indications in ancient Ayurvedic writings are skin diseases, inflammations and fevers, and more recentlyrheumatic disorders, insect repellent and insecticide effects.

Traditional Ayurvedic uses of neem include the treatment of acne, fever, leprosy, malaria, ophthalmia and tuberculosis. Various folk remedies for neem include use as an anthelmintic, antifeedant,antiseptic, diuretic, emmenagogue, contraceptive, febrifuge, parasiticide, pediculocide and insecticide. It has been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of tetanus, urticaria, eczema,scrofula and erysipelas. Traditional routes of administration of neem extracts included oral, vaginal and topical use. Neem oil has an extensive history of human use in India and surrounding regions for a variety of therapeutic purposes. Puri (1999) has given an account of traditional uses and therapeutic indications and pharmacological studies of this oil, in his book on neem.

Formulations made of neem oil also find wide usage as a biopesticide for organic farming, as it repels a wide variety of pests including the mealy bug, beet armyworm, aphids, the cabbage worm, thrips, whiteflies, mites, fungus gnats, beetles, moth larvae, mushroom flies, leafminers, caterpillars, locust, nematodes and the Japanese beetle. Neem oil is not known to be harmful to mammals, birds, earthworms or some beneficial insects such as butterflies, honeybees and ladybugs if it is not concentrated directly into their area of habitat or on their food source. It can be used as a household pesticide for ant, bedbug, cockroach, housefly, sand fly, snail, termite and mosquitoes both as repellent and larvicide. Neem oil also controls black spot, powdery mildew,anthracnose and rust fungi.

Neem seed oil has also been found to prevent implantation and may even have an abortifacient effect similar to pennyroyal, juniper berries, wild ginger, myrrh and angelica. The effects were seen as many as ten days after fertilization in rats though it was most effective at no more than three days. (Sinha, et al., 1984); (Lal et al., 1985). In a study on rats, neem oil was given orally eight to ten days after implantation of the fetus on the uterine wall. In all cases, by day 15, the embryos were all completely resorbed by the body. The animals regained fertility on the next cycle showing no physical problems. Detailed study of the rats revealed increased levels of gamma interferon in the uterus. The neem oil enhanced the local immune response in the uterus.(Mukherjee, 1996) Post coital use of neem oil as birth control does not appear to work by hormonal changes but produces changes in the organs that make pregnancy no longer viable (Tewari, 1989),(Bardham, 1991).

Neem seed oil has also been used as a renewable source for the preparation of polymeric coatings. It has been converted into various polymeric resins, including polyesteramides and polyetheramides. These resins may be utilized further for preparation of polyurethane coatings.

Neem tree

Aquaponics & Mosquitoes - Lesson Learnt

credit to http://www.friendlyaquaponics.com/

from the post : Welcome to “The End of Malaria”

Are you irritated by mosquitoes in your neighborhood? Do you live in a location where malaria, elephantiasis, filariasis, dengue fever, or any of the other dangerous diseases carried by mosquitoes exist? Are you a health-care professional whose concern is these diseases and their control and eradication? If the answers to these questions interest you, please read on:

An additional benefit of farming aquaponically (that we noticed after our first system was operational for six months) was that the mosquitoes on our seven-acre farm had COMPLETELY disappeared! We live in Hawaii, where there are as many mosquitoes as any other tropical area in the world. Although we are fortunate not to have malaria, elephantiasis, filariasis, or any of the other dangerous diseases that are transmitted to humans by mosquitoes, we DO have dengue fever, which can be fatal in the young, elderly, or those with compromised immune systems.

Before we built our first aquaponics system, our farm was like any other place on the green windward coast of the Big Island: even during a drought, when the soil was dusty and dry and there was no standing water visible anywhere, there were still clouds of mosquitoes at dawn and dusk. If we left a door or window open in the house during the day, even for a few minutes, we knew that we would be tormented by the buzzing of hungry mosquitoes all night long as we tried to sleep. When we built our first aquaponics system, we knew we were creating additional habitat for mosquitoes to lay their eggs, so we introduced a few mosquito fish (gambusia affinis), and neon tetras into our system water.

They thrived and spread throughout the systems we built, and soon had become a self-sustaining population numbering in the tens of thousands. Six months later we noticed there were simply no mosquitoes around any longer. It’s easier to notice the presence of a pest than the absence of one, so we’re not certain when the number went to zero, but it was sometime during that six-month period. That was three years ago Since then, we’ve had the pleasure to live on a beautiful farm in the tropics that has NO mosquitoes! How does this work?

We live in the center of a deadly efficient mosquito trap: every female mosquito in the neighborhood can sense the roughly 50,000 gallons of water in our aquaponics systems, and comes to them to lay her eggs. Each egg hatches into a larva, which is then promptly consumed by one of the hundreds of thousands of mosquito fish in our water BEFORE it can ever develop sufficiently to hatch into an adult mosquito. That mosquito’s bequest of future generations is GONE, down the gullets of little fish who thrive on these meals and produce even MORE little fish hungry for mosquito larvae.

We don’t know what the effective radius of our mosquito eradicator is, but we’ve gone to the corners of our seven-acre property and haven’t found any mosquitoes there; we think there’s a good chance it is significantly reducing mosquito populations on the farms around us. We need help and funding to continue research into this phenomenon in order to understand it better, and to develop it to the point where it can easily be implemented in any location or culture.

This could make a huge difference in the lives of people worldwide who currently lose family members to malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases.

  

Aquaponics as a Business opportunity

How to Start your own Aquaponics Business at Home

credit to http://www.aquaponicsandyou.com/

With many people looking for ways to increase their income these days, starting a home-based business is an attractive option. There are several major hurdles to clear before you can start earning any money from a new enterprise, not the least of which is funding. Many new businesses need a huge injection of capital before any return can be realised and this factor alone prevents many from getting off the ground. An aquaponics business is the exception.

Unlike most other types of business, setting up an aquaponics farm does not cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. While the actual set-up cost obviously varies depending on the size of the system, experts claim that most investors can expect to see a return in a relatively short period of time. Some claim it is possible to have the whole system paid off in a twelve month period.

Aquaponic farming combines aquaculture and hydroponics. Fish are kept in a tank and the water from the tank is pumped through the plants and back into the tank, in a continuous process. Aquarium water is rich in nutrients because of the waste products expelled by the fish and it is these nutrients that the plants take up and use to grow. The water that is returned to the fish tank has been purified by the plants; this keeps the tank water clean and healthy for the fish.

The types of plants that are grown in an aquaponics farm are generally herbs and vegetables. Because they are not treated with fertilizers and the usual garden chemicals, they are considered to be organic produce. The fish you buy to stock your tanks can be eating varieties and this gives you another product to sell. Both the fish and the vegetables grow at the same time, using the same system. Organic produce attracts a premium price at point of sale and is keenly sought by consumers.

The main advantages of starting an aquaponics farm as a business include the low start-up costs, low production costs and the ease with which the system can be managed. You don’t need to rent or buy any space to carry out your business as you can use space in your own yard, garage or other parts of your home. Organic produce is becoming a popular product, especially at farmers’ markets and other local events, so selling your product should be quite easy.

If you are looking for ways to bring in extra money or you want to start your own business, take a close look at how to start your own aquaponics business. You don’t need to be a gardener and you don’t need any specialised skills to succeed in this type of enterprise.

Commercial Aquaponics and Profitability

credit to http://www.greenacreaquaponics.com/

The commercial viability of aquaponics is likely the hottest contested topic on most aquaponic forums today and is the million dollar question that everyone wants answered. While I’m still not willing to make my financial data public (you would be amazed how many people have asked), I will say that we are indeed a profitable farm based on revenue generated by the farm alone. Although our farm’s revenue is derived in diverse ways, even after extracting any non farm related revenue from things such as consulting, education or system sales, our Green Acre farm is indeed profitable on it’s farm generated merits alone. So it then begs the question, why have alternate streams of revenue if farming alone can be profitable? For several reasons. Let’s take a look at each one.

Reason 1 - A business with multiple revenue streams is a more viable, resilient business model. Having multiple revenue streams means a business can be more nimble and weather setbacks more easily. Literally. Setbacks from the weather are a very real possibility and probability for any kind of farming venture unless you farm in a controlled environment setting but even in controlled ag, crop losses can occur due to pest damage or disease. However having multiple streams can help insure there is still cash flow when a crop loss occurs. This is especially important for the aquaponic farmer as crop insurance isn’t yet an option. 

Reason 2 - Direct farm generated revenue from crops is rarely a consistent amount and alternate streams can supplement in between crop harvests and rotations. This actually is probably a little less true in aquaponic farming then in traditional Ag where all of a farms revenue might come in a two month period when the watermelons are ready to harvest. For we aquaponic farmers though, a carefully planned crop schedule and rotation can help insure a constant and consistent harvest of some crops such as lettuce and herbs but even the revenue generated by these will fluctuate with the weather and season.

Reason 3 - Alternate streams of revenue can subsidize a small farm business while it grows its operation to a size large enough to generate enough revenue on farm sales alone.Ah, now this is the ultimate goal for us and most likely for most aquaponic farming hopefuls; have a farm large enough to pay all the bills and then some. It’s not that the farm is unsuccessful or not profitable right now but its simply not large enough yet to produce enough revenue to support two individuals entirely. Understand though that this is purely a function of not having enough start up or expansion capital for a small farm business to create a large enough farm right out of the gate. However, just because a farm’s revenue is limited due to grow space and production does not mean it’s not a profitable business.

Reason 4 - Alternate revenue streams can self fund farm growth and expansions. Lets face it, expanding an aquaponic farm can be pricey and certainly more then its soil counterpart. Have we stumbled on the one drawback of aquaponics? Perhaps, but I will save that discussion for another blog but adding on additional grow space can easily incur a capital outlay of $20k or more or as little as $15 a square foot just for the system or as much as $100 a square foot depending on how you build and source it. We would have to sell an awful lot of lettuce to fund expanding our farm from direct farm sales. Quite honestly, this is the single greatest driver for our alternate streams because our goal is to have enough grow space for the farm alone to support itself and us and so far 100% of our expansion has been self funded from alternate revenue streams.

How to Write a Business Plan

credit to http://www.startupdonut.co.uk/

Writing a business plan

Many potential start-up businesses are daunted by the prospect of writing a business plan. But it is not a difficult process - and a good business plan focuses the mind as well as helping to secure finance and support.

The business plan will clarify your business idea and define your long-term objectives. It provides a blueprint for running the business and a series of benchmarks to check your progress against. It is also vital for convincing your bank - and possibly key customers and suppliers - to support you.

This briefing explains:

• What information to include.
• How to present your financial forecasts.

1 Executive summary

The executive summary outlines your business proposal. Although it is the last section to be written, it goes on the first page of the business plan. It will be read by people unfamiliar with your business, so avoid jargon.

1.1 The executive summary highlights the most important points and shouldsum up six areas.

• Your product or service and its advantages.
• Your opportunity in the market.
• Your management team.
• Your track record to date.
• Financial projections.
• Funding requirements and expected returns.

1.2 When deciding whether to back a start-up, bank managers and investors often make provisional judgements based on the executive summary.

The main body of the business plan is then read to confirm the initial decision. The appendices at the back of the plan carry detailed information to support the main text.

2 The business

2.1 Explain the background to your business idea, including:

• The length of time you have been developing the business idea in its present form.
• Work carried out to date.
• Any related experience you have.
• The proposed ownership structure of the business.

2.2 Explain, in plain English, what your product or service is. Make it clear how:

• it will stand out as different from other products or services
• your customers will gain through buying your product or service
• the business can be developed to meet customers' changing needs in the future

It is important to cover any disadvantages or weak points you feel the business may have. Be frank about these - it inspires confidence.

2.3 Explain any key features of the industry (eg special regulations, effective cartels or major changes in technology).

3 Markets and competitors

3.1 Focus on the segments of the market you plan to target - for example, local customers or a particular age group.

• Indicate how large each market segment is and whether it is growing or declining.
• Illustrate the important trends - and the reasons behind them.
• Outline the key characteristics of buyers in each segment (eg age, sex or income).
• Mention customers you have already lined up and any sales you have already achieved.

3.2 What are the competing products and who supplies them?

• List the advantages and disadvantages of all your competitors and their products.
• Explain why people will desert established competitors and buy from you instead.
• Show you understand your competitors' reaction to losing business and demonstrate how you will respond to it.

Unless there is a viable market and you know how you are going to beat the competition, your business will be vulnerable.

You must show you have done the market research needed to justify what you say in the plan.

4 Sales and marketing

This section is crucial. It often gives a good indication of the business' chances of success.

4.1 How will your product or service meet your customers' specific needs?

4.2 How will you position your product?

• This is where you show how your price, quality, response time and after-sales service will compare with competitors.
• Quote minimum order figures, if appropriate.

4.3 How will you sell to customers?

• For example, by phone, through your website, face-to-face or through an agent.
• Show how long you predict each sale will take. Many new businesses underestimate the time involved in winning each order. In year one you may spend up to 80 per cent of your time making contacts and selling.
• Will you be able to make repeat sales? If not, it will be hard to build up volume.

4.4 Who will your first customers be?

• Show which customers have expressed an interest or promised to buy from you and the sales they represent.
• How will you identify potential customers?

Unless you can demonstrate that you have a clearly defined pool of potential customers, starting your business is likely to be a struggle.

4.5 How will you promote your product? For example, using advertising, PR, direct mail or via email and a website.

4.6 What contribution to profit will each part of your business make?

• Most businesses need more than one product, more than one type of customer and more than one distribution channel.
• Look at each in turn. Examine your likely sales, gross profit margins and costs.
• Identify where you expect to make your profits and where there may be scope to increase either margins or sales.

Services and intangible products (eg computer software) are more difficult to market. Start-ups in these areas must pay special attention to marketing in their business plans.

5 Management

People reading the business plan need to be given an idea of why they should have faith in the management of your start-up.

5.1 Outline the management skills within your team.

• Define each management role and who will fill it.
• Show your strengths and outline how you will cope with any weaknesses.
• Describe the background and experience of each team member.
• Clarify how you intend to cover the key areas of production, sales, marketing, finance and administration.
• Management information systems and procedures should be outlined. For example, management accounts, sales, stock control and quality control.
• Show how many 'mentors' and other supporters you will have access to.

5.2 How committed are you?

Banks and any other potential investors will want to be sure you are committed to the business. Show how much time and money each of the management team will contribute, and what your salaries and benefits will be.

6 Operations

Explain what facilities the business will have and how it will deliver the product or service to the customer.

6.1 Show the pros and cons of the location.

6.2 Indicate the facilities you will need to start (eg equipment and machinery). Some start-up businesses only need a desk and a phone.

Consider any potential limits to production capacity.

If you are going to manufacture or distribute products, show how and where you are going to warehouse them and for how long.

6.3 Provide a list of employee roles you need to fill and the skills required to fill them.

6.4 Show how you selected your suppliers.

Keep it real

Sales forecasts produced for start-up businesses are often over-optimistic. Here are some important reality checks.

• How soon can you start selling?
• Will potential customers hold off for a year before they take you seriously and place an order?
• How often will you be able to sell?
• How many days can you spend selling?
• How long will each lead take to line up?
• What percentage of leads will turn into sales?
• How much will you be able to sell?
• What will the average sale value be?
• Will most people give repeat orders, or must you find new customers each time?
• How long after a sale will it be before you can collect payment?
• How much income can you realistically expect each month?

7 Financial forecasts

Your financial forecasts translate what you have already said about your business into numbers.

7.1 A realistic sales forecast forms the basis for all your other figures.

Break the total sales figure down into its components (eg different types of products or sales to different types of buyer).

7.2 Your cashflow forecast shows how much money you expect to be flowing into and out of your bank account and when. You must show that your business will have access to enough money to survive.

• Demonstrate that you have considered the key factors affecting cashflow - eg level and timing of sales revenue, wages.
• Show when there will be more money coming in than going out ('cash-positive').

7.3 Your profit and loss (P&L) forecast gives a clear indication of how the business will move forward. Summarize the annual P & L forecast for each of the first two or three years of trading.

7.4 If you are launching a larger start-up, you will also need projected balance sheets.

These will show you the financial state of your business on day one and at year end, perhaps for the first two or three years.

7.5 Do not get too protective about your forecasts. You may need to revise them.

For every forecast, list all your key assumptions (eg prices, sales volume, timing). Small business advisers at banks and your local business support organisation will often help you put together your forecasts free of charge.

8 Financial requirements

The cashflow forecast will show how much finance the business needs. Your assessment of the risks will determine whether or not you need to arrange contingency financing.

8.1 Say how much finance you will want, when and in what forms.

For example, you might want a fixed-interest loan and an overdraft facility.

8.2 State what the finance will be used for.

Show how much will be for buying equipment and how much for working capital (financing stock and debtors).

8.3 Confirm that you will be able to afford it.

9 Assessing the risks

9.1 Look at the business plan and isolate areas where something could go wrong (eg if your main supplier closes down).

What you would do if it actually happens?

9.2 Consider a range of what-if scenarios (eg what happens to your cashflow if sales are 20 per cent lower or 15 per cent higher than forecast). If there are serious risks:

• you can arrange contingency funding to cover the finance you may need
• you may decide that the business is too risky and abandon the whole project.

Assessing risk will help you minimise problems and help build up your credibility with any investor or bank.

10Appendices

10.1 Detailed financial forecasts (monthly sales, monthly cashflow, P&L) should usually be put in an appendix.

Include a detailed list of assumptions.

For example, the profit margin on each product, debtor collection period, creditor payment period, stock turn, interest and exchange rates, equipment purchases.

10.2 You may want to give other relevant information.

• Detailed CVs of key personnel (essential if you are seeking outside funding).
• Market research data.
• Product literature or technical specs.
• Names of target customers.
• A list of external data sources used in your research will add credibility to the information.

11 Presenting the plan

The more solid information you can gather for your own use, the better the business plan will be. But a banker or other outsider will not have time to read through all the details.

11.1 Keep your business plan short.

Most business plans are too long. Focus on what the reader needs to know.

11.2 Make it professional.

• Put a cover on the business plan and give it a title.
• Include a contents page.

11.3 Test it.

• Re-read it yourself. Would reading your plan give an outsider a good feel for your business and a grasp of the key issues?
• Show the plan to friends and expert advisers and ask them for comments.

Home garden, Home aquaponics

credit to http://quantitativemetathesis.blogspot.com/

Aquaponics Is the Next Generation Name for House Garden

We have all observed of veggie plants, kitchen landscapes and bought clean vegetables from the grocer's shops and observed about The Lawn of Arden. At some point of life most of us might have used veggie agriculture, be it in the property garden or portable pots but I think most of us have not tried Aquaponics yet. Aquaponics is a recent innovation in the field of agriculture and shall become another name for home landscapes in the days to come.

                      

What is Aquaponics?

Aquaponics is the combination of hydroponics and aquaculture. Hydroponics is the method of growing vegetation in h2o or sand without the use of ground. Aquaculture is the agriculture of seafood. Aquaponics is the farming of both vegetation and seafood part by part. Fish is kept in an fish tank. The h2o made up of the toxic release by the seafood is sent to the hydroponic program through a pipe, where the vegetation utilize it to obtain their meals. The h2o becomes free from toxics and is sent returning to the aquaculture program.

                         

Vegetables can be expanded in multiplexes

All types of clean vegetables flourish in the Aquaponics program. Cucumber green beans, clothes or chili peppers any veggie can be expanded inside your house. Aquaponics can be used both, outdoors or in the house. No area is needed and this decreases the cost significantly especially, in cities and places where area for agriculture is hardly available. People living in multiplexes can also grow their clean vegetables.

Aquaponics gives you clean and natural vegetables

Since the vegetation obtain their nutritional value from the seafood fertilizer, no substances or bug sprays are needed. This means you get clean and natural veggie for your your meal. You do not need to pay high costs or even visit the Grocery stores store. These self produced clean vegetables involve no appearance, rating, marketing and marketing, which are the reasons for the rise in the costs of products in shops.

                                     

Saves h2o efforts and energy

All you need is a continuous supply of meals for the seafood. Difficult and time consuming washing of the fish tank is also reduced. The vegetation obtain the nutritional value from the h2o containing the natural waste of the seafood. Most of the washing is done by the vegetation. The h2o becomes clean and is supplied returning to the fish tank. It helps you to save a lot of h2o too.

                              

Easy accessibility to packages of different sizes

Aquaponics kit can be easily bought from plant centers, agriculture shops or via internet. Kits are available in different dimensions from huge tanks, to be used in verandas or mini ones for indoor preparations. The blooming bed too can be a huge tank or just a huge pail. Other necessary equipment is provided in the kit along with related information and training.

Relaxation of mind

Aquaponics gives an ultimate experience of staying close to nature in the grouped and disorderly places. The joy of eating self-cultivated meals is tremendous and no exotic supper at any cafe could ever meet it. It makes a relaxing green environment and gives pleasure to the brain. It can prove to be a treatment for many illnesses which owe their birth to stress and extremely stress.