Al Hodges References

1. Al Hodges References Part 1 of 4

2. Tilapia Koi TroutHot to Cold Aquaponics – Symbiotic environment for fish, bacteria, and plants. Brand new 2,500 year old farming method from China Carp in rice fields to the Aztec Floating Gardens’ flowers to NASA’s Carp and growing vegetables in space. Purdue University Extension Service http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26xpMCXP9bw

3. The Xochimilco “Floating Gardens,” south of Mexico City, are an Aztec tourist attraction.

4. Old style chinampas filled with dirt from lake. Modern version, now called ‘chinampa beds.’ c.1519 When unwelcome Spanish visitors came. Mexico City – The earliest fields that have been securely dated are from 1150 – 1350 AD. Chinampas also ringed Tenochtitlán, the Aztec capital. The dams and sluice gates were destroyed during the Spanish conquest of Mexico and many chinampas fields were abandoned, although remnants are still in use today in what remains of Lake Xochimilco. It is a major tourist attraction.It is estimated that food provided by chinampas made up one-half to two-thirds of the food consumed by the city of Tenochtitlán. Chinampas were fertilized using lake sediments and night soil and rich earth from the bottom of lakes. The word chinampa comes from the Nahuatl word chināmitl, meaning "square made of canes“ or wattles.

5. Mexico - 1500 Mexico City (c 1500) Mexico City (c 1519) Mexico City (c. 1500) Aztec Wattle – woven canesSubstitute bamboo . (Top) By 1500 AD, the Mexican chinampas were a major source of food for the Aztec capital; today, they are a major source of food as a tourist attraction. Bottom left spins a few facts to exploit the gullible. We can agree the Incas were not worried about climate change, even before arrival of the Spanish. And on the bottom right is a view of an ancient Asian aquaponics system

6. Veg-01 on display at Cape Canaveral, FL Veg-01 packed and ready for trip to the International Space Station. A lettuce plant growing in the soil substitute, the NASA seed pillow. Fresh Vegetables Grown in the Weightlessness of Space “This experiment is headed to space as Veg-01 to provide fresh salads. Veg-01 was developed by Orbital Technologies Corporation (ORBITEC) in Madison, Wisconsin and is a chamber designed to grow plants inexpensively using red, blue and green LEDs.” Size: 11.5 in wide by 14.5 in deep (29.2 cm x 36.8 cm). "The rooting pillow, where seeds will germinate and nutrients and water will be supplied, is one of thekey technologies that will be tested." The results could influence 21st Century family agriculture, especially Aquaponics. For almost forty years, NASA has been growing plants and fish, searching for the best combination to provide oxygen, fresh food, and dispose of human waste in space. The main task of NASA’s Vegetable Production System (Veggie) is to study how plants grow in weightless conditions and how to get them to do so more efficiently to provide fresh food for the astronauts. Another important goal is to see how growing something as simple as salad greens can boost crew morale. Full Article: http://www.gizmag.com/veggie/31613/

7. Aquaponics – Information I Googled Aquaponics and had over 3 million hits (July 2013). This may be life saving information in a crisis.Grow beds of 4’ x 25’ x 14” (100 sq. ft) can produce vegetables for a family of four. Volume of fish tank, grow bed, and sump tank are equal.This could be a sustaining career. Already, people are self-acclaiming as Experts and charging for classes helping others start aquaponics systems. Disney World – Epcot – Orlando, Florida Disney WorldEpcot Orlando Epcot Greenjester.org Main sump tank Slow solids filter and additional sump tank April 2013 New, 1891 (Nickola Tesla) lighting for better plant growth with Inda lights. Symbiotic triangle – fish-bacteria-plants

8. The massive "tomato tree" growing inside Disney’s Epcot may have been the largest single tomato plant in the world. The plant was recognized as a Guinness World Record Holder, with a harvest of more than 32,000 tomatoes with a total weight of 522 kg (1,151 lb) from a single vine. Yong Huang, Epcot's Manager of Agricultural Science, discovered the unique plant in Beijing, China. Huang brought its seeds to Epcot. The vine grew golf ball-sized tomatoes, which were served at Walt Disney World restaurants. The tomato treewas removed April 2010 after 13 months. Yong Huang, Manager of Agriculture Science at Epcot Q. What is the true reason the tomato tree no longer exists?

9. IBC module holds 750 liters of water – 90-100 plants. Hobby: Fish tank and desk top grow bedOne fish for four plants Aquaponics Module: One 2,000 liter (70 cu ft) fish tank and three grow beds (280 plants) – or one long grow bed Aquaponics Hobby Desk grow bed Nile tilapia are stocked at 0.29 fish/gallon (77 fish/m3) and red tilapia are stocked at 0.58 fish/gallon (154 fish/m3) [1 cu ft = 7.48 gallons] Portable Farms PowerPoint Presentation http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/svanlake-1373624-portable-farms-aquaponics-system/ The IBC of Aquaponics is a free, 38 MB pdf file – eText and Pictures.Pioneer Backyard Aquaponics, Perth, Australia, (San Diego latitude, down under) has an excellent video for converting an IBC container to a fish tank and one grow bed. You will find other good instructional videos, a magazine, and long-term forum. www.backyardaquaponics.com/videos

10. A coy dog? This happened in Perth, Australia. Someone dumped their cute little goldfish in the stream out back. Carp do grow big! – Invasive?

11. The most expensive Koi in the world – €250,000. Owner Ryuki Narita holds sculpture of fish.

12. One aquaponics method Use gravity to move water from fish tank. Solids damage water pumps. Koi – More Profitable than Filets? Aquaponics is a symbiotic relationship of three dependencies – fish, bacteria, and plants. Each depends on the others.Fish provide nutritional protein. A family system is too small to produce sufficient fish for the year round protein needs of a family due to the nine months required for Tilapia to mature. Tilapia are favored because they lay eggs year round and harvests can be staged. Growing Koi could be a better profit center. The price for the four inch Butterfly Koi above is $30, better revenue than for a fish filet.http://www.livekoiforsale.com/ Article, Introduction to Koi breeding:http://koi-care.com/breed-koi-profit/ A low cost to purchase and operate air pump lifts fish waste water up to the flood tank.

13. Dallas, TX – Vertical barrel, apartment size aquaponics with fish tank below grow bed. Note PCP pipe below grow bed with two 90 degree elbows to improve efficiency of the Bell Siphon. Below: Two, small decorative, indoor systems. A small, indoor, decorative aquaponics system can teach beginners.

14. Porch Module – Natural sun, two grow beds (cover tank; fish do not need sun). Use hard cover, not a net, to keep fish in and cats, dogs, rodents, raccoons, snakes, birds, and kids out. Auto-Feeder Graphic of Module Parts Grow tray or grow bed Fish Tank Swirl filter and Settling tank Portable Farms diagram for 100 sq ft system to feed four people.

15. 40” 48” 14” 48” Full IBC measures approximately 48” high, 48” wide and 40” front to back. If cut for one grow bed, measure from top 14” down, leaving 34” for the fish tank. This fish tank should support two IBC size grow beds, food for one person. (34 cu. ft fish tank and 3 IBC grow beds ± equal volume). Plan for 100 cu ft (3 IBC fish tanks + 2 – 4’ x 12.5’ wood grow beds (100 cu ft) for a family of four. Use worms to avoid needing biofilters or solids filters. Flood and drain grow beds are recommended by Backyard Aquaponics (Perth, Australia) for a family aquaponics system. Use raft systems for high production, leafy vegetables, commercial systems. Murray Hallam, Australia, is converting his commercial aquaponics system from NTF pipes to flood and drain grow beds because the water over heats in the long pipes, reducing plant growth, an expensive start-up mistake. Suggestions:Use gravity to move liquids when possible. Paint the white IBCs, a dark color, to prevent algae growth.Insulation can be wrapped around the IBC to improve water temperature control. Sinking fish tanks in the ground lowers energy cost to warm fish in winter and cool fish in summer.Use air pump to move fish tank, nutrient water containing solids if grow bed is above the fish tank. A Bell Siphon drains the aerated, cleaned water into sump tanks or into fish tank if grow beds are above fish tank.

16. (B) (A) Three backyard modules 2 1 3 Montage – Pictures of three IBC backyard modules (lower right - 1,2,3). Note fish tank and grow bed are covered with black plastic to shut out sun to eliminate algae growth (A & B). Dark paint (for plastic) helps. Top 14 inches of IBC – metal and plastic – cut off for grow bed. IBC is rectangular, so turning top piece 90º lets it sit firmly on top of fish tank on the metal IBC frame (B). Bottom left two pictures of submersible pool pump to pump fish tank nutrients up into gravel media plant bed or filtration tanks. Full grow beds and water in fish tanks are very heavy. Be sure the ground or floor can support the module weight. Water pumps for nutrient water is not recommended. Use air or gravity.

17. IBC Tower System – Less Floor Space IBC Tower System Bell Siphon drops water at opposite end from next drain. Nutrient rich water pumped up from fish tank drops into grow bed. Water from above grow bed drops by gravity. Bacteria in grow beds convert ammonia to nitrites to nitrates – a bio-filter that cleans the water. Clean water drops into fish tank. Submerged pump lifts nutrient rich water to top grow bed. This IBC Vertical System require less floor space than a normal ebb and flow system while combining the efficiency of the ebb and flow with a multi-layer vertical tower. A strong water pump is necessary.

18. Using cattle panels elevated with posts and wood strips will reduce cost if less than 14 feet wide. Dark area for fish A smaller, but easily expanded cattle panel greenhouse follows this example.

19. Cheap –13 feet long, cattle panel greenhouse – three panels are slightly elevated to level unit. Several soft tie-down straps across plastic cover will reduce wind abrasion damage.If very strong winds, a wind deflecting wall (live bamboo?) may be needed.

20. Simple, Cattle Panel (or Bamboo) Greenhouse Be inspired; innovate!http://www.geofflawton.com/fe/61148-power-of-bamboo Install vents at both ends. Take care to bend cattle panel with smooth side out to lengthen life of plastic cover. Install door at ground level. Remove blocks on ends of each side to ventilate structure. Add rodent and insect screening.(WD-40 stops ants.) Insert home building plastic moisture barrier before building. 13‘ 13’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdbCcQTUO1ohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=P0tZPUyKrKs&NR=1 Cattle Panel 4.33’ x 16’ Even cheaper and easierEliminate concrete blocks. Put three poles per side. Attach and level a 2 x 4 with a 1 x 2 nailed to it to support the cattle panels 3-4 feet above floor level for wider greenhouse with adequate head room at peak. (Ex. 2 x 4 nailed at 4 ft. height gives eight feet of head room at peak for 13 feet wide greenhouse). (See next slide.) For permanent shade in tropics, use living fence posts taller than the 2 x 4s. “”

21. A A Before installing cattle panels, level cattle panel supports (2x4 side strips and 1x2s (A) 4 feet (± 1 meter) above floor to level 13 feet wide greenhouse with about 8 feet head room from floor to peak. Using side strips to level means less dirt to remove. A