We finished building the fresh water system in late 2007. It
consisted of some equipment, like our filter, that we designed and
had built especially for our system. The fish were silver perch in
a the 2000 litre fish tank and we connected 2 grow beds to the
system. We used a variety of plants firstly as a testing not only
to the system but growing under the lights as well.
The system uses Floating Raft Technique or Deep Channel Technique for the growing section. We do this because it is a good environment for growing crops that are turned over regularly. This makes it ideal for commercial systems in our opinion. You can see the growth of the roots easily by lifting the raft and it is truly amazing how quickly they grow.
We tested the water every day for Ph, nitrate, nitrite and ammonia. We used laboratory quality testing equipment to ensure accuracy. Our system performed as expected with regard to nitrification. We also check temperature, dissolved oxygen, total dissolved solids and salinity.
Finally we check the plants each day. We have planted a wide range of plants in order to see what grows best in our system. This will allow us to better advise our commercial clients.
Unlike gravel flood and drain system we do have a small amount of effluent that must be removed from the system. It is generated by the Swirl Filter. We generally did this once a week but checked the system regularly.
Only two weeks and a half weeks after the first lot of plants went in, under Kerri's careful husbandry, we had wonderful growth. The root growth in a seedling that was put in only two weeks was wonderful and the plants we picked truly enjoyed all the nutrients from the fish.
By mid-2008 we had learnt a lot from our research system. We had experimented with different seeding techniques and methods for cleaning. You can see we used small pots for the seedlings to sit in. We have used all this valuable information to refine our commercial system.
Initially we had a problem growing under artificial light. So to overcome this we diverted to using plants that were more appropriate and learnt more in relation to artificial light.
We continue to do our experiments and improve our systems.
The system uses Floating Raft Technique or Deep Channel Technique for the growing section. We do this because it is a good environment for growing crops that are turned over regularly. This makes it ideal for commercial systems in our opinion. You can see the growth of the roots easily by lifting the raft and it is truly amazing how quickly they grow.
We tested the water every day for Ph, nitrate, nitrite and ammonia. We used laboratory quality testing equipment to ensure accuracy. Our system performed as expected with regard to nitrification. We also check temperature, dissolved oxygen, total dissolved solids and salinity.
Finally we check the plants each day. We have planted a wide range of plants in order to see what grows best in our system. This will allow us to better advise our commercial clients.
Unlike gravel flood and drain system we do have a small amount of effluent that must be removed from the system. It is generated by the Swirl Filter. We generally did this once a week but checked the system regularly.
Only two weeks and a half weeks after the first lot of plants went in, under Kerri's careful husbandry, we had wonderful growth. The root growth in a seedling that was put in only two weeks was wonderful and the plants we picked truly enjoyed all the nutrients from the fish.
By mid-2008 we had learnt a lot from our research system. We had experimented with different seeding techniques and methods for cleaning. You can see we used small pots for the seedlings to sit in. We have used all this valuable information to refine our commercial system.
Initially we had a problem growing under artificial light. So to overcome this we diverted to using plants that were more appropriate and learnt more in relation to artificial light.
We continue to do our experiments and improve our systems.
