Good Air Pump

UPDATE: 

I found this air pump that seems to be exactly what most of us would want.
The AP 100 is quiet at 45db.
It pumps 144 liters per minute at zero head pressure
And the pressure is outstanding - 181 inches of water, but they conservatively claim 11 feet! 
100 Watts is not bad either.
It even comes with a rebuild kit!
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This General Hydroponics air pump is Extremely Quiet has a lot of pressure (84" of water) which is required for many air lift situations. 20 liters per minute is not earth shaking but its enough to air lift the water for my Earthan Beds. 

The quiet operation and psi of this little $69.00 pump really impress me.  General Hydroponics does not state in db how much noise is made, but I think it could be placed next to a living room aquarium.  The sound of the bubbles would probably be louder than the pump.

http://www.1000bulbs.com/product/95293/GROW-GH2716.html?utm_source=SmartFeedGoogleBase&utm_medium=Shopping&utm_term=GROW-GH2716&utm_content=Air+Pumps&utm_campaign=SmartFeedGoogleBaseShopping&gclid=CN7G2qO-8rsCFcVQ7AodEVIALw

General Hydroponics GH2716 - Dual Diaphragm Air Pump

www.1000bulbs.com

Shop for General hydroponics GH2716 Dual Diaphragm air pumps. Four outlets pumping 20 liters per minute. Low prices on air pumps at 1000Bulbs.com.

Another good air pump is the Hakko.  Here are the specs of the six modles they build.
Hakko25 - 21 liters per minute, 17w, 3.7 psi (32dB)
Hakko40 - 51 liters per minute, 40w, 5.5 psi (35dB)
Hakko60 - 68 liters per minute, 63w 6.7 psi (38dB)
Hakko80 - 86 liters per minute, 85w, 7.8 psi (38 dB)
Hakko100 - 105 liters per minute,116w, 6.5 psi (40dB)
Hakko120 - 121 liters per minute,126w, 7.8 psi (42dB

For large air I have used the Active Aqua 70 lpm and the Eco-Plus 7 with 200 lpm.  Both of these are very loud.  My Active Aqua 70 lpm destroyed itself in less than a year.  The Eco-Plus 7 has been in continuous use for about a year and it runs much cooler due to the larger fin size.  Eco-Plus 7 is the better pump in my opinion.   Mine uses 60 to 90 Watts even though its rated at 200W.  It also will pump to a depth of 84".

I have no experience with the Elemental O2 Commercial Air Pumps but the
571 gph/43 lpm delivers 2.47psi
951 gph/72 lpm delivers 3.48 psi from 41watts
1157 gph/87.6 lpm delivers 4.64psi


1 pound per square inch = 27.6704523 inches of water. 

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Nutrient Imbalance

Nate Storey has done it again!

Figuring out nutrient imbalance is in my opinion the most difficult thing about aquaponics.  Nate really lays it out in an easy to understand method for us to determine a course of action when our plants begin to look a bit peeked. I would post the link  to the KEY he has developed for diagnosing these problems right here, but I feel that you should go to Nates site and find his offer.   When asked to register just do it.  You will be pleasantly surprised.

Videos by Nates

Phoshorus
Iron
Calcium
Potassium

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the good the bad and the generic

well not really. The good is also bad but I will explain that later. First lets start with this random picture. I was actually commenting on Takas blog when this came up =]. It made me happy especially cause...well I alike Fable II. Yeah I know its spelled wrong but hey its in my favorite color!

So I asked this guy if he was dating this girl. He said something along the lines of "no because Im not sure if I really wanna be with her." I mean WTF...I agree with Taka on this one...dating someone is to see if they are marriage compatible with you...NOT to touch/make out with. He played two girls in two weeks...probably more.

You know who you are douche bag...cause we put you on the spot.

So now the good that is actually seen as bad.

Cull
1 : to select from a group : choose <culled the best passages from the poets work>
2 : to reduce or control the size of (as a herd) by removal (as by hunting) of especially weaker animals; also : to hunt or kill (animals) as a means of population control

from Merriam Webster

So why is this important? Well I was talking to a local rat breeder who says he culls unfavorable rats and gives them to the local snake and reptile rescue. I think I will do the same but sell to friends (as some of my friends buy from shops where the mice/rats are eating each other...meaning they arent healthy).

"In my opinion, culling is a necessary, albeit unpleasant, part of a responsible breeding program. While culling doesn’t necessarily mean killing (just removing from the breeding program) I’m assuming you’re referring to those that do kill the unacceptable specimen. A truly responsible breeder (in my opinion) is breeding to better the species/breed. That means discontinuing unhealthy DNA trails. Unless you expect them to spay/neuter every un-breedable pup/kit/etc they produce, culling is the only option.
In regards to reptiles eating the deceased, I don’t see the objection. It’s a natural part of life for them, and why waste potential food?"
-some chick in my myspace group

I have to admit this helped to shape my decision. As cruel as it can be...snakes need to eat too. And why not pull a pup with bad genes?


Ok and now the generic...

Taka and I went to go pick up Jacob this morning in Natomas...where he lives lol. So we did a U turn and there was a house that looked exactly like his...except painted blue. I was like "hey that house looks like yours!" We got to the end of his street and he pointed out a house that looked EXACTLY like his...same color and everything. Then we drove down the street a little and there again was the same house...same color but in reverse XD

I know its not just his area. A lot of the houses were David lives look the same.

way to go Natomas...so generic.

Its ok Antelope is like that too.

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eff

Totally terrible day yesterday. Well didnt start out bad...it just went downhill really fast. Maybe Im over exaggerating...


*sigh* its carried over into today....

and has become one of those times when the only thing that keeps you going is the hope that tomorrow will be better...that time will fix it all.

But in reality I think Im tired of waiting...

Even the strongest man can only carry the extra weight around before they can get tired. They just cant keep doing it =

So in happy news...I got to eat nice food yesterday thanks to Adam. Not really used to fresh food but hey...not gonna complain about that. Also since I was so effing depressed last night I went to bed at 8 and probably passed out around 9. So yup all energized right now =]

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How Good are Blogs

WebLogs IMHO are the best compromise that has developed on the net. Not quite a Web Site, One Giant Leap beyond an email. The thing is though, they provide information that is updatable and is held for reference where it can be found. Some blogs ar little more than Diaries or notepads while others are closer to Websites than many that call themselves sites.

I guess this one sits wherever I want it on any given day. I just continue to hope that the information it provides, lies in the realm that includes or covers your interest or curiosity. This is the reason it tends to jump around somewhat with the type of content as well as the depth of information. So although I am trying to satisfy people who are by now well into living their life around their Aquaponic System by providing links to sites or blogs that deal with a huge range of problematic issues, I still like to touch on the little blogs put up by people who are still way back in the thinking about it stage.

The third area I like to tap into is the more technical area like the the guys who are right up on the more technical issues associated with water quality, bacteria life cycles, fish diseases and of course naturally dealing with plant disease and pests.

So if your needs as yet have not been met, just hang in there and if you have an issue or two let me know and Ill try to chase it up for you. Because some time, someone else is going to thank us both for providing the answer to their needs. Aquaponics is like a whole new world and we are the lucky ones who have chosen to get on this bus very early and Im still guessing where its going to take us and all who come after us.

Im not joking about this, just look at the countries on my counter. People everywhere are looking to Aquaponics as a means to their end, to fill their particular need.

This Blog was only started this year and look at the growth. Doesnt that tell you something. I know it tells me that A/P is like the proverbial snowball rolling down the hill. Every rotation it takes, it grows because every newcomer finds the answers and those answers are reachable and achievable with A/P.

O.K. Im off the bandwagon... Sorry about that.....

LETS DO THE THING....

A/P on Face/Book

Slywoman is here with a look at the subject we started on last week. So heres is a experts view on fishless cycling without a push bike.

From the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, a PDF on On-Farm Food Safety: Aquaponics. Food Safety and Technology  and others

Port Clyde — Herring Gut Learning Center welcomes Louis W. Cabot Island Fellow Alexandria Brasili to its staff. Brasili will focus on developing a business and marketing plan for the aquaponics greenhouse and hatchery

I love Forumz. Heres one, have a dig around and see what morsels you can uncover

Back in 2006 the Dervaes familys Path to Freedom urban homestead project hit the airwaves of TreeHugger TV. Since then weve seen a proliferation of urban farm tours, awesome small-scale permaculture projects, inner-city aquaponics, and even backyard animal husbandry and slaughter.
Here is the link to all of that and MORE

An update from Chef Ricky

Taro in Aquaponics

This is a great alternative to grow food for animals with the latest in growing technology AQUAPONICS

120 things is back again with Automatic fish feeder

I spoke earlier about the range of people who are involved, here is a new one (new to me that is)

Heres an article by Chris Smith and some follow up encouragement from our friend, Slywoman.

Now heres an article that came to me from dig.com

Ok guys and Gals thanks again, see you real soon.
OZZIE

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