Chelated Iron

 Update:

I think I have found a good source of chelated iron.
CLICK HERE

A product called Ironite also looks good.  CLICK HERE for the whole story about lead and arsenic levels found in that product


TCLynx wrote this comment about  Maxicrop

 " As Nate noted, fish emulsion can provide the ammonia source for initial cycling but one must be careful and it might not be the best choice for cycling for all situations. I would definitely not recommend using fish emulsion in any system with fish already in it unless you are an expert. It could spike the ammonia too high and kill off fish if one was not very careful how they went about it. For fishless pre-cycling it might be ok.

For those having issues with plants not flowering or setting fruit well, potassium deficiency can cause that and maxicrop original might be a good supplement to help improve things on that front.

As to people saying to dose with maxicrop to keep the plants going till the nitrates come online, well Im not sure that is really an accurate comment as to what the maxicrop actually provides for the plants. However, in a new system, nitrate is not the only thing the plants are waiting for so giving a dose of seaweed extract can help your plants get a good start with trace nutrients and many of the complex substances that wont be available in a fresh gravel bed. (I also think some worm castings can provide much benefit for a new system too.)"

RupertofOz wrote this about letting the system mature 
Just feed your fish a quality aquaculture pellet feed... they contain all the essentially trace elements necessary for plant growth in an aquaponics system.. and the ammonia wastes from the fish... provide all the necessary "nitrates" required for abundant growth...

"Its that simple.... and safe...
Other additives are only utilized if deficiencies show... usually due to pH associated "lockouts"...
Cycling a system only requires a pure ammonia source.. and only takes a few weeks..."

Original Post:
I got the idea add iron chelate to prevent chlorosis from Murray Hallams video.  The main symptom of iron deficiency is yellowing leaves, especially the youngest leaves. The veins of the leaf usually remain green.  So I went out to buy some today, and found it difficult to get straight iron chelate.

Then I came up with this half baked idea to use dried sea weed since it has no nitrates and lots of iron.   I fed a pinch to my fish and they gobbled it up; they really liked it! I thought I was on to something good.

Then I though better about it, and tested with a very small amount into a large tank of water.  Im so glad I did not put more than that little pinch in the aquaponic system.  It turns the water dark as coffee
.  

Heres what Murray uses

A source CLICK HERE


Update June 15 2012
The topic of nutrients is quite a demanding study.   I have written several posts pertaining to nutrient uptake.   Nutrient Deficiencies

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Aquaponics Sweet Remano peppers

I harvested the first of my very late capsicums today.

This is my all time favourite variety called Sweet Remano pepper.

They are very late to fruit as I like them red, and they went in very late.

These things are so delicious, that I think they are too valuable to eat.





For some strange reason, I cant buy them from any of my local fruit and veg shops, or supermarkets.

Delicious.















120 Things in 20 years - I really need to learn how to use my new camera when trying to take pictures of the Sweet Remano peppers from my aquaponics system.

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Making smoked foods Soldering iron cold smoker

I bought some very inexpensive cuts of chicken labelled "Breast roasts for two" from my local supermarket.

They appeared to me to be a prime candidate for value adding.

I brined them in a solution of water, salt, sugar, pepper, and some lemon juice. I also threw in a couple of bay leaves. I have no accurate record of the measurements used.

Measurements are a tricky thing, because you cant rely on one batch being the same as the next. The amount of meat, and its existing water and salt content create differences. You can probably ignore the existing levels, but the amount of meat being brined changes things a lot. The result is you cant just say x amount of water needs y amount of salt.

As I understand it, the process of absorbing the salt and sugar is done by osmosis. Salt is removed from the water, so the amount of meat in the brine changes how much salt is left in the brine. The result is the solution might need to be stronger to brine more meat. Irregular shaped meat like my chicken breast still on the bone, requires a bigger amount of water to cover it.

The good thing is, it will probably work well no matter what you do, but it does make a recipe a bit pointless.

That being said I used about 6 litres of water and a bit over half a cup of both salt, and sugar.

Brine your food in cold water, in the fridge.

After an hour and a half, I removed the chicken, pat it dry, and placed it into my lidded BBQ.

A 12 or 24 hour brine would have been better but I was pressed for time.

I also placed my trusty tin can full of holes inside, and jammed a 60watt soldering iron* into it at the base.

Perfect, cold smoke in minutes.

A total success.

The wood chips were from a store bought pack of smoking wood chips.





Im pretty sure this would ruin the soldering iron for soldering, but this was one Ive never used as it was way too powerful for anything I might do.

Previously I used my tin can full of holes with burning heat beads to keep it going, so I needed quite a few holes to support the combustion required to keep it alight. With the soldering iron, I can choke it down a lot more because it will never go out. I think Ill make a new tin can with less holes, and a large adjustable hole in the top by way of two lids with large holes that I can rotate to make whatever size hole I need. This should allow total control over how much smoke is made, and with some marks on the lids, I should be able to keep a record of what setting it was on, and what worked and what didnt.

But it does seem that everything works, no matter what you do so dont be too stressed over recipes and instructions. Just have a go, and you wont be disappointed.



120 Things in 20 years - Should have done a bit more research before trying to make a cold smoker because a soldering iron works really well.


*using a soldering iron for a cold smoker is NOT an original 120 things idea

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