Aquaponic mailgroup

This site contains mostly articles and thougts from the member of

AQUAPONICS MAIL GROUP

adminstred by our nestors Tom and Paula Speraneo
S&S Aqua Farm
8386 County Road
8820West Plains
MO 65775 417-256-5124
Web page http://www.townsqr.com/snsaqua/

The webmaster of this site will give a special salute to Paula, who so patiently guide us on the right paths.
Thank You so very much!

Cat Beach

This website is administered from an Aquaponic project in a place called Cat Beach in Harnosand in the northern part of Sweden. Occationaly we have contributed with our own experience to this part of the website but You can find more on our twin sites in english or in swedish. Down below you can read a short description of our projekt as well.

A growing and developing project in Harnosand, Sweden

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." --Edison

Goals

The goal of this aquaculture project is to research, develop and demonstrate the possibilities to use aquaculture in combination with growing plants on sites where there is very little water. We hope to find ways for people especially on the countryside to support themselves with fish and fresh vegetables and possibly make a commercial living on this concept. In the long run the goal is to integrate the fish- and plantsystem in a greater eco-society.

Dedication to Tom & Paula Speraneo

Our project could be called "Rainbow Bioponics System" and is a variation of the S&S Bioponics in the Ozarks of Missouri, USA. The picture below (copyright S&S) is the design of the S&S Aquafarm, but our system is very much alike. In our system the fishtank is placed above and besides the plants, which means that we have only one pump.

It is a recycling growing system, where we cultivate Rainbow Trouts and other fish in symbiosis with tomatoes, basil, pepper etc. We started in a very small scale. The following season we escalated and with financial contribution from the EU we built a larger greenhouse for parallell trials.

Who we are

We are two elderly gentlemen with diffent background. Pekka Nygard has a lifetime of experiences in fishing and aquaculture. Myself, Stefan Goës, has more experience with economics and computers. We don't expect to get rich on this concept but find it highly interesting.

We think S&S definition of Bioponics is worth repeating here.

Bioponics - a term coined to describe our growing system. Bio (from the Greek bios - life, mode of life) combined with hydroponics techniques, but replacing the mineral nutrient salts with natural input of nutrients from a biological source - fish effluent.

A simple and innovative system of food production combining aquaculture and hydroponic growing techniques without expensive equipment.

Our system uses readily obtainable materials and simplified methods to create a practical production system for growing safe, chemical-free food.

Our growing system is adaptable. It can be designed to provide a family food supply, or expanded to suit commercial production.

Ecological Engineering

In our work we try to apply ecological engineering, which can be defined as applied ecological knowledge and design in harmony with nature and using natural processes. Also called eco-technology, ecological engineering breaks the trend towards specialization and mechanization that has "solved" small, defined problems without taking into consideration the system of which they are a part.

The shortcomings of conventional wastewater treatment are especially obvius in the way treatment plants are built to reduce the damage to bodies of water from excess phosphorus and nitrogen. Yet these plant nutrients are significant resources on the farm and cost the farmer money. In the form of fertilizer, the phosphorus and nitrogen in sewage from one person is worth approximately 50 Swedish kronor annually (which today means aproximately US $ 5).

Instead of recycling the valuable components in sewage, resources flows continue to be one-way. Today for example, billions of kronor are being invested in rebuilding Swedish treatment plants in order to transform nitrate into nitrogen gas. Yet this nitrogen is exactly the same as that produced to make chemical fertilizers by extracting nitrogen gas from the atmosphere, through an energy-intensive and polluting process.

When material recycling is applied in society in a way similar to nature's own renewal process, we have then come a long way towards the development of a "sustainable society".