Green Bridge Growers
Follow us on...
  • Our Blog
  • Who We Are
  • What We Do
  • How We Do It
  • Contact Us
  • Press
  • Produce Orders

Welcome!

Hey there! Glad you could stop by to learn more about Green Bridge Growers, the innovative social venture with the mission of  growing good food and good jobs for young adults on the autism spectrum.

Contact Us

Fishy Business

7/13/2016

1 Comment

 
Picture
It’s time to spotlight one of the most important parts of our aquaponic system in our prototype greenhouse at Hannah and Friends - the fish. Our fish play the valuable role of providing nutrients for the plants to absorb. The waste from the fish contains a lot of nitrogen, which is in the form of ammonia. Bacteria in the water convert the ammonia first to nitrites, and finally to nitrates. Ammonia and nitrites are poisonous to the fish, so monitoring the levels of those compounds to keep them in a safe range is very important. Nitrates, on the other hand, are nontoxic to the fish and are the form of nitrogen that the plants can use most easily, so the higher the nitrate levels, the better. We test for these different forms of nitrogen regularly with a test kit. Test tubes are filled with samples of water from our system. We add drops of the test solutions into the test tubes, and the color the water is a measure of how much ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate there is in our system.

There are two kinds of fish in our system at Hannah and Friends: goldfish and koi. Many of them we have had since we first built our greenhouse almost three years ago. These hardworking fish produce a lot of nitrogen for us, and koi and goldfish both tolerate a temperature range that extends from 55 to 85 degrees. That’s been quite favorable to us maintaining a greenhouse in a colder climate. In the winter we heat our aquaponic tank to a degree that allows us to grow vegetables that do well in cooler temperatures.

We always ensure that the fish get plenty of additional oxygen, which is important to maintain their health. Our fish were small when we first got them, but ever since we put them in the tank they’ve gotten bigger. Even one of the goldfish we had kept at home in an aquaponic system there never got very big until we placed in the bigger system at Hannah and Friends. It’s amazing what being in a bigger system can do to a fish’s growth! All of our fish have names, like Hulk Hogan, Nemo, and Tank that our friends have given them.

It’s really important with an aquaponic system to not overload the system’s capacity to hold fish. A good rule of thumb is to have one inch of fish per each gallon of water in your aquaponic system.

We make sure to feed the fish every day. We give them a couple handfuls of food and when we put it in the tank, our fish gobble it up pretty quickly. We’ve enjoyed learning about our fish, the things that make them grow best, and how to keep them healthy. Fish are quite social creatures and are very aware of their environment. They even know the sound of our voices. The closed loop between fish and plants in aquaponics makes a very powerful growing system indeed!

-Chris Tidmarsh

1 Comment

    Newsletter Signup

    * indicates required

    About Us

    Green Bridge Growers is a social enterprise created to put to work the many gifts and skills of young adults with autism.  Our founders, Chris and Jan, are building an exciting venture that grows fresh local food and grows great jobs for autistic adults. We invite you to learn about us and follow our work! 

    Archives

    July 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    June 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    September 2014
    June 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

    Tweets by @GreenBridgeGrow
    View my profile on LinkedIn
Green Bridge Growers
61591 Bremen Highway
Mishiwaka IN 46544


574-310-8190
info@greenbridgegrowers.org

  • Our Blog
  • Who We Are
  • What We Do
  • How We Do It
  • Contact Us
  • Press
  • Produce Orders