Bunnyponics

[Ceefa]

Bunnyponics

In New Zealand it seems that the only fish we can keep in an aquaponics system is goldfish, unless we start cutting through rolls of red tape. As a home enthusiast I don't think its worth the effort. In aquaponics you grow fish to eat, in bunnyponics you grow rabbits to eat or sell but the main product for me is their poop.

I have been doing some experimenting lately with rabbit poop and throw this idea into the forum to get some feedback and guidance from those people wiser than me.

I have read that rabbit poop is one of the best natural composts that can be put straight onto a garden without composting and it is rich in NPK. My system is based on a combination of three ideas - Global buckets (earth box variation), wicking system and hydroponics. The nutrient is nothing but rabbit poop suspended in water in a bucket with holes in it..

At the moment I am watering this nutrient through the filler tubes by hand till it flows out of the overflow holes drilled 50mm up from the bottom of the bucket. My next goal is to pump the nutrient through the filler tubes and as it flows out of the overflow holes it will flow into an NTF system where I will be growing lettuce, watercress etc.

At the moment the results are pleasing as shown in the photo. I change the rabbit poop about once a week and put the old stuff in my worm farm. My media is a mixture of perlite, coir, compost and worm casting.

I would appreciate any advice or guidance to help me with this experiment.

[GaryD]

Hi Ceefa,

mornings has experimented widely with rabbit manure in his vermiponics set up. I suggest that you read these threads.....here. (http://www.aquaponicshq.com/forums/showthread.php/1413-Vermiponics-Aquaponics-Without-Fish)...and here. (http://www.aquaponicshq.com/forums/showthread.php/1427-Vermiponics-system?highlight=vermiponics)

The worms are an important part of the integration. Unlike your system, however, mornings uses the worms to mineralise the rabbit manure to release the nutrients first........where yours (if I understand it correctly) extracts the nutrients by soaking the manure and gives the residual sludge to the worms.

Keep us posted on your results. By the way, don't rule out goldfish as the nutrient source for your growing system. They are cheap, hardy and produce copious quantities of poop.

Are you not able to keep trout in NZ?

Gary

[Ravnis]

I see some real advantages using rabbits instead of fish. FIsh take 6 months to a year to grow out, and some more than that. Rabbits grow out in much shorter time I believe. I never raised rabbits, but thought about it. THe missus was not amicable to the idea of eathing "thumper".