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221 EW IN OTHER NEWS April 2017 ger lasting and more energy efficient than other grow lights. The whole system is also located in the utili- ty area of the Cionnis' basement, which, along with the moisture in the air, keeps at a steady 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. "It's like a tropical oasis down there," Mrs. Cionni said. "We harvested our first tomatoes 3 weeks ago, after planting the seeds at the end of October," Mrs. Cionni told EyeWorld in early February, still the thick of Utah winter. "I'm talking giant tomatoes, big, huge, Brandywine tomatoes, heirlooms. We both took a bite and we're like 'Oh my gosh, this actually tastes like a real tomato!' Because we've been eating store-bought tomatoes for the last couple of months." With produce growing up to three times faster in their climate controlled basement environment, Mrs. Cionni said they've had an abundance of vegetables in a short period of time. What's more, they're not battling outdoor elements, insects, or other produce-poaching animals. "We made tomato soup, to- mato-basil soup, and made a basil pesto sauce the other day. I never ate radishes, but we eat radishes all the time now. We've figured out so many different ways to cook them. We did a squash-radish salad; it was delicious. We have dill and tarragon coming out the wazoo," she said. by Liz Hillman EyeWorld Staff Writer two 100-gallon sump tanks, and four 50-gallon grow beds. From there, he's said it took a few weeks to get the chemistry right in terms of a balance of good bacteria, ammonia, nitrates, and pH. Since this was established, however, it's been a rela- tively self-maintaining system. "There are different kinds of bacteria in the grow beds—and some worms—that begin to convert the fish waste from mostly ammonias to nitrites and eventually nitrates, which are what plants want," Dr. Cionni said. For lights, Dr. Cionni opted for full-spectrum LEDs, which are lon- Learning about aquaponics from a partner at Dr. Cionni's practice at The Eye Institute, Salt Lake City, Mrs. Cionni started researching more about it and received an aquaponics kit from Dr. Cionni as a Christmas gift in 2015. "I was thinking we'd start with one bed and see if it worked. But Bob doesn't do anything small," Mrs. Cionni said, laughing. Their research continued for several months before Dr. Cionni designed the setup for his basement and then spent 3 days cutting and putting together a network of PVC piping from a 200-gallon fish tank, Aquaponics system produces vegetables year-round T he growing season hadn't even started in Utah, and yet Robert Cionni, MD, ASCRS past president, and his wife, Helen Cionni, Salt Lake City, had already been growing and harvesting tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, radishes, lettuce, herbs, and more for several months when speaking with EyeWorld in early February. Mrs. Cionni used to start her seedlings indoors in March for outdoor planting in mid- to late- May. But thanks to a system that she joked looks like something off the set of "Breaking Bad," she's been able to grow a garden's worth of plants indoors throughout the win- ter and early spring. The Cionnis have gotten into "aquaponics." Aquaponics? This must be a fancy term of hydropon- ics, right? Actually, not quite. Unlike hydroponics, which requires nutrients to be added to the water and for water to be changed out regularly, Mrs. Cionni said aquaponics uses fish, which con- tribute nutrients to the system for plant roots to take up. Water is then recirculated back to the fish tank, making this system more water-effi- cient than hydroponics. When the growing season was just too short, Utah couple took gardening indoors An aquaponics system and LED lights that run the full spectrum of light allow the Cionnis to grow a variety of vegetables year-round in four grow beds in their basement. continued on page 222 In just a few months, the Cionnis have grown tomatoes, peppers, radishes, herbs, and more. Source (all): Robert Cionni, MD

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