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Comment by Sheri Schmeckpeper on May 27, 2014 at 5:01pm

Kim, Okra always grows in full sun, and makes a great shade for other plants. With a shadecloth, most summer crops will grow through the dry part of the summer. Flowering plants tend to stop setting when the temps get upwards of 90 to 100, depending on the plant. AP is nice because it cools the roots and lengthens the time a bit. Little will grow in the humid part, but there are carryovers that hang on. And once the temps hit 90 - 95, we put up the shade cloth.

Welcome, Lisa! We've grown fodder but not with the AP. It only needs water, though we've thought about hooking it up once we have the fodder-in-the-heat thing down. Fodder grows best in the 70's, so AZ is a challenge. That said, I've read about people successfully growing in hot conditions. I'll be learning more over time. Please share what you learn, and I'll share what I learn!

Bob, we've had numerous breedings in our AP system, but since we don't have hiding places, we catch fry randomly when the pump sends them into the duckweed tray or raft bed. If we had hiding places we could capture many more. Having hideouts of various sizes is best, so in our aquariums (separate from the AP system), we've been able to keep mixed sized using rocks with different sized crevices & caves. Anything with a mouth big enough to go around a fry or small fingerling is likely to do just that, if given the chance, though.

A good Momma will try to release her young in a safe place, but if she can't find a spot, she might swallow her young. A weighted down plastic milk crate can be a good hiding place, too, but as Jim noted, larger fry/fingerlings will go after smaller ones, so hiding places inside the crate may be beneficial.

If you're just trying to replenish your system, you don't need to save all the fry by any means, so most can become protein for the older fish, or fertilizer in one form or another. If you do want to save them all (which can get into the hundreds with every breeding) artificial incubation can work and is probably easiest if you can catch the female with eggs.

John, your gardens, veggies, and dinner all look fantastic! Dr. George, I think you've lost your head over aquaponic gardening! ;D

Oh, as for the pond, I agree with Bob that the one in the pic is too shallow, particularly for tilapia. From what I understand, catfish are fine in 3' waters, as are tilapia, but tilapia will jump right out during the breeding bravado, so it's good to have a high side. I've seen them jump well over 6" at small- to mid-sizes. Also, deeper waters will keep temps better in the winter. If/when we do our pond, we'll probably go 3-4' for the water, with at least 8" above the water for jumpers. (That said, I've seen a hot tub used successfully for a tilapia pond, so maybe we're overly cautious about the jumping.) Or we'll stick to catfish in the pond. :)  Kim, check out bobcat rentals. They aren't hard to maneuver, or you can hire a driver with it. 

Comment by Sheri Schmeckpeper on May 27, 2014 at 4:22pm

If anyone's interested, I'm teaching the Intro to Aquaponics class this Saturday from 1 to 3, as well as a class on Raising Red Wigglers from 3:30 to 5. Redworms are one of the most valuable resources in aquaponic growbeds!

Both classes are in Tempe, through the Valley Permaculture Alliance. The price is lower if you enroll online rather than at the door, but you can do either. And if you come with a friend, you can reduce the price, too. The links to enroll are:

Aquaponics: http://vpaaz.wildapricot.org/Events?eventId=897306&EventViewMod...

Red Wigglers: http://vpaaz.wildapricot.org/Events?eventId=903544&EventViewMod...

I'd love to see you there! Oh, and in the Wiggler class we'll have a drawing for a free bucket composter!

Comment by John Malone on May 27, 2014 at 2:29pm

@ Bob Campbell 

I watched for months for my tilapia to breed.  Gave them pots for 'nests', played some Barry White, etc, etc,... There was lots of male region-staking and bravado, but no result.   I finally came to the conclusion that I don't have any females in the tank.

Hopefully this new batch of fish will have more success.

@ Kim Romen

Going to the trouble of starting the tomatoes and cucumbers in the garage early was a real winner.  I've got a huge load of fruit set and ripening nicely.   I suspect that with the temperatures rising that not a lot more tomatoes will set.   Once all the fruit has ripened, I'm pulling the plants.  I made the mistake last year of trying to keep them alive over summer.   They survived, but I got more fruit of the new plants than the old ones.

Comment by Kim Romen on May 27, 2014 at 1:55pm

John, starting seeds early really paid off for you!  i'm done with tomatoes and my plants that I planted by seed mths ago are still only a few inches high.  My cukes & squashes are flowering.  your pics are inspiring

Comment by Jim Troyer on May 27, 2014 at 3:10am

Nice fish John! and veggies! 

I have nice 3" fry available right now.  I messaged you my contact info but it is here as well.  Jim 480.257.5214 home 203.698.2626 cell/text

For those of you that are not in the Phoenix metro area; I'll ship too. USPS overnight is about $50 for the small box.

Comment by Bob Campbell on May 26, 2014 at 9:46pm

John if you have tilapia, why do you need to ask for fingerlings.?   Just find a way to save some fry before they are eaten.  I finally put an end to the population explosion with catfish.  Geeze how can anyone want more?

Comment by John Malone on May 26, 2014 at 6:16pm

Tilapia Fingerlings / Fry

Does anyone no where I can obtain some more tilapia fingerlings.

I've got a couple of tanks that need restocking.

Looking for 70+

Let me know. Thanks.

Comment by John Malone on May 26, 2014 at 6:05pm

Memorial Day Weekend

We had some friends around for supper and I decided it was high time to thin the school of monster tilapia in my tank.  Also, the tomatoes have begun ripening with a vengeance and the cucumbers are there if you look.   Harvest time!

Comment by Kim Romen on May 26, 2014 at 11:48am

I'm getting some mildew on cukes and squash/watermelon plants.  I also got it on my grapes that are above my AP.  First time i've seen this in 10 yrs on grapes.  i read to spray baking soda and water on the grapes.  thinking of doing the same thing on my squashes...  I don't have milk in the house but will buy some if that's the best suggestion.  any other things people have used or thoughts about milk and baking soda?  thx!

Comment by Dr. George B. Brooks, Jr. on May 21, 2014 at 11:37pm

5 seats left

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