Gary Lanning

Male

Hudsonville, MI

United States

Profile Information:

How did you find us?

referral from another website

If you found us through a referral or a newsletter, which was it?

aquaponics@townsqr.com

Are you an aquaponic gardener already?

Yes

If so, what type of system? (pick all that apply)

I am a high school biology teacher who has been playing with aquaponics on a small scale for a number of years. Mostly just guppies and foliage plants. Two years ago I got serious about converting an unused 10'X12' room into an aquaponics room for my Advanced Biology class. This is now the source of yearlong research projects for each student. We have a systme consisting of a 4'x8'X3' wooden tank with a rubber liner. We keep between 50-100 bluegills in here. Water is pumped from here into a 250 gallon poly tank overhead and gravity flows back down over a small waterfall for aeration and over net bags filled with plastic shotgun wads that serves as media for bacteria. Some of the water gravity flows into 48 linear feet of plastic eaves trouph filled with gravel. This supplies more media for bacteria as well as a place for plants to root. Finally, some of the water gravity flows to 3 4foot x4foot plastic trays filled with hydroton. This water is controlled by valves and a timer to flood and drain 4 times daily. We raise primarily heirloom tomatos but also some basil and have tryed a few other things.

Please tell us something else about yourself.

The exciting news for me is that the school board likes what they see and want to allow for expansion. They have promised me a greenhouse in 2012 and want me to design it. This is my one big chance so I don't want to blow it. I want the greenhouse to be specifically designed with aquaponics in mind. If anyone can help out please let me know.

Comment Wall: