Hi Elizabeth, Thanks for the friend invite. I left Mansfield in 1991 and never looked back. I grew up living behind John Simpson Middle School. Now i have a mini-farm out in the country and loving it. Im still in the design stages of builting my system, I have 6 IBC totes and a 20X40 greenhouse. Im hoping to get thinks flowing this fall. Talk to ya later.

That sounds like a good move :)  

Wow you are doing media and raft in one system?

How big are your tanks and how big is your fish tank and how many fish and what kind of fish are you using?

I see you are also doing chickens, we are just starting chickens with aquaponics so everything is new to me.

Hello again, any progress with your system?

These are White Nile Tilapia.

I am guessing some are about 18 inches, this morning.

I always recommend starting slow and easy. I have seen a lot of people get burned-out because they took the difficult way and too many fish to start.

I recommend getting most of your setup from Ace hardware.

two tanks,1 for your fish and 1 for crops.

1. the fish either a 100 gal or 150 gal Rubbermaid water tank

2. the crop.. a 50 gal tank

the fish tank on the bottom with a pump to the crop tank

If you are interested, I can take some pictures for you and your children

Dave

Sorry to get back to you so late.

Re: fishing

If your children are not too patient, they can fish like I do.  (December 15, 2011), the fish in this photo are 7 mos old. from my aquaponic system.

Welcome to the community and thanks for the invite. Looking forward to sharing lots of information as our systems up and running.

Hi Elizabeth

Thanks for your friend invite.

My wife and I look after Chateau de Clerac, the link is 

http://chateau-de-clerac.com/GB/home.htm

We have been here since April last year, meeting and greeting self caterers who stay for  a week at a time, only summer... (busyish) only Saturday is busy for me. So lots of time on my hands and lots of old barns here.

Perfect scenario for AP...I have loads of timber... my plan is to build a 3 meter wooden fish tank and line it with a 3m X 5 m pond liner (3000 liters I think), which should allow me to grow 9m X 1m area...same again, use what I have available. I know there is a trout farmer somewhere in the area...will use those when I find him. Cannot speak much French so the challenges are many. I have been taking notes from an Australian guy...Murray Hallam..

What a brilliant and helpful forum this is.

Speak soon

Malcolm

I like to think I do, but were are all full of our own BS here.