Ya'll,

It's been a while since I posted anything here, so it's about time ...

We have expanded our gardening area by adding a DWC Raft System. It is currently under construction and I have posted some pictures of our progress.…

First of all check out this video....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDzcKgWLRf0

I have been using this design, flawlessly in my system since I built it. 

The following information may be helpful to the new Aquapon, who wants to be frugal yet have a system that is functional and thrives.…

Folks,

We have taken such great care of our fish and plants so far however, I just realized today that to solve a snail and slug problem in our grow bed I used Corry's® Slug & Snail Pellets which I now realize is quite toxic and may kill my fish.

I thought it was an organic product and I should have read the label ! 

I have been using this product for years around the property to take care of slugs and snails without

so much as a second thought.…

Whew it's HOT here! After all it is Miami Florida.

The fish and plants are still growing like crazy! I have included a couple of pix in this posting for your review.

We are wondering when we might see our fish begin to breed. From what i have been reading and hearing from fellow aquapons, it should be starting any time now. We have been clued into what we should be looking for, by others in their behavior.

So far so good the water quality has remained stable and the…

As time goes on we have discovered which crops work for us and which ones to avoid in the future. For us it seems that our lava rock and stalite rock combo grow bed, in the future, will be primarily an herb garden.



I believe we will attempt a raft system for our next crops like lettuce, kale, spinach, etc.

Any newbie must approach aquaponics as a learning experience. It's hard work and above all ... a lot of fun.

I think…

The fish are growing like crazy.

The smallest fingerlings are now the size of the biggest ones we brought home.

Ever since removing the filter from our pump the plants have exploded and are growing nicely. We did however abandon the carrots, lettuce and some others slow performers and replaced them with seasonal stuff that has taken off.

We bough an automatic feeder to use for when we are away and I have been experimenting with it for a couple of weeks and it dispenses…

I completed the solar portion of my system today and as of this minute the system is under the suns power. I've included a link to all of the pictures from this project, so far and the solar pictures are at the end of the images.

Here is a list of items used;

1 - Harbor Freight 45 Watt Solar Panel Kit                PAID $ 151.99  …

As of last Saturday, June 2nd, we have 20 tilapia fingerlings of various sizes in our tank.



They range in size from 1 1/2" to 2 1/2" in length.

At first they were pretty stressed out and would not eat for a few days. However, Tuesday they decided I was not a threat to them and they came out to see me.

As I dropped pellets into the tank they attacked it ... as if they were hungry or something.   

They…

The algae problem seems to be resolving itself thanks to TCLynx and others suggestion of wrapping the fish tank and blocking as much sunlight as possible. I noticed after a few days my water seems to be less green and more clean ... which is a great thing.

Still no fish in the cycling system but our chemistry has been improving. I am still doseing 2 oz. of ammonia a day and the ammonia and nitrite levels return to zero or near zero within 24…

Can't seem to get anything accomplished this week due to all of the rain. Bought 10 bags of Stalite on Saturday and have not been able to rinse them and add them to my grow bed. Maybe later today, since they are forecasting for the rains to subside.

Anxious to get my plants going and finish cycling up my system.

I am pleased to announce progress on our system. This week I managed to buy, rinse and re-rinse lava rock for  2/3rds of our grow bed and tomorrow will be buying 10 bags of Stalite for the top grow bed layer.



The water has been cycling for a week now and has cleared nicely and I think I may net some local canal fish on Sunday to put in the tank to see if they can survive before purchasing my mating tilapia.

I am still not clear on when ammonia should be added to my system?…

and we are still somewhat on schedule ...

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2905296195502.2115978.1353424519&type=3&l=9d78dee64e

Picked up our IBC tote yesterday and plan to do some modification today. Also picked up a grinder and extra cutting disks and a 45 watt solar panel kit (more on that later) from my local Harbor Freight store.



Once I cut the tote, clean it very well ... then it will be time to buy and install the pipe fittings, bell siphon etc. My pump has been ordered and should arrive this week. Next will be to get the grow media, rinse it completely and fill my system for the initial…

We finally located a safe IBC Tote to use for our system. I was amazed to find out what kinds

of chemicals are in those things. Many are not suitable to use for a fish tank or aquaponic use, no

matter how hard you try and clean them out.

My guy called me yesterday and said he had picked up 26 totes. I asked him to pick the best one

for me and hold it because our plans are to pick one up on Friday.

Still need to buy a grinder and some cutting disks, since I don't…

We finally got our water well drilled yesterday. About 30 feet deep and the water came out surprisingly clear after all of the crap came out and with no smell.



The well guy put some in his mouth, swished it around, spit and said we had a great well. I did the same and tasted nothing in particular. I did not swallow the water just swished and spit like him.



We have to get the water tested ... we thought about using a pool place to test my sample but don't think that will…

We had some family business to attend to, but now we are back and ready to get our hands dirty ... or I guess wet. Time to buy all of the elements we will need for our aquaponic system. Should have our system up and running by April ... whoo hoo!

Do we sound excited? YEP we are and so anxious to get started on this adventure. Thanks again to all of you who have helped in the decision making process of what to use, buy and grow.

Regards

Looks as if we will be right on schedule with our system launching in April. Working out the last few details, ordering the supplies needed and making the space for the system. Thanks for all of the initial support and information. We could not have done any of this without the wonderful people of this forum.

Thanks Again I am sure we will have plenty of questions as we come online with our project.

Fortunately I have access to engineers where I work and think, with their help, I may have solved the self sustaining solar issue. Still working out the details but one thing is for sure ... it won't be cheap.



However, I can see a benefit to having such a system not only for running my aquaponic system, but also for sustaining some comfort in the event of a power failure. I will keep everyone posted as I get closer to making my final decision about this solar…

Latest checklist of preparations;



- Creating an IBC System with a minimum of 1" pipe from the pump.

  (Unclear on using a submersible or stand alone pump application ... still to be determined)



- Using a 1 1/4" stand pipe in my GB bell siphon.

- Using the flood and drain method 24/7. (Is that too much?)

- Planning on using pea gravel for the grow bed due to…

I'm sure you have heard that phrase before. but in Aquaponics? Sure, why not and here is why.

The place where I was going to get my IBC tote called on Friday and told me the marking on the totes he picked up said bio-hazard. I'll pass on those for sure so now what?

Found a new source locally for totes for a better price too. So don't get discouraged just keep moving forward on you project.