I'd resisted blogging so far

[TCLynx]

Well, unless you count my forum thread over on BYAP but I never really thought of that as BLOGGING.
If you wish to read through archives of my threads, I have them on my web site at least half way down the page
http://www.aquaponics.tclynx.com/

I discovered Aquaponics in December of 2007. I had actually heard of it before but never really stumbled across anything that made me interested enough to research further. Now I don't remember why but in December 2007 I discovered the BYAP forum and spent an outrageous amount of time reading. Back in those days it was almost possible to read everything on the forum, not so now.

From there I was quick to jump in and download Travis Huey's Barrel Ponics Manual. I found a source of barrels and built a barrel ponics system. That was just the ticket to boost my confidence. I used that system to practice my skills with the freshwater master test kit. I fishlessly cycled and watched the results and learned what happened to the system pH.

Now I'm a confirmed supporter of the idea of fishless cycling using the free ammonia source. Yes, I'm talking about Pee, urine, Humonia. I've done some research into the pros and cons of such activity. I even ran what I called a "Pee Ponics" system for quite some time. Seemed to work as well as Aquaponics for growing veggies and seemed to need about the same supplementation of iron and potassium too.

I have taken one for the team and used washed shells mixed into my river gravel grow bed media. Means I have very stable pH but there are some plants that don't like it that high, 7.6. My system has functioned well enough.

I have learned not to use pond liner and lumber to build grow beds in termite territory.

Worms are wonderful in aquaponics, yes they live just fine in the flood and drain gravel.

I have used siphons, flouts, standpipe/timer, indexing valves, and even now flooded beds.
I have tried rafts or DWC and I have some NFT pipes but they are really more like DWC pipes.

I do like CHIFT PIST (constant height in fish tank, pump in sump tank) designs. This did make installing an indexing valve for such a system kinda a challenge.

I've grown both Blue Tilapia and Channel Catfish. I've already been quite vocal about how tilapia are only appropriate if you can keep the water quite warm, and we like the catfish better actually.

My systems have changed much over the past two years as I try different things and pull out what didn't work so well.

I am looking forward to testing out Nate's towers.

And at some point in the future, I might need to get some Duckaponics going.

Hopefully in the near future I will be able to expand on these comments in subsequent blog posts.

[Jeff Givan]

We would love to hear more from you! You have taught me a lot!