smitten by the bug

[charles alan crabtree]

hello fellow aquapons,since this is my first blog post i think an introduction is in order! my name is alan crabtree and i live in beautiful east tennessee good ole USA.i am a 53 year old combat wounded veteran who is in a wheelchair.i first stumbled upon aquaponics while searching for a viable way to help feed my family and grow more towards self sustainability.i had previously grown some suspect crops hydroponically LOL and as such i do possess a rather large number of grow lights,pumps ,air pumps and various pieces of other equipment so the transition is not as great.with one great exception,now im going to be dealing with live fish and they will be providing my nutes,no more expensive trips to atlantis hydroponics for this old boy haha.im sure careful planning is what i need to do now despite my enthusiasm.what im after is a year round crop of healthful veggies for my immiediate and extended family.im sure i can acheive this given that i can manipulate certain enviromental factors and growing conditions.i am fortunate to be able to grow indoors in a well insulated facility.wish me luck in this new endevour as i might just need it! lol have a good day

[Tom Dumas]

Charles if you are familiar with hydroponics stick with it; you will be sorely disappointed with AP. Follow Vlad at fish-less systems and you will be successful in providing for you and your family.  If you have a lot of time, money and patience you may be successful AP but it's unlikely.  It's a great hobby but not productive by any means.  Checkout the photo's of anyone with with a successful system all your going to see is all types of lettuce and similar plants.  Don't get sucked into by the hype of AP unless you really want an adventure.