Thank you, we have had our ponds for over 7 years.. We have bred koi - goldfish - and Talipia.. We are looking to grow vegetables.. We need some guidance..

Good morning! Actually you are completely right about that. I thought the question was about buying large quantities of fingerlings as a way of avoiding the stage of early growth, separation and male sexing.
Gabriel

When Did Morning Star Change that? GreenAcres Organics got their start up tilapia for their small system just this past summer and were planning to get the stock for their big system there too? They are not set up to ship or even bag with oxygen so one has to bring their own aerator and container to get the fish home but last time I was there in July they still would have sold some fish to us.

Morningstar Fishermen does not sell the fingerlings but they can be bought near Tampa in Bradenton, at Aquasafra Inc. See their info at tilapiaseed.com

Someone else suggested freshwater shrimp. So you know of anyone trying that. Catfish sounds good, I was a little skiddish of non-native fish-maybe later.

That sounds good. I have looked at so many websites especially trying to find some in central FL and one (who is no longer on line) from Orlando said he wouldn't sell fingerlings to anyone without the state certificate. I am still in the process of getting started. Planted my first seedlings and found a place near by that sells hydroton so I hope to be up in a few weeks. Does Morningstar farms sell the Tilapia fingerlings?

Hi, TC. Due to circumstances, I still have to work very hard physically and can't imagine working hard at gardening, so as far as I'm concerned, you've described perfectly how I want to run my AP system. Good to meet you.

Agreed - we are planning to set up the systems so they are as automatic as possible, as we have already had a few problems with friends and neighbors looking after our animals when we are away. That said, stuff happens, and it perversely seems likelier that it will happen when you are away.

As to the ducks, we will be collecting the eggs, so overpopulation won't be as big an issue as it would be otherwise. I am more inclined to go with mallards than muscovy ducks, though, just because they are so outrageously gorgeous. No firm decision yet. I lived in an apartment complex that has a large resident population of muscovies, and they were pretty entertaining, though it was sad to see how many ducklings were run over every spring by residents who were careless about their driving. And, of course, the resident gator got quite a few as well.

All the ducks I've had any contact with have been very sweet - not so geese. ;-)

A bit belated, but thanks for the friend invite.

You have a really nice setup - very similar to what I plan to do.

Since we'll be in the mountains, I'll be setting mine up in a greenhouse, since I already lost about half of my tilapia in this past winter's unusual freeze. In addition to tilapia, we are also planning to raise trout and bass, as well as some large species of crayfish and/or freshwater prawns. I was a marine biology major, we have both kept aquariums for many years, and both love to garden, so I'm hoping our learning curve won't be quite as great as some stories I've heard. ;-)

BTW - are you familiar with Morning Star Fishermen? If not, they are not far from you in San Antonio, FL, and have a wonderful aquaponics teaching facility there. They are great people and gave me my blue tilapia fingerlings after an afternoon I spent volunteering there.

BTW - I am also a humanure proponent, and I'm planning on setting up several humanure toilets at various points on our land, most likely with bamboo screening, as shown on Jenkin's website. I am into permaculture and forest gardening as well, and have long been a composter, so they go hand in hand with the humanure. The only change I would make to Jenkin's system is that I would use kobashi rather than sawdust, as that would render the waste usable in the garden far faster, and make it more "demonstrably safe" for use on fruit and nut trees and other perennial food plants.

We are also planning on ducks and chickens, and being a native Californian, I'd like to raise quail. All would be raised for egg production and insect control, and as pets, rather than for food - Marek is a piscavore, so he eats vegetables and seafood, but no meat or poultry, and I tend to make all animals pets, so the likelihood that any of them will ever be killed and eaten by us is remote. ;-)

We may even eventually include a milk goat or two. We tend to travel a fair amount, though, so that may be a bit up the road.

Actually we are moving from Florida to the Smoky Mountains; probably North Carolina.

My boyfriend misses the seasons, as he is originally from Warsaw, Poland, and I have a Newfoundland-mix dog, and planning to get a second, so I would like to be where they can romp in the water without fear of alligators. I have a strong network of very close friends here, though, so I'll be back and forth on a regular basis!

My litmus test is that I remember when we used to go to North Bar, midweek in July and skinny dip. I don't think you could get away with that anymore!

Greetings,
Yes, I have spent many a day at North Bar myself although since it has been "discovered" and the park has built out the parking facility the area is pretty much overrun during the summer now. Luckily, there are plenty of other quiet beaches a short walk from a car or bike ride.

Hey TC! How's it going?

I think worms are the way to start off but I dont have a clue how to incooperate them into the system.My plans are to add fish at a later date but because of economics this will have to wait. I recently stumbled upon a hoop frame and am wondering the cheapest way to cover it. I was considering putting metal sheeting( which I have on hand)about 4 ft. up and almost to the middle on top on the north side.All sugestions are appericated and thanks again.

Wow! TCLynx I love your set up.

I really like the flowers. . . I'll really be interested to see how pretty they are when they fill out. I'm thinking pillars of color. . .

Thanks for being a friend- I am in the process of changing out 80% of the water in the fish tank and will start a new topic when I get the job done and tell what my problems and solutions were. I don't know why I have had such a hard time raising Tilapia that are generally hard to Kill, but my plants are doing great. Andy

Hey Ms Lynx.

How often do your chickens lay eggs? If I had only 2 chickens, how often would I get an egg or two?

Wife and daughter both eat fish. I may choose to to eat some since it was grown and killed by my own hand.

I also want some chickens for eggs and poop. Family eats eggs too. Again I may choose to eat my loved chicken eggs.

Thanks TC! My email is JGiv!@aol.com and I would love to exchange any and all ideas with you! The cabbages are basically just in water. They are currently in a 5" net pot filled with gravel. I bought the starts from Home Depot and washed most of the dirt off and put them into the gravel. My system is basically a deep water with some room for improvement. I set it up in late September. I need to cover the surface area not consumed with plants because I am getting a lot of algae. If it is bad now I don't even want to consider what it will be like in late July. I have always had fish, this is my first attempt at the plants. But, I have been thrilled with the results and ready to make a few changes and a LOT of additions. We are going to be expanding the whole system. I really love your posts, I find them very enlightening. I can tell we are a lot alike, my guess is your knowledge has been gained by a lot of trial and error! Feel free to email anytime!
Hugs,
Jeff