A Community and Forum For Aquaponic Gardeners

System Introductions

I thought I'd open this discussion so we can describe our setups & find out what we're all doing.

Bob & I are in the Gilbert area, raising tilapia in a greenhouse in a 200 gal IBC setup w/about 45 larger fish. We built the system last Feb and added tilapia in April. We're hoping to start harvesting fish next Feb. In the meantime, we're getting a handle on the veggies.

We also have a 300gal tote in the ground with a bunch of smaller tilapia.We have a couple of tanks we're setting up, one will run a couple flats of duckweed, another will run some a vertical herb garden. We have our breeders indoors; one male, two females and a couple hundred fingerlings (for sale). :)

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Sheri Schmeckpeper on December 16, 2011 at 10:57am

Yes, they do push you through, but it was very interesting to see what goes into commercial production. Rules, regulations, processes. The onion is a great analogy! Yet it's as much art as science...or intuition, perhaps.

Great chart! We found out the hard way that plants won't absorb the micro-nutrients at higher PH. We were having a number of the problems you have listed, but when we got the PH down, our malnourishment issues resolved themselves. Plants happy, fish happy, producers of muriatic acid happy, us happy!

Permalink Reply by Maynhia Stott on January 9, 2012 at 11:04pm

Hello to all in Phoenix,

My name is Maynhia Stott and I live in Anthem AZ. I just found out about this group from David Schinghamer and David Story when I when took the tour at Stephane's house in Tucson. I'm very excited to get to know all of you and be a part of this community. Hope I can bring some ideas or suggestions but I'm just starting, so consider me a baby at this. I already built two hydroponic ebb and flow and am in the process of building my aquaponic system.

I'm planning on using cedar wood for the grow bed and lining it up. Is that too much of an expense? Can I get by with cheaper wood? and Sherry did you say you were selling Tilapias? are you selling fingerlings or grown male and female and how much do they cost.

Thank you so much in advance for all you inputs.

Permalink Reply by Sheri Schmeckpeper on January 10, 2012 at 9:15am

Welcome, Maynhia! It'll be nice to have you in the group!

Your hydroponics experience makes you far more than a baby! Aquaponics is kind of like combining that with an aquarium.

If you're lining your grow bed, you can use any wood; it's just there for support. Keep it waterproof-with paint or clear waterproofing. We have some wood frames that are pine with no waterproofing, but they're holding barrels and aren't actually containing the water. We have IBC totes and barrels.

Yes, we sell tilapia fry/fingerlings; male and female. We just sold the last of our stock, and are in process of breeding again. We should have started earlier but we had a tank leak on us & had to do repairs. We're hoping for a breeding shortly which will give us independent fry in about a month. We usually like to keep them an extra month go make certain their good & healthy, but that's not really necessary. The newborns will be .50 ea. Once they reach an inch we'll ask $1.

When you get your system set up & are ready for fish, let me know. You can do fishless cycling to get it started, too. Scott just went through that process, and I think a few others in this group have done it, too. I used goldfish for my system.

Permalink Reply by Maynhia Stott on January 10, 2012 at 2:36pm

Thank you Sherie, Let me know when you have fingerlings for sale.

Permalink Reply by Sheri Schmeckpeper on January 10, 2012 at 4:31pm

will do!

Permalink Reply by David Schwinghamer on January 10, 2012 at 6:01pm

Sheri,

I will need some more fishies in a couple weeks, what do ya say?

Permalink Reply by Sheri Schmeckpeper on January 10, 2012 at 9:45pm

It'll have to be a little later than that, David. We're out of little ones. We have two very amorous parents in the breeder tank, but they haven't done the dirty deed yet. I THINK it'll be tomorrow. He's getting a little more active around her & spitting more sand. Once they mate it'll be about a month. I'll keep you posted!

Permalink Reply by Dave & Yvonne Story on January 15, 2012 at 4:12pm

for the first time.. I saw my guy spitting out the stones in the aquarium corner.

I did notice some empty places on the bottom.

Now I know what it means

cool

Permalink Reply by Dave & Yvonne Story on January 15, 2012 at 7:53pm

Great granddaddy

I have been trying for a few months..

Thank you

I love what you just posted

" Lets change the world one system at a time.

Permalink Reply by Stephanie Bader on February 12, 2012 at 9:23pm

Hi, my name is Stephanie. My fiancee and I have a backyard system that we finished building last summer that consists of a big pond and a bunch of half barrel grow beds. We're located in South Phoenix. Right now i have about 20 bluegill fingerlings, three koi, and a random amount of mosquito fish.

Permalink Reply by Sheri Schmeckpeper on February 12, 2012 at 9:29pm

Hi, Stephanie! Welcome to the group. What veggies are you growing?

Permalink Reply by Stephanie Bader on February 13, 2012 at 9:15am

Right now mostly a lot of herbs like rosemary, catnip, thyme, basil, chives, and some tomoatoes. I keep trying to raise lettuce but it always seems to bolt on me.