New to Aquaponics

[J Shocklie]

Hello AZ!!  We just wanted to introduce ourselves before bombarding everyone with ridiculous questions.

We are in far west Glendale AZ.  We started our first aquaponics attempt in mid-March and proud to say we have an IBC tote setup with 23 tilapia living strong.  I watch those guys every day for their behavior.  I never would've expected to be so enthralled with fish.  Water seems to have cycled perfectly.  Our grow bed currently has cucumbers, garlic, jalapeno and serrano peppers, basil, oregano, parsley, struggling carrots (don't think they'll make it) and one tomato and artichoke plant.  We only have a little of each but anticipate more grow beds in the near future so we'll be splitting them and making more of a sensible garden. 

We are very excited about meeting folks in phoenix and other parts of AZ that have aquaponic systems.  We have gone to home depot and hydroponic stores with questions only to be answered with blank stares.  While we can get a lot of our information on the internet I really would like to get to know a community of people that are close by and know more about AZ weather.

Nice to meet y'all!!  And the questions start----NOW.

[Maynhia Stott]

hi Guys, nice to see someone lives nearby. Congratulations on your first attempt, looks like you've doing great already. I know how it is with the fish. I love watching mine eat. When the come up and sometimes jump out of the tank it makes me feel like a proud mom, like I'm glad i'm doing something right cause they are healthy and alive. 

Hydroponic store don't know much if not ZERO about aquaponic. I've been to most store up in the north valley and I'm finding that i'm the one educating them about it. They all want to come see my system. But through this I've made good relationship with people there and they are very eager to help in which ever way they can. sometimes they give me free sample of things to try.

this forum is pretty good at answering questions too. so don't hesitate to ask at all.

Good luck

[J Shocklie]

Yeah, I really like the guys at Gonzo Grow.  And thanks for the compliments.  I feel like I am at a standstill, though.  I am eager to make the next step but I'm still trying to figure out which is male or female. 

What kind of system do you have?

[Maynhia Stott]

The male has two openings just in front of the anal fin. The large opening is the anus and the smaller opening at the tip is the urogenital pore. The female has three openings: the anus, the genital pore, and the urinary pore. The genital papilla is usually smaller in the female.

I have a raft and ebb fan flow system which are connected.