GREAT MEDIA SUPPLY: NC/SC/GA and SouthEast

[Nick Scud]

Greetings Forum!!  I am happy to say, I found a GREAT source for the southeast for Expanded Shale Growing Media.  While you may have heard of expanded shale, most AP folks are most associate/familiar with Hyroton (expanded clay).  As it happens, Shale is a MUCH better option for grow-bed media for a number of reasons;  It's produce HERE in the good ol' USA (rather than imported from Germany or China), it lasts forever, has all the porous/relatively-light properties of LECA (clay) BUT - it turns out Expanded shale is 3 times as effective at promoting microbial and bacterial growth that is necessary for your aquaponics system to thrive..

Anyhow.. If you're like me, and located in SC, NC or GA, you probably already realize that it's tough to obtain hydroton, or it's otherwise expensive.  I have a wonderful source for expanded shale, with discounts, based on how much quantity you want.  I hope I'm not pissing anyone off to offer this, however if you'd like to get some, please message me here on the forum OR, better yet, please send an email direct to me with a subject labeled SHALE PURCHASE INQUIRY (your name) -   BigAppleNick at gmail.  I will be in touch and can help you obtain the best grow media out there for aquaponic and hydroponic purposes..  not to mention American Made!

Thanks for reading and hope I can help you out -- Again, I was fortunate enough to strike a great relationship and find a hidden gem here in the southeast.  I hope I can help more Aquaponic growers in the area, especially since it's just so tough to find good media at reasonable prices down in the area - I know this the hard way!!

kind regards

-nick s

BigAppleNick @  gmail dot com

[George]

Stalite is available in Jax, Fl and probably a few places in the states referenced.

http://www.stalite.com/

[Nick Scud]

George,   the product I'm offering is indeed stalite - specifically, triple refined stalite that is washed 3 times and also sifted to get only 3/4" size, appropriate for AP.   please realize, since stalite is made of shale, it is fuel-implicated, and there are many restrictions on buying it.  General public canNOT buy this, and it's also illegal to cross state lines with it, unless you specifically have an Ag. label on it, which is part of this offering.  Again, so it is clear, I can offer bulk-discount pricing on expanded shale (stalite) and am able to source it to aquaponics growers for agricultural purposes, along with the labels - So if you're in SC/NC or eastern GA, please feel free to email me and I can hook you up with the source.  Hope this is helpful to any aquaponics enthusiats/growers in the southeast! 

thanks

-nick

bigapplenick @ gmail

George said:

Stalite is available in Jax, Fl and probably a few places in the states referenced.

http://www.stalite.com/

[David W. Russell]

While Stalite is possible media bed replacement, the basic question that must be answered is..."how will this effect the PH balance in the system?"  Has anyone run a test bed with this product?  What were the results and how did the Stalite react with the PH of the water in your area?  In South Florida, (Miami) the water ph out of the tap is around 8.5, so steps must be taken to lower it (PH down?).  Nick, before I can comment on the pro's and con's of this product, lets see some test results.

Any thoughts?  I'm currently trying to use Chattahoocie pea rock.  Its so small, that I have added an underlayer of red lava rock to provide a base for the  bacterial growth.

Big David

[Nick Scud]

David - stalite is pH neutral - it is completely inert, just more conducive to allowing microbe and bacterial growth, which support the beds and make it easier to cycle.

thx

David W. Russell said:

While Stalite is possible media bed replacement, the basic question that must be answered is..."how will this effect the PH balance in the system?"  Has anyone run a test bed with this product?  What were the results and how did the Stalite react with the PH of the water in your area?  In South Florida, (Miami) the water ph out of the tap is around 8.5, so steps must be taken to lower it (PH down?).  Nick, before I can comment on the pro's and con's of this product, lets see some test results.

Any thoughts?  I'm currently trying to use Chattahoocie pea rock.  Its so small, that I have added an underlayer of red lava rock to provide a base for the  bacterial growth.

Big David

[Nick Scud]

BTW, I can vouch for this pH neutral/inert information, because the largest AP system in the southeast, believe it or not, resides only minutes from my house.  They run a 4,000 gallon tank with 600 tilapia, soon to be a TWO 4,000 gallon tanks.  These feed a diverse array of raft-beds and media-beds throughout 3 greenhouses, soon to be 4 greenhouses.  The operation is incredible, and is fully dedicated to producing organic produce which they GIVE AWAY to the needy!!  I think that is incredible.  IT was through this organization that I found out about the stalite-source, and thusly why I am offering it here, because again, I can NOT be alone in the upstate-carolina area looking for better resources in aquaponics.. 

again, if you would like some of this incredible media, please give me a shout and I hope it's helpful

thanks

-n

[George]

Lots of people use it, including me.  Works great, PH neutral.  You can call the company and they'll tell you where the distributors are.  I'm using 3/8 inch but only because no 3/4 was available in Jax at the time.  It's used for a lot of things.

David W. Russell said:

While Stalite is possible media bed replacement, the basic question that must be answered is..."how will this effect the PH balance in the system?"  

[George]

You can get 3/4 inch Stalite in Miami.  High PH water might not be a bad thing once your system is well established, when PH tends to fall.  I adjust mine up quite often after not having to at all for a year or so.  Stalite is probably $100 a ton or less so it's a lot cheaper than expanded clay and works better than most things.  It has a lot of surface area, which is where the nitrifying bacteria hang out.

David W. Russell said:

  In South Florida, (Miami) the water ph out of the tap is around 8.5, so steps must be taken to lower it (PH down?).