Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hello everyone,
From reading some of the member systems while I waited to get activated makes me feel as though I already know some of you already. Thanks so much for sharing so generously.

This is my first time to ever join a forum. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Earlier this year I stumbled onto aquaponics unexpectedly and have been hooked since then and then recently I ran across you guys. What an awesome group you are, I look forward to getting to know many of you.

The status of our system is currently in the building process since September.

It all started with the purchase of a tropical hibiscus that my husband wanted to buy me, I protested it was too pretty to kill, since our temperatures here in the Pacific Northwest are much too cold in the Winter. So he built me a 12 x 32 ft greenhouse, complete with a wood stove to keep it warm this Winter. All so this pretty little hibiscus could have a nice place to live. And then came the discovery of AP, hehe
So I thought I had this huge greenhouse that I was wondering how and with what I will fill it with? Now I have this greenhouse that I am thinking, I am not sure this is big enough, we may have to build another and can we put in an AP pond for some trout by the house? Maybe hooked is a bit of an understatement, wonderfully, I think you guys may understand.

What I hope will be happening for creating our AP system.
10 blue barrels cut into halves for gravel grow beds, with 14 Rubbermaid water troughs of 100 gallons each plumbed together. I am really only considering 250 total gallons to be tanks for fish in 5 of the troughs, the other 9 will have floating rafts for greens. I expect to be able to grow into about 125 lbs of fish (at maturity), based on what seems the suggested beginner rate of 2 parts grow bed, 1 part fish tank to 1/2 part of fish. The rest of the water I am simply considering as sump water.
Since I can't resist experimenting, I will be having one additional 100 gallon tank, that is separate from the rest that will be set up as a quarantine tank that will simply house some goldfish so I can experiment with any ideas, but the main system will be safe from any half thought through ideas I might have that do not go as well as I hoped.

Currently the greenhouse is up, the racking to hold all the blue barrels, the barrels are purchased and will be cut today or tomorrow. The wood stove is installed and keeping things a nice temperature, the hibiscus seems happy and the metal trough (will become the quarantine tank) I had a fantail goldfish for the past 3 years in, has moved in to the greenhouse and the water is currently ranging between 50-60 degrees.
I confess I have no idea what fish we want to grow in this system. There has been talk of tilapia and trout being our favorites, but want to be sure that water temps are favorable for whichever we choose, so to start I see a lot of goldfish in our future until we do decide.

Let me see if I can figure out how to put up a couple photos of our progress.
http://www.slide.com/r/NN4LsUih3D8C6OlFLsIR69GnK1SBVj79?previous_view=mscd_embedded_url&view=original
That wasn't quite what I was meaning to do, but will work I think.

I will try to get more photos and a system page up before long.
Again, my many thanks for sharing so much info and making me feel welcome before you even knew of me.
Beth

Beth, if your looking for info on anything the search tab at the top works well and if you still can't find what your after just ask, someone will always help.

Nice greenhouse, you will have it full in no time

Thanks Gnash
The site seems an overwhelming amount of information, so that will be very helpful.

Thank you, it was the first time we ever built one, was fun learning to bend the hoops right.
It will probably be overfull sooner than I wish it to be.
Thanks again.

Welcome Beth!

hi beth, your greenhouse sound's like it will be full in no time. good luck Big Al

Hi Beth,
I reckon this article could be titled "The red hibiscus that started an obsession with aquaponics."
Isn't it funny how we get led down certain paths. You never really know where you are going to end up. Welcome to our world.

Welcome Beth! Pictures...pictures...pictures...pictures. We like pictures!

Ain't no turning back now Beth, best of luck

Ooh! I step away for a bit and return to find pile of hellos and welcomes.
Hello back to you all!

I will try to get a thread with our system up soon.
After a few discussion sessions with the husband and it sounds like we are going to reduce our sump/floating plant area quite a bit to simplify our first system build. I think the total gallons for sump and fish will be 7-800 gallons.
I am in hopes we will be able to do a dry run, err wet run on the system by the end of the weekend. Loads of gravel to still go get and bathe before things are really able to get completed.

A few days ago my father in law gave us a pump to try, I have no idea about it yet or if it would even be practical for our system, but we will see I suppose. I will try to get a photo of it soon.

Have a fantastic day, thanks again for all the great welcomes.

The hibiscus, that lead to the greenhouse, that lead to BSFL study, that dropped me unexpectedly into an AP system that I will gladly never escape from?