Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Frank's Aquaponics in Boyd, Texas has recently installed a beginner system for student learning of growing their own vegetables and maintaining an envoirnmental safe food system. The students participated in assembly of the system.

I would like to use this topic for the students to add comments showing the progress of their system and encourage other schools to begin their own learning of aquaponics. Pictures of the system and progress will be added soon.

Welcome to you and the students Gilly... look forward to seeing the photos... and make sure you let the kids know that questions are welcome...

Thanks.... the new photos are in the Dunbar sub-album.

gillybro,

It is so great to see a Texas and local to me school system, getting into AP, and learning about growing food........

Our Aquaponics tank is in and we are up and running!. We have nine fish and are growing peppermint, cherry tomatos and bibb lettuce. Our kids are soooo excited!!!

How exciting, gave you got any photos Vwilliam?

Photo of one the students showing what he learned about adding plants into a system while at Frank's Aquaponics.

Looking forward to seeing how the school system goes gillybro...

Here is a picture of my Taro plant.

fantastic growth!

what is the configuration of the entire system, its hard to work out from the pic's.

love your work by the way, what type of data are the kids collecting?

Indeed Gillybro... nice work....

I'd like some more detail of the layout as well...

The basic layout is 3 4ftx8ft GB's against the back wall then a 900 gal FT which has the 300 gal filter sitting over the FT. Then there are 3 4ft x 8ft GB's on the right of the FT. We then built another system like the first ( 6 GB's fed from a 900 gal FT. We use tilapia and have about 150 5 to 6 inch in each tank. The overhead line feeds oxygen to the filter and all the GB's. The GB's are using 1" styrofoam and 3" flowthru pots.

The Swiss Chards looking great. How did you grow them, planting seeds in there, or you use seedlings?
I sure could use some of that Basil with my lunch.

All of the plants are started in rockwool cubes from seeds. When they are at least an inch tall the cubes are moved into 3 inch pots filled with pea-size gravel or hydrotons and moved to the raft system. Each of the 4ft x 8ft GB's has a different start date. We have room for 200 pots in each bed. The kids learn the mechanics of an aquaponic system and have participated in all phases of setting up and maintaining their own system. We helped them set up an IBC tote system at their school. They are adding more students into the program next year. be sure and check out the photos of their system in my Dunbar subfolder.

Hey Bro, you have done well. Congratulations.