Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

It seems as though I've come down with this aquaponics disease that you all have. I'm very close to starting up my first system - using an IBC tote. I do quite a bit of gardening and became interested in AP as a means of growing some herbs and greens during our winter season. I've done a lot of online research and have taken a class in AP at the local community college. I'm a tinkerer and a fisherman and those attributes seem to fit into this addiction as well.

Thanks for letting me hang out and learn a thing or two:)

If you haven't already.. download the IBC of Aquaponics PDF....

http://ibcofaquaponics.com/files/IBCofAquaponics.pdf

And if you want to see a step by step DIY build of a simple IBC system...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... YFM7J_TpTU

Or watch it here...

I've done that Rupert, and it's been helpful. Thanks

Welcome! I would suggest that you don't limit yourself to just winter. The systems get better with age, so keep it planted out year-round.

+1

You must have a pretty good indoor space, Iowa isn't known for warm winters and getting an IBC through standard doorways is a challenge as well.

I do have some challenges. I am fortunate enough to have a 3100 sq-ft shop building (with about 5000 sq-ft of stuff in it ). One issue is that I only heat it to 45-50F in the winter unless I'm working out there. That means I'll probably have to add a water heater over the winter, or pick a fish that will handle it (with correspondingly slow growth). The other side of it is that it gets hot here in the summer and the shop could be in the 90sF some of the time since it isn't air conditioned. The third issue is that there isn't a lot of light available (1 window that I have my system in front of) so I'll probably have to supply additional lighting.

Down the road, I have plans to add a greenhouse onto one side of the shop. I have room for about a 600 sq-ft addition and if this whole AP thing proves out it'd be great to have a sunken FT (pulling heat/cold from the ground) and a nice, full sun, growing area. That's a big dream at this point however.