Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I have been studying Aquaponics for a few months now, and was planning on getting a small system set up by spring to see what I could produce. Since then by word of mouth I have been contacted by a restaurant owner here in town that has asked how soon I could be up and running and how much produce I could produce. He has been looking for someone with a similar system to partner with him and supply his restaurants. I could use any help y'all can offer on the most cost effective equipment suppliers you know of. II have limited funds and need to get a decent size system up and running. I need pond liners, greenhouse tarping, and a cheap place to get my fish and possibly prawns.
tthanks in advance for any info.

Welcome Gratefuldad, we all know about limited funds! In the scheme of things, pond liner turns out to be pretty economical, and most people usually turn to the Internet to find it for cheap...

No need to wait until spring to get a system up and running. I just brought another small system online a month ago and have already harvested one really large salad for the dinner table. The winter squash plants are starting to flower, the broccoli are spreading their leaves, and the kale is lagging behind but finally starting to grow. Probably put too many seeds in again as usual.

The point is, you can grow plenty of cool weather plants over the wintertime. The sooner you get even a part of your system cycling, the closer you will be to getting even a tiny return on your work. Start. Then it all goes up from here.

As Ron said, Craigs List, FreeCycle, classified ads in the local paper, and word of mouth, all should get you a good start on gathering materials. Don't neglect to go around the back lot of your Tractor Supply, or home improvement stores to see what is heading for the dumpster. A nick or scratch on the outside of a tank is only cosmetic. The thing still holds water. Make yourself known to construction superintendents, roofers, plumbers, city or county workers. They all may know where you could pick up a pump, barrels, piping, EPDM liner, etc... possibly even for just picking it up and toting it off.

You are only limited by your imagination. A plant doesn't care if it grows in a beautifully thrown pot by a master craftsman or grows in a 5 gallon bucket you picked up on the side of the road. Just feed it some fish water and make sure it gets sunlight.

Good luck. Keep posting.

I'm just under an hour from you in Greenwood. Ive been meaning to make a trip to Anderson because there is a guy that advertises on Craigslist regularly with endless supply of IBC tanks, barrels, buckets and steel barrels too. It's an Aquaponic Growers dream. Prices are low too.


http://greenville.craigslist.org/grd/4252343133.html

Good link, thanks.