Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hello y'all. I am Mike aka NinjaSushi and I am hear to learn all I can about aquaponics and share any knowledge I may have with the community.

I have always enjoyed gardening and fish raising when one day I stumbled upon the art of Aquaponics. Before I heard about aquaponics I had pondered to myself if there was a way to merge and infuse the hobbies of gardening, fish raising, computers and mechanics together. For years now I have wanted to get into Marine Biology and do something in the field of conservation and preservation of wildlife. I had even pondered about being a Game Warden. I love the environment around me and I want to preserve it for generations to come. This is where sensible and environmentally friendly farming comes in.

Back when I was in the army I used to raise fish between deployments. I found it to be serene and very calming for me. If I wasn't playing with my fish tanks I was dropping a line and fishing in every river, pond, lake, and spillway I could find out in Kansas. Great fishing out there! For hours and hours I could sit there and watch my fish and other freshwater animals go about their daily lives. It was the exact opposite of the army. I was always doing something to my tanks whether it be measuring the chemical balances, rearranging the rock formations, adding aeration or altering surface movement of the water, cleaning the tank or just playing with my animals. I found it all fascinating and enjoyable. I have even successfully bred African Cichlid.

As the years progressed my tanks slowly got bigger and bigger. I was once offered a 400 gallon tank with all the fixings -- biofilters, pumps, heaters, et cetera -- for 400 bucks, but sadly I had to pass the offer up. I was months away from deploying again and had nowhere to put it all What a deal that was!!

After I got out of the army I picked up gardening from my dad. We now have successful garden, a fish pond, and are raising some chickens. My dad's neighbor is doing the same but he also raises bees now too. SAVE THE BEES!! So that's about where I am today. I am slowly getting familiarized with urban farming, from gardening to animal raising and loving every minute of it.

Welcome to the forum Mike

Welcome

With that back ground you will certainly enjoy your aquaponic system