Hi all,
I'm new here and to aquaponics (and to Philadelphia too in case anyone has local tips).

I'm looking to start up a small, inexpensive ebb and flow system in my bedroom. As I am new, I thought I'd tell you all about my plans and see what you think. It's a little long, but I've seen longer posts on here. I appreciate your time and any info you can contribute.

I have a south facing bay window that I plan to put the system in. I have a 29 gal aquarium that will house my fish. I'm planning on 3 fish, possibly bluegill. My friend is an avid angler in the region and offered to help me catch some wild ones. (I saw some tilapia online, but I only need 3 and most the minimum orders were for 10). I don't know about local fish shops. They seem aways from me in central philly, and the reviews on google aren't so good. I'm also open to other comparably priced fish breeds/sources.

I plan to just set a growing bed on top of the tank to start. (Eventually I'd like to have a 3 tier shelf supporting two growbeds above the tank, but money is tight right now and I am tired of waiting.) I'm not sure about what to use for a growing bed, so I just thought I would buy a plastic tub from Target or something. My goal is a 12ish inch deep bin with total of 30 gal volume (I can then reuse it when I get the shelf, but I may go smaller for the first one depending on weight concerns). Other ideas are welcome here too.

I'll fill the growbeds with hydroton (my first choice for the lower density to keep total weight down) or small gravel. I'm not sure where to get this either. I remember seeing a post in some forum about an economical hydroton supplier in Lancaster, but I haven't been able to retrace my steps since I started being more serious about building. I see 50L bags for $75 with shipping on the internet, but that is a little much for me (especially since I plan to have 100L of growbed to start).

The last tricky bit I'm coming into is a pump. I've been looking for fountain pumps on amazon, but I find it hard to gauge the products. I realize that I should be looking for peak flow (I want about 100-200 gal/hr) and max pump height (I figured 6ish ft. is good to get me up the shelf later with decent flow rate). I found the Aqualine Power SP-1000 and Laguna - PT8105 online that seem to fit the bill, but haven't seen detailed reviews of any proper sized pumps. Anyone have a recommendation?

Thanks for reading.