Hello there, everyone!

I am new here, so let me introduce myself.

I am Samuel Jesse, a student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, studying biology and material science and engineering. I am in Innovation, a Living Learning Community for prospective students interested in invention, ingenuity, and entrepreneurship. It is associated with the Technology Entrepreneur Center.

In my residency, I have gained permission to house a student ran project involving aquaponics, labeled Personoponics. My goal is to make aquaponics more accessible and personable to the public, while making an aquaponic lab to study the science and development of aquaponic ecosystems with fellow students. I have received a lot of interest from those in the LLC, peers at the University of Illinois, friends, and family. I have acquired a 50 gallon tank, several large buckets, grow lights, and other basic equipment.

I also have a facebook page for Personoponics here:
www.facebook.com/personoponics

However, I am still lacking in a few items that are essential to this project. Namely, I still need fish --preferably tilapia fingerlings--, fish food, water health testing equipment, plant seeds, and hydroponic fertilizer. As a starting project, I do not have much of a budget to spend on these materials. Also, I am relatively new to aquaponics; while I understand the fundamentals of it through biology, I have not actually kept an aquaculture system. Therefore, I am in need of advice and tips that would be important for a starting aquafarmer.

I hope I can learn from all of you here and tell everyone the progress I make along the way!

Sincerely,
Samuel Jesse
Personoponics