What's up! From barrow county (winder) georgia

[Ninabl]

Hey new to the forum, new to aquaponics, and fairly new to growin sTuff. It all started about 2 years ago we moved to ky with intentions of raising some meat. We got a few chickens then a duck then last year rabbits and a garden. I have tried to grow some tomatos and a pepper here and there but never thought of a actual garden. Last year we were planning on moving just not sure where so I planted my garden in buckets I got off freecycle and we ended up moving back to Georgia and I took my rabbits and peppers with me. This year I am planning on a bigger garden. I just tilled ( the old fashion way( with a shovel)) a 10x12 area for the garden. Also mixed in some wood ash and rabbit poo. I am currently working on a simple barrelponics system. I fould a guy locally selling blue tialpia that I plan to use. The barrelponics setup is the wife's idea but I all in it. If it works out as expected I have a bigger setup i want to build but going to see how it works out first befor I make the investment. I bought the 2 drums, PVC pipe a 300gph pump and cut the first drum in half last weekend. I hope to use this site to learn from and help anyone I can. Wondering if anyone has any pics of there setup similar to mine and also some do's and donts. I would like to learn from others mistakes expecially if it can save me a dollar in the long run. Thanks for any info. And happy growin!
The Blough family.

[davidstcldfl]

Hello to the Blough family....and welcome to the forum.
It's fun to get your own tilapia to breed and they do taste good. Just remeber, the water for the tilapia needs to be kept at least 60 F.

[Ninabl]

See your helping already. I didnt know that. Thanks for that. The wife had Ben wanting to build a greenhouse (after we move again in the fall) so I will throw a water heater in the mix if we don't just find a cheap way to heat the green house. Thanks for the warm welcome.
Nick

[bsfman]

Welcome to the forum! I used to live right down the road from you in Lawrenceville. We have kids living in Lawrenceville and Dacula now as a matter of fact.

The issue with tilapia, as David said, will be keeping the water warm enough. With water circulating through growbeds, they act as heat radiators and can cool your water faster than you might think. Blue tilapia are more cold hardy than most, but you have several months up there where keeping them warm will definitely be an issue. If you are intent on raising food fish, you might want to look at catfish. If you don't care about eating the fish, Koi or goldfish are cold hardy. I had a small pond in Lawrenceville that would freeze with inch thick ice some winter days up there and the goldfish survived with no apparent ill effect.

We like pictures, so when you get started building, post a bunch of 'em!

[davidstcldfl]

I will throw a water heater in the mix if we don't just find a cheap way to heat the green house.

Check out 'rocket mass heaters.' Some folks are building them in their green houses. They are heating the air and the water with them...

http://www.richsoil.com/rocket-stove-mass-heater.jsp

[urbanfarmer]

Greetings Earthling, and welcome to the addiction!

[Ninabl]

Ok so my next question. I had the most interest in tialpia because you can eat them and because I have heard of so many people feeding them just duckweed. I like the duckweed because I can grow it and don't have to buy it. What about catfish? Will they grow on duckweed or would my only option be pellet feed. Thanks

[bsfman]

Ok so my next question. I had the most interest in tialpia because you can eat them and because I have heard of so many people feeding them just duckweed. I like the duckweed because I can grow it and don't have to buy it. What about catfish? Will they grow on duckweed or would my only option be pellet feed. Thanks

You would need an ENORMOUS surface area of water to grow enough duckweed to sustain even a small population of tilapia solely on a diet of duckweed, Ninabl. If you live near a pond with an unlimited supply, then it might be possible. Otherwise duckweed is best served as a suppliment and occasional treat. I find my tilapia seem to relish the long, green, filamentous algae even more than they do duckweed. So a nearby pond might yield that stuff as well.

Have not raised catfish, so I can't answer whether they eat duckweed or not.

[Ninabl]

Bsfman just wondering, do you have any pics of your setup? Thanks

[bsfman]

Bsfman just wondering, do you have any pics of your setup? Thanks

Have posted a number of them over the past few years, Ninabl. Not sure how many were lost when the forum crashed. Here's a couple links to photobucket collections of pics from my system.

(I've doubled the growbed area since most of these were taken though.)

http://s283.photobucket.com/albums/k...cpZZ1QQtppZZ20
http://s283.photobucket.com/albums/k...cpZZ1QQtppZZ20