Howdy from TN!

[Blue Ridge Aquatics]

Hey everyone!

Excited to be back after a longer than anticipated career mandated hiatus. Now that I’m geographically stable, I spent the past year setting up a tropical greenhouse currently featuring a basic blue tilapia (don’t hate on them, they’re a blast!) aquaponics pond and a breeding setup.

I’ve always been into amazonian monsters, especially arowanas and rays.

 

[skjl47]

Hello; what part of TN?

 

[Blue Ridge Aquatics]

Hello; what part of TN?

We’re in the Tri Cities area. You nearby?

 

[skjl47]

Hello; Bristol, Kingsport & JC. I know the area. I am near Harrogate TN. On a map of KY, TN, & VA I am where the three states touch. There is the Cumberland Gap National Park here and Lincoln Memorial University. I am right at 75 miles from the Honda dealer in Kingsport.

If you do not yet know of this fish shop, I do suggest a visit. It is SEA ODDITIES. on 128 Broad Street Kingsport TN. Open Tues, Thur, Fri & Sat from 11:00 to 6:00. Wed from 11:00 to 5:00 PM.

The lady who runs the shop may not know my name but tell her the old guy who brings in plants from time to time sent you.

 

[danotaylor]

G’day!
I’ve set up many aquaponics systems. Have bred and raised blue tilapia for my systems as well. Love to see pics of your set up!

 

[Blue Ridge Aquatics]

G’day!
I’ve set up many aquaponics systems. Have bred and raised blue tilapia for my systems as well. Love to see pics of your set up!

Hey buddy! This is the setup today.
Outdoor temp this morning: 36°F
Indoor air temp: 76°F
Water temp: 81°F
Never imagined it would work this well, especially in a climate that can see sub freezing temps in the winter.
There’s a room in the house for my tilapia breeding colonies, grow out tanks, and plant nursery.

Hello; Bristol, Kingsport & JC. I know the area. I am near Harrogate TN. On a map of KY, TN, & VA I am where the three states touch. There is the Cumberland Gap National Park here and Lincoln Memorial University. I am right at 75 miles from the Honda dealer in Kingsport.

If you do not yet know of this fish shop, I do suggest a visit. It is SEA ODDITIES. on 128 Broad Street Kingsport TN. Open Tues, Thur, Fri & Sat from 11:00 to 6:00. Wed from 11:00 to 5:00 PM.

The lady who runs the shop may not know my name but tell her the old guy who brings in plants from time to time sent you.

Awesome, thanks buddy! Will do!

 

[danotaylor]

Nice one mate!
It’s actually pretty incredible how solar heat is generated through the film. Makes growing in summer tricky without adequate ventilation.
So looks like you have a bells siphon flood & drain set up? Lava rock is great surface area for your biological waste conversion. It’s super rough on the hands when planting etc. If you get tired of the hand roughing you could remove the top few inches and redo the surface with clay balls. They are more expensive but they’re smooth, easy on the roots if you need to transplant or move stuff around, and you definitely don’t need whole media bed in them, just the workable surface.
Keep those progress pics coming
I don’t have a system runnning currently but this was my system at our last house. Hybrid system w a floating raft on top of the fish tank and flood and drain over a sump.

 

[Blue Ridge Aquatics]

Nice one mate!
It’s actually pretty incredible how solar heat is generated through the film. Makes growing in summer tricky without adequate ventilation.
So looks like you have a bells siphon flood & drain set up? Lava rock is great surface area for your biological waste conversion. It’s super rough Olin the hands when planting etc. If you get tired of the hand roughing you could remove the top few inches and redo the surface with clay balls. They are more expensive but they’re smooth, easy on the roots if you need to transplant or move stuff around, and you definitely don’t need whole media bed in them, just the workable surface.
Keep those progress pics coming
I don’t have a system runnning currently but this was my system at our last house. Hybrid system w a floating raft on top of the fish tank and flood and drain over a sump.
View attachment 1569535View attachment 1569536

Love it! Yeah flood and drain with a bell syphon. I may do as you recommended and replace the top layer, but I’ll probably wait until I relocate this greenhouse to do that. Cheers!

 

[danotaylor]

Sweet mate. This is a poly sheet greenhouse I had set up in Bowling Green Ohio when we first moved to the US from Australia in 2013. I actually interconnected 2 8’x12’ greenhouses to create an 8’x24’. I built a solid end wall for the wicked westerly wind in BG, and ran a propane greenhouse heater in the winter. We ran this system for about 3.5yrs before leaving it behind & moving south to Cinci. I used 1/2” pea gravel but had problems with it becoming root bound after the 2yr mark. Shoulda used 1”. Live & learn!

 

[Blue Ridge Aquatics]

D

Sweet mate. This is a poly sheet greenhouse I had set up in Bowling Green Ohio when we first moved to the US from Australia in 2013. I actually interconnected 2 8’x12’ greenhouses to create an 8’x24’. I built a solid end wall for the wicked westerly wind in BG, and ran a propane greenhouse heater in the winter. We ran this system for about 3.5yrs before leaving it behind & moving south to Cinci. I used 1/2” pea gravel but had problems with it becoming root bound after the 2yr mark. Shoulda used 1”. Live & learn!
View attachment 1569538View attachment 1569539View attachment 1569540

View attachment 1569541

View attachment 1569542

Dude, that is amazing! I am actually designing a bigger greenhouse as we speak so this is great. Did the heater keep it warm enough for the tilapia in the Ohio winter or did you slow it down?