So a few weeks ago Nathan and Amy Fair and their kids and I went on a trip to Austin to visit Aquaponics Austin, a company run by a man named Arturo. He sets up backyard aquaponics systems for people and does educational workshops for the public. I actually got in touch with him through another man I had contacted asking for places I could visit to learn more about the world of aquaponics and Arturo contacted me a few weeks later after this man gave him my email! It was awesome how it worked out. So we took of on a Saturday morning and met up with some friends of the Fairs to do this workshop. I would say I learned some great things and that I have had questions about, but after telling Arturo about the system I have set up, he asked me why I was there because I was already doing it. Haha. What a compliment! I did feel a little discouraged from the workshop, in that he didn't seem very convinced himself that he was going to help anyone. I don't know what that was about.
Inside Arturo's greenhouse. The tank there holds his tilapia with a grow bed to the left. On the other side of that grow bed is another tank holding catfish. The hydroponic bed there is an ebb and flow system. Ebb and flow is where water is not constantly flowing through the bed, rather the water is on a timer and fills up the bed ever few hours and it drains out, leaving just a shallow amount of water in the bed.
Tilapia in the large black tank. These are supposedly the same breed as mine, but mine are not white like this. Mine only turn white when they are extremely stressed out like when we capture them and put them in a small bucket.
Another picture of the grow bed in the greenhouse. He uses rocks for a plant structure. I use a float system with cups, which he also does but in other systems outside his greenhouse.
This is a set up more similar to what I have. A float system.
This was my favorite system he had actually. This is the perfect little backyard set up for a family. The plant bed is on the left side and the fish are in that box connected to it on the right. The water is just continuously pumped through the system. He just has goldfish in it right now but you could easily grow a small stock of tilapia for your family or if you're not interested in eating the fish, you could just have the goldfish and reap the benefits of the veggies!
After we left the aquaponics place we hung out with some people from Austin and went on an awesome boat on the river. Went tubing and swimming. At one point I got on the tube with Ben, Nathan's oldest boy. He is about 9 or so. There are all this hand signals to say if you want to speed up, slow down, get off, etc. I was seriously on this tube for like an hour wondering if I was ever going to get off. We got all the way back to the dock and they pulled me on the boat and said they were constantly signaling to me if I wanted to get off.... Then I said to them, I didn't have my glasses on! The whole boat in unison said, Ohhhhhhhh. Hahaha. Hilarious moment.
Then we had a cook out where while we were on the porch eating, Nathan's little girl decided to be in the dog cage.
On the way home, I had an absolutely awesome time just talking with Nathan and Amey. Really blessed to know them!
