I am posting mid-week because there are several little topics and announcements that I want to tell you about but none of them really warrant my usual long-winded treatise.

  • The upcoming Murray weekend I have to share with you my excitement over the arrival of Murray Hallam in DenverMurray Hallam Saturday night. Those of you who are regular readers of this blog know how highly I think of Murray. Not only has he built a successful aquaponics business in Australia and produced two highly-regarded aquaponics videos, but his teachings just make sense to me. There are a lot of businesses out there claiming to know the ‘one true way’ (check out this thoughtful essay titled ‘Where is the Advice Coming From?‘ for a deep treatment of this subject) so to a certain extent we all need to select our personal ‘guru’. Murray is mine. I have modeled my system and future development after his, and I have not been disappointed. My greenhouse is teeming with life with almost no requirement for my time. What’s not to love about that?I pick up Murray at the Denver airport late Saturday night. Sunday we have the workshop at the Denver Botanic Gardens. He is with us through Tuesday, hopefully sleeping and relaxing, holding court with a few fans, and spending time with me and my family. I promise not to talk aquaponics all the time, Murray, but maybe most of the time!
  • AquaponicsCommunity.com 400th member – our community site hit a milestone this week – 400 members! The community continues to be a happily bubbling cauldron of ideas, questions and sharing. Community sites and forums like these are where the advancement of home aquaponics is really happening. I feel incredibly privileged to be a part of this movement. Click here to check out the community.
  • Tilapia Feed Now Available at The Aquaponic Source – We found a small, family run fish feed producer in MissouriTilapia eating a Strawberry that produces premium feed and sells it in small (10 and 20 lb) batches. We are offering 5 types (formulation and size) covering the entire span of a tilapia’s life. Go to The Aquaponic Source.com to order.
  • Tilapia have a sweet tooth! – Finally, I wanted to end by sharing a discovery I have recently made. The strawberries in my greenhouse have take on a second flush and are producing again. Snacking on them has become one of my rewards for visiting the greenhouse and I have discovered that if I toss an uneaten strawberry top into a tilapia tank, they go after it like ravenous dogs. I decided to see if it is just strawberries they love or whether it is fruit in general… I tested this with some ready-for-the-compost-pile pineapple. I threw in the first piece. It sank to the bottom of the tank. Then 3 tilapia surrounded it and started picking at it like buzzards on a carcass. Another piece, another group attack. They liked it! Omnivores are just so much fun!