About

Grow Food, Grow Hope

That's been the tagline since the beginning, and it still captures everything this project is about.

Aquaponics works. Not in a theoretical, someday-maybe way — it works right now, in a garage, a backyard, an empty lot, or even a decommissioned mall. It grows more food in less space with far fewer inputs than conventional agriculture, and it can do it affordably enough that almost anyone can start. That potential is what drives this entire project.

How It Started

About ten years ago, a small setup in the garage. A modest tank, a simple grow bed, and a lot of questions. It didn't cost much to get going, and that was the point — proving the barrier to entry is genuinely low if you're willing to learn as you go.

By 2019 the experiment outgrew the garage and moved into a new home: a converted chicken run turned rough-built greenhouse. Far from perfect, but that's never been the goal. The goal is functional, evolving, and honest about what works and what doesn't.

The Fish

The system has hosted three species over the years. Rainbow trout couldn't survive a heatwave. Tilapia couldn't survive a cold snap. The goldfish have survived everything.

There are about 40 of them now — resilient, forgiving, and a constant reminder that matching your fish to your environment matters more than any other single decision in aquaponics. The dream is still to run tilapia or catfish for high-protein production, but the goldfish have more than earned their place in the meantime.

The Plants

My system has a pH target of 5.5–6.5, and the plants have followed the water's lead: Meyer lemon, blueberries, tea (Camellia sinensis), horseradish, hazelnut, strawberries, sage, and chocolate mint all prefer that slightly acidic environment. The system has always been part experiment — different grow media, different species, different configurations — but the focus is shifting toward genuine food production without abandoning the experimental spirit.

The Setup

The current system runs on a CHOP design with an in-ground sump and a 330-gallon IBC as the main fish tank. Three flood-and-drain media beds and two constant-flow beds handle the grow side. The media beds started as a substrate experiment — hydroton, lava rock, and river rock tested separately — and have since evolved on their own terms.

The whole thing runs off solar and a growing battery bank, designed to operate off-grid for most of the year. (More on the electronics and automation — coming soon.)

The Bigger Picture

Aquaponics can grow food anywhere there's an empty space and a little water. Schools. Urban lots. Vacant buildings. It doesn't need reliable grid power — DC pumps run efficiently on solar panels and a modest battery bank, which matters enormously in areas where fresh produce is scarce or power is unreliable.

The vision has always been bigger than one greenhouse. A converted mall turned food production hub. Community systems in food deserts. Systems small enough to start on almost no budget and scale as far as ambition allows.

We're going to need manageable, affordable ways to feed people in the coming years. Aquaponics is one of them.