It is safe for adults and children to eat more than 4 meals of tilapia per month!!

source

It is so exciting having things finely falling into place.

Like always there is more to come.

The Toadstool pond has come a long way since it first started. I have learned a lot more about it, have had a lot of fun doing it, and made changes that were not planned or for seen. But I’m so proud of the progress that I have seen.

The stats.

We have currently approx. 150 tilopia, 1600 gal of water, a breading tank, a male and female tank, 4 100+ gal grow beds (waterways, which are on stilts), and we have added 2″ and 3″ pipe to increase water flow.

Most of the winter we have ben thinking of ways to keep the plants and fish (and the water) warm. We have insulated and covered every thing making a make-shift green house.

In the in between stages of putting it all together, it was very frustrating because not every thing was adding up the way I thought it would. But the good news (with the exception of the Gospels) is that it all coming about, and I’m having fun doing it.

I have started paramedic school, so I have been rather busy lately. But keep the questions coming, I always have time to answer those.

So with any injury, you have to stay off of it. This will slow my progress down and is a little discouraging, but I will still give it my 100%.

I would share with you my plans on my new system, but at this time “Grandma” keeps changing her mind. I’m making her take thoughs new pics.

The syptic tank I had found needs lots of starilizing… UCK! and I have changed what I’m using it for. Its now going to be a “raft” plat bed.

I found that large ships normaly have large septic tanks made out of fiber glass. The bigger the ship, the bigger the tank. I found one that was perfect, with alittle modifing. It was only $35. what is so great about these giant “poop tanks,” is that they are made with inturnal baffle (the baffles are inturnal walls that keep the sewage from sloshing around). This will make for a great breading tank, becasue the walls are already in place to seperate my fingerlings and my my breading females. With a reciprocating saw, I opened in up like a can-opener.

The tank is approxamently 5′ x 3’6” x 2’6” and the inside is divided into 9 equial squares. All of the squares will becoming out with the exseption of on inner wall that will divide the tank into two uneaqual parts. 1/3 will be for breading, 2/3 fingerlings.

I will have pics, and more info on some of the other great stuff I found. 

I will be experementing with flood and drain v.s. the float or raft methoed

I went to the store Bed Bath and Beyond went to the cooking section and found a thermometer. IT works so easy! Just drop the probe in the water. ZAM!!! The numbers are big and easy to see (thats good for these old eyes).

Well, I bought it. Pyrex Pro Digital Thermometer. Its a Whopping 58 egrees in my pond and 68 degrees.

I wish it had a little carrying case, but no worries, I will come up with something.

LOVE IT!!

In Beautiful Florida we have had record breaking low temperatures. No where close to other places in the world, but we have had some below FREEZING.

I was brainstorming with my neighbor about keeping my fish warm, and he reminded me about my worms.

We came up w/ a quick fix to make things a bit warmer: 

Add plastic over the barrels it will help be a mini insulator, and keep down the wind chill. Horse Manure, which I got for free at a near by stable.

About 5 gallons of shredded paper, which I shredded with an office shredder

….fresh manure is usually never used in worm garden because it will get toooooo HOT. I thought this would be perfect for this kind of weather. But it did not work!! My worm bed was 30 degrees F.

I was sure that would work.? So I brought them in tonight, to warm them up.

I hope I did not lose any….
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