Growing Family

Posted on October 10, 2017 by Ned Newby

When we were stationed in GA back in the late 80’s we went through the adoption process. All the classes, home visits, etc,… We were looking at a set of twins at the time. By the time we were approved as an adoptive family the twins were no longer available. Shortly after that I got orders to Alaska. That put an end to any possibility of adopting in GA. The process was completely different in AK so we didn’t start over. In GA they had a book, yes a book as this was before the Internet, anyway this book had pictures of the available children and a brief biography along with a statement from the child. There was this one young lady in there that pulled at our heart. To this day I can’t tell you what race she was or anything about her other than she was about 17 years old and getting close to leaving the Foster Care system. The one thing that I remember because it was burned into my heart and mind is what she said. “All I want is some place to go home to for Christmas” That one statement has almost haunted me over the years. From time to time I have checked the state adoption sights. Lisa and I have discussed adoption again several times but one or the other wasn’t sure we wanted to jump back in and start over.

That changed a little over a month ago. The misfortune of a little girl out of state and the possibility of a private adoption rekindled our desire to adopt. The little girl that gave life back to our desire for more children ended up in foster care before we could act. So, we have started going through the process of in state adoptions. Our first of 10 classes was last night. It went very well. We are looking for hard to place kids, older with multiple siblings. There is one set of siblings that we have really connected with even though all we have is website pictures and short videos. Lord willing everything will work out and we will be able to bring them into our home but we have several months to go before approval as adoptive parents. Anything can happen. They could very easily get adopted by someone else or there could be something that we don’t know about yet that would make us a poor match. Time will tell. The one thing I know is there are a lot of kids on the website that need a home and we will be able to help someone once we get through the process.

In the mean time we turned our open loft into a third bedroom and two small offices. Here are the pictures.

Original loft space.

Here is some of the construction.

And here is the finished space.

This is the first computer area at the top of the stairs between the bedrooms.

This is looking into the new bedroom.

The other side of the new room.

Looking down the walk to Lisa’s home office. More like a cubbyhole but she just wanted a desk, phone, internet connection and the window.

The remodel turned out pretty good I think. It may take a while for my sinuses to get over all the sheet rock dust but that’s a small price to pay. I can’t thank a good friend Toby enough for his help and guidance. We now have two extra bedrooms waiting for someone to fill them. Our oldest son and grandsons will use the space for a while while they get resettled as they move from Alaska.

If all goes as planned we will have some permanent additions to the family by summer if not sooner. If this all blows up and for any reason things don’t work out we have a nice spare guest room. Can you tell I’m trying not to get my hopes up?

On a less than positive note. I think I managed to kill all the tilapia in the aquaponics tank. When the remnants of hurricane Nate came through the GFI tripped killing the power to the pump. No water circulation equals no oxygen. I found 12 floaters this morning and I suspect there are more that didn’t make it. I know I saw one come to the surface and then swim back down. Didn’t look real healthy but it might make it. The worst part is I knew the power was off. When I did my morning rounds feeding all the critters I noticed the problem and corrected it with the intent of resetting the GFI when I made my way back to the house. Well….something obviously distracted me and the GFI didn’t cross my mind until I walked outside this morning. First thing I thought of was the aquaponics tank and I knew what I would find. I hate that sick feeling of knowing I could have prevented this loss. Then again that is why I keep two fishtanks running in the basement. Insurance. When I move the system I am planning to put in a battery backup and an air pump so that when I loose power the fish will still have that much to keep them going.

Crack in the fishtank!

Posted on August 9, 2017 by Ned Newby

I thought I had a small leak in the aquaponics fish tank. I was topping off the tank twice a day for almost a week until I had time to repair it.

After draining most of the water out I found I had about a four inch crack. I have no idea how it could have happened but it was there.

One good thing about draining the tank is it gave me a chance to look at the fish. I have a couple that are ready to fillet and put on the grill.

I also found that several made their way into the sump tank.

Tank patched and refilling.

I have found that Tilapia love sweet potato and morning glory vines. Here are some morning glory vines in the tank. By the next morning all the leaves will be gone and only the vines will be left.

Happy Thanksgiving

Posted on November 25, 2016 by Ned Newby

We had a very nice day yesterday visiting with family at two separate gatherings. My niece Ashley and her husband hosted Thanksgiving dinner for my side of the family. Then we went to Lisa’s moms house to visit with her side of the family. Good food and company all day.

It’s been a while so a little catching up is in order.

I don’t think that I mentioned the last hive swarmed late this summer. I don’t know what caused it but my guess is it was a combination of ants and the drought. So, I’ll buy some more bees and start over in the spring. Maybe I can catch another swarm or two. I didn’t get any last summer.

With the drought still in full swing and the unusually warm weather I never did plant a fall garden. I placed the last two sows and their oops piglets in the garden area for now. The plan is to castrate the males this weekend and move them all back with all the rest. Then I can plant my garlic and onions. The weatherman is saying that we have a good chance of some rain in about a week. We’ll see. A lot can happen in a week.

A couple of weeks ago my cousin, his girlfriend and her daughter came to visit the farm. The piglets were a hit but nothing like Ava. We have gotten used to Ava stealing the show.

Everyone waiting for breakfast.

Something you don’t expect to see at Tractor Supply. I stopped in for a few items and had to get a picture of what was in the trailer next to me. Lisa wouldn’t have believed me without proof. It might be a little hard to tell but there are two camels in the trailer. A large one on the left and a much smaller one on the right.

Found this little guy in the basement when I was feeding the cats. He was small and cooperative so he lived and went for a ride to a new location away from houses. I was able to slide a pet carrier up to him and he went right in. He must have know what the alternative would be.

Here we are torturing Ava with pecan pie. She wanted out badly. I missed getting a picture of her head upside down looking through the mesh. She is just too quick.

Due to other commitments Lisa’s younger brother Greg and his family wouldn’t be able to attend Thanksgiving so they came down a day early. We had a nice visit and as usual the animals were a hit. Especially for little Cooper.

The only remaining registered boar for sale may have gotten a stay of execution. If the weather would have stayed cool this week he would have made it into the freezer this weekend. I just got a call from someone who wants a pair of American Guinea Hogs. If he takes the offer he will be getting a deal. I’m over run with hogs and need to move them.

The aquariums in the basement are full of fish and I noticed tilapia fry in the outside tank. I will have to try and move them this weekend or they may not last if the temperature drops again. The heater will keep the water warm enough for adult fish but I don’t know about fry.

Look what I found!

Posted on October 10, 2016 by Ned Newby

I was cleaning out the canister filter on one of the tilapia aquariums this weekend and found these 3 little guys in the bottom. How they have lived in there for so long is a mystery. Yes they are alive. The largest is about 2 inches long. The line going into the filter is only about a half inch so he has been there for a while.

I emptied the sump tank and cleaned it out yesterday and there were all these fingerlings in there. I knew they were there but didn’t know how many. There should be more in the main tank as well.

Pigs, Pigs everywhere. If anyone is interested in KuneKune AGH cross pigs I’ll make you a deal. Shoot me an email.

Some random shots of the cows and calves.

I cleaned out the compost and scattered it on the garden. I don’t know how well you can see in these pictures but it was full, I mean full of red worms. The garden is going to love this.

Got all the compost tilled into the garden and brought in 20 bales of straw. I’ve started breaking down and scattering the bales but I’m not finished yet. It’s almost time for the fall garden.

Here is a picture of the new home of the pig we sold that now lives in NY. We are waiting for updated pictures of him. He is living in hog heaven for sure. Wish that was my pond. Maybe some day.

And here is Billie Jo we sold earlier this year who now lives in Arkansas. She sure is a pretty heifer. I hear that she has a stubborn streak though. Personally I think they all do.

We still have hens, turkey and chicken, that have gone broody. Here is the latest batch of chicks. The hen made her nest in an unused portion of the aquaponics system.

Lastly, is Smokey. She more than any of the other cats loves new spaces. Boxes, bags or open cabinets. Leave something open and she will crawl in and make her self comfortable. We are using it for our bathroom cabinet but it is actually my Great Grandmothers bread making cabinet. Smokey is laying on top of the flour sifter. All original including the sliding glass doors and the sliding counter. It could use some work but would lose some of its charm.

Leak in the fish tank!

Posted on April 20, 2014 by Ned Newby

Friday night when I went down to feed the fish I got a surprise. The fish tank had sprung a leak again. This time I can’t find the leak. No water dripping and no wet places on the tank. I think the glass must have flexed a little and once the water pressure decreased enough it sealed back up. I think I will just strip it out and reseal it. I am going to build shelves for all three of the tanks and I will create a pocket for this tank to set in so the glass can’t flex at all.

Fortunately the tanks are in the basement and I had an empty one to move the fish into. It is slightly smaller and they are a little crowded but they seam to be doing fine. I am going to split them up and place half into another tank once I get it set up. Some of them will also go out into the aquaponics system.

Catching Up

Posted on January 13, 2014 by Ned Newby

Aquaponics – I have found that I need a settling tank between the fish tank and the sump tank. Without this solids are pumped into the grow beds and silts in the gravel. Once the flow of water through the gravel is slowed or in some cases stopped the water flows over the side. This loss of water will drain the sump and has the potential to damage the pump. It took me about 3 hours of washing gravel from half the grow beds. I plan to build a green house and move the entire system into it. I will be adding a settling tank at this time.

The water heater has been working very well. We have had several days with single digit temperatures and the lowest I have seen the water temperature has been 53 degrees. I believe the tilapia should be doing fine but I have not taken the cover off to verify this. I don’t want to stress the fish anymore than needed.

Rosco the Goose – Three weeks ago I found Rosco staggering around near the water jugs. It was early on a Saturday so the vet was still open. This vet was not familiar with geese but said Rosco was definitely in trouble. Along with being unable to stand without tipping over he also had severe diarrhea and a fever. He guessed that the problem was viral so we went home with a week’s worth of tetracycline.

Rosco got better after about two days of this treatment. After completing the course antibiotics I returned him to the pen with the other birds. Exactly one week later I found him lying in the mud, again unable to stand. This time it was late on Saturday and the vet was already closed. Going through my animal medicine chest and searching the internet to see what I might be able to do for him, I found that I had some Tylan 200. This a strong antibiotic designed for cattle. Several goose forums suggested that it could be used on geese with good results. Afraid he might not make it through the night if I didn’t try something I gave him the suggested dose of Tylan. Within a few hours he was showing signs of improvement. By Sunday morning he was back to normal. I gave him a dose each day for the first three days and then I skipped a day since at least one forum said Tylan should be given every 48 hours. The week passed and Rosco was doing fine and I had planned to return him to the flock Sunday morning. Saturday night he relapsed again. Further research on the internet led me to think maybe he had a case of gap worms or some other form of parasite. Sunday morning found us at our local Tractor Supply buying a dewormer.

Monday, not seeing any improvement in fact it looked like he was getting worse, Lisa remembered talking to Mother and Father Goose at the Renaissance Festival in Georgia a couple of years ago. She called the number on the website http://www.thegoosesmother.com/id30.html and spoke to Father Goose (Allen). He was very helpful and gave us the number to a Dr at the University if GA. After talking to this Dr and going over what has been tried so far, the symptoms and living conditions he believes Rosco has eaten something and is suffering from something like botulism. So tomorrow he goes to our other vet who will call the Dr at the University and together they will try to find the cause and a solution to Rocco’s problem.

Everyone else on the farm is doing well. Marla hasn’t had her calf yet. Some days I’m not even sure she is pregnant others she looks like she is going to pop. During this last cold spell she was acting a little odd and I was sure she was going do have the calf. I found myself checking on her every couple of hours expecting to find a very cold wet calf each time I went out. I was thankful that she didn’t have the calf then. Hopefully she doesn’t wait until the next cold snap.

Bees – I still have 3 hives. I thought I lost the smaller of the three during the cold snap but this weekend he temperature got up into the 60’s and the bees were flying and hitting the sugar water I put out for them. Bees were coming and going from all three hives. If the weak hive makes it until spring I will be surprised but so fat it is hanging in there.

Aquaponics Heater

Posted on October 16, 2013 by Ned Newby

I was unable to keep the water warm enough for the Tilapia last year so I ended up moving them into aquariums in the basement over the winter. While trying to find a better solution I found this on youtube. It cost less to build than a single heater for the 40 gal aquarium. So far it is keeping the 300 gal tank around 76 degrees with out any insulation. As fall turns to winter and the temperature drops I will need to insulate the sides. I am using old hot tub covers to insulate the top. I would love to be able to take credit for this design but I can’t.

Here is the video.

Baby Tilapia

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Ned Newby

The baby tilapias are doing very well. I am surprised at the varying rate of growth. Some are still quite small while others are an inch or more in length.

The water is a little murky but it isn’t as bad as it looks. The light above the tank is causing allot of glare.

I have added sweet potato plants to the tank. I have all the slips I need for the garden so I thought I would set plants in the fish tank. The babies shouldn’t hurt the roots like the adults would. The plants should help filter the water a little and I can cut the leaves and put them in the breeder tank for the adults. They love sweet potato leaves.

Having a little salad

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Ned Newby

Adult tilapia love greens. Last year I fed them sweet potato leaves. I’d cut a vine and lay it in the tank and the next day all the leaves would be gone. Here they are eating some wilted lettuce from the garden. Sometimes they will grab it and shake it like a dog does a rag toy to pull bits off.

New Tilapia Fry

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Ned Newby

Tilapia

If all goes well I won’t have to buy tilapia to restock and I might have some to sell. The breeders I set up are doing their thing. These pictures are from this morning. The fry actually appeared yesterday. That means they hatched a couple of days before. Tilapia being mouth brooders I couldn’t see them until they came out of the females mouth.

There are probably 3 times as many fry than you can see here because as soon as I walked up they started darting back into the mothers mouths. From what I have read they will continue this for a few days and then become independent.

Newby's Homestead Hideaway Farm

A lifetime work in progress.

Category Archives: Aquaponics