My First Aquaponics Garden

I have been wanting to build an aquaponics garden for quite sometime, and now that I've done it I thought I'd share my first run at it with y'all.
If you're not familiar with aquaponics, it is basically a closed loop system of feeding and growing fish in a tank, filtering the tank water through a gravel bed where you grow vegetables. The natural algae and fish waste make perfect food for your vegetables.
I am currently raising a few goldfish and koi for my first try at aquaponics, but if this is successful I will move up to a larger system where I'll implement larger growing beds, and a larger tank capable of growing several pounds of talapia, catfish, trout, or whatever else I can find to grow. Imagine growing your own fresh vegetables, fruit, herbs, and fish all in your backyard. The best part is how low-maintenance it is because there is no weeding, hoeing, tilling, fertilizing, watering, or any of the other headaches of a traditional garden. All you do is feed the fish and they'll do the rest.
Granted, the aquaponics system is rather expensive compares to a traditional garden, but the trade off is worth it to me.
All you need is a tank large enough to raise the fish, whether it's a small goldfish pond purchased at lowes, or a large tank (100+ gallons) for raising meat fish, a bed for growing, a submersible pond pump, and the hardware necessary to circulate the water from the pond to the bed and back to the pond. It's that simple!
I'll update the pictures over the next few weeks to show the success or failure that I have. The first pictures are from day 1 March 8. Plants are collards greens, 1 cherry tomato, 1 heirloom tomato, 1bell pepper, 2 strawberries, and some marigolds for color.


















Notice how cloudy the water is. That's from the residue from the rocks. The green tint is from the algae in the pond. I'm anxious to see how it looks in a few days.

PhotoUpdate 4/20/14:









Already putting on strawberries!


Cherry tomatoes are blooming:)


The water has cleared up!

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Rewards

Your rewards in life are in direct proportion to what you're willing to sacrifice.
For some the sacrifice may be asking for help.
For others it may be giving help to those in need.
Greed is never rewarded positively, and neither is envy.
Greed is usually met with emptiness, and envy with poverty.
This is not to say that all that are impoverished are full of envy, nor all that have plenty are greedy.
If someone is extending their hand for help, then help. And if someone is extending their hand TO help do not push them away. You may be receiving a blessing just so God can do a work in them!


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Homeless Savior

Homeless
Written by S Benner



“Each day Jesus was teaching at the temple, and each evening He went out to spend the night on the hill called the Mount of Olives, and all the people came early in the morning to hear Him at the temple.” (Luke 21:37-38)

Have you ever contemplated the homelessness of Jesus?

“Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.’” (Matthew 8:20)

This is more than just a metaphorical picture. Jesus didn’t have a home. The Bible doesn’t mention Him owning anything. In the midst of recording Jesus’ teaching, Luke casually mentions that Jesus spent each night on the Mount of Olives, the hill outside Jerusalem.

Though the gospel writers give little attention to this fact, we dare not romanticize it. Surely Jesus did experience beautiful evenings in the olive grove, away from the crowds, with the stars shining overhead. But other nights it rained or even snowed. Sometimes cold winds blew. Jesus endured hard ground, darkness and loneliness.

How does Jesus’ homelessness impact us? Though not a command that we must follow, it does require us to pause and think. Too often the desire for comfort drives me. Luxury and convenience become needs rather than wants. Material possessions clutter my focus and prevent me from seeking God. I stress about many things. Jesus owned nothing, yet He didn’t worry about His next meal. He trusted God for everything He needed.

I also need to consider my attitudes toward others. Though Jesus likely trained as a carpenter, during the three years of His ministry He didn’t work to provide for Himself or for His mother. Did people look at Him and say, “Get a job”? Jesus can help me see differently, because He knows what it’s like to be homeless.

Holy God, open my eyes to what you want to teach me through these verses. I want to trust You and not worry, to seek You instead of my own comfort, to see every person through Your eyes. Amen

Questions: Does knowing Jesus was homeless change your perspective toward the homeless in your city? What is God nudging you to change as you consider Jesus’ homelessness?

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Location:Leesville,United States

Anatomy of Sugar Addiction!

Plexus Slim and Plexus Accelerator cured my sugar addiction. I still enjoy an occasional dessert, but I can do without it. 

Try a 7-day trial of Plexus Slim and see how much better you feel! Order it at www.aaa.myplexusproducts.com

I Lost 28 Pounds in 28 DAYS!!!

45 Year Old Male Finds Weightloss Solution

Hi, my name is Brady Vaughn from Leesville, LA and I just need to share with you something that has happened to me.
I have struggled with being overweight ALL MY LIFE. (I know, you've heard it before, RIGHT?) Please continue reading, because what I'm about to tell you is absolutely true, and there is no HYPE in what I'm about to tell you.
As I said, I have struggled all my life with being overweight & unhealthy until now. I am 45 years old and I have tried everything under the sun to lose weight. I have tried Slim Fast, Nutrisystem, countless overhyped pills that HYPE you up, magic diets, Atkins, South Beach, SugarBusters, Visalus Shakes, HCG; you name it I've tried it. All with little or NO results. I had nearly given up on ever being at a healthy weight unless I had gastric bypass surgery.
I was still looking for something that actually worked when I started hearing people talking about the newest "MAGIC WEIGHTLOSS FORMULA". I am always skeptical of the diet products that come to us by way of network marketing. They are the ones that are always so over-hyped its not even funny.
I kept watching friends losing weight incredibly fast and I finally decided to try it myself.
I bought my first month suppy of the "MAGIC FORMULA" and was shocked after two days that I had already lost 5 pounds! I wasn't hungry, I wasn't starving myself, (I don't exercise) I wasn't DIETING! I just followed the directions and BAM I started losing weight!
After a few days of losing a pound or two a day I decided to enhance the weight loss by changing a couple of eating habits. I mean what did I have to lose? I wasn't feeling hungry all the time like I was before. So I cut out drinking things that had a lot of sugar in them. You know, Sweet Tea, Cokes, and such. I still drink sweet tea, but only when its sweetened with Stevia.
Well doing this may have increased my weightloss a little. Long story short, I lost 22 pounds in my first 18 days of taking this "MAGIC FORMULA". 22 POUNDS IN 18 DAYS Y'ALL!! Lets hear Terry Bradshaw brag like that about Nutri-System!!
In 2 days from the time that I am writing this I will be at the 30 day mark of taking this "MAGIC FORMULA". I am currently at 28 pounds in 28 days, and I have no doubt that I will lose 30 pounds in 30 days!
You can follow my on facebook and see my progress at www.fb.com/bradygv .Oh yeah, and the "MAGIC FORMULA" I am talking about is Plexus Slim and if you'd like to try it you can follow this link www.aaa.myplexusproducts.com .
One more thing I forgot to add, I had a 3500-4000 calorie a day food addiction when starting with Plexus. I now consume on some days less than 1000. I generally average about 1300 a day. I am not dieting, the Plexus just actually does what it says it does. It curbs your appetite, and burns fat.
I do not tell you these things so that I can sell you a product....I tell you these things because they are true, this has worked for me, and I want you to find your 'happy body' like I am finding mine. I weighed in at 340 pounds the day I first took my Plexus. My goal is 240. I will WIN, and so will you. Just try it for a month.
THIS WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE!
Thanks for reading, now go get healthy!
God bless you!

BRADY VAUGHN
AAA Auto Tow, LLC
www.aaaautotow.com

Is Your Life A Train Wreck? This Will Help!

Stop giving satan praise!!

The devil ain't working against you....God is working for you! GET IN HIS WILL!!


God's will for your life is this simple:

1 Thessalonians 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Give Him praise in EVERYTHING, and the windows of Heaven will open!

Give the devil praise(constantly saying how he has attacked you) and the gates of hell will stay open! Quit giving the devil credit...you give him praise every time you do this and he loves it!

Praise God in EVERYTHING, because sometimes it may be Him trying to get your attention when you're giving satan all the glory.

Read Romans chapter 8. Even if we die for His namesake, Praise The Lord!!!

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Sorry...just need to vent!

Government regulations, state and federal ordinances, bureaucrats in Baton Rouge, local restrictions, and ball-droppers....all are things that are contributing to my current headache! It is mind blowing how much bigger our government grows everyday. its expanding faster than the universe it seems! And we wonder why the Postal Service is going down the tubes? They are mismanaged by the same government that wants to mismanage your healthcare!
As our greatest president said, "government is not the solution...government is the problem!"