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 Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2009 11:51 pm
I'm developing and (later) marketing an aquaponics system and would like some feedback.
If you've never heard of aquaponics allow me to quickly explain.
Aquaponics is the mixture of aquaculture (the farming of either fresh or salt water organisms) and hydroponics (the growing of plants using mineral nutrient solutions instead of soil).
I'll give you the basic rundown of my system and then open the floodgates for questions. The individual systems come in 100 gal tubs with floating rafts, aeration systems, tilapia, a siphon for solid fish waste, automatic fish feeders (hold enough for a month, both battery and hand crank) and an automatic watering hose to refill the system when you let your fish waste out.
Optional: Photo voltaic cell and motorcycle battery to run the entire thing (only needs about 12 volts for the aeration systems). This also increases the cost but is worth it if you live in an area that gets enough sun and want to live off the grid.
In my attempts to develop my marketing pitch, I would really appreciate feedback as well as specific questions.
If you were thinking about buying one of these systems, what kind of information would you want to know? I may not answer your question right away, but I think eventually I should be able to get to everyone.
Naturally green, you cannot use any pesticides, you can't add any chemicals, certified organic vegetation.
Questions!!
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Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 1:05 am
You could move this to farming if that would be more appropriate. I'm sorry I was hasty to post. Hah
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Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 12:38 pm
It's cool here or there. ^^
As for aquaponics, or 'hydroponics' that is so interesting!
I watched a special on it about urban farming in Japan using it, like farming vegetables and stuff on the top of tall sky scrapers!
And it's cool you want to market this, but as you know, there are already systems like that out. What makes your system unique from the ones out there?
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Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 8:44 pm
Most of the ones I've seen in this area (I live on an island) are either nonfunctional on a smaller household scale or too expensive.
I'm also going to market in California where I haven't seen very much at all in the way of aquaponics.
Basically, this way is affordable. At $300 a tub, it far more cost effective than the $1,000-2,000 systems that produce the same amount.
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Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 1:19 am
So basically you're combining fish farming, and hydroponic gardening into one system? I can understand home gardens, but breeding fish on a personal scale seems like a little too much work. Explain, please?
Now assuming that I'm dumb, and that my first statement is easily answered, will there be an option for a flooding basin instead of a floating raft hydroponic method?
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Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 12:05 pm
I've had some experience with hydroponics but none with aquaponics. I think my main questions would be how much fish waste can the system be expected to yield and over what length of time? How will a home-user determine how big of a system they would need (ie: how much fish-waste the system will yield vs. how much can be reasonably expected to be needed to sustain the plants adequately?) What are the advantages of using a system for producing your own fish waste (which has a relatively large start-up cost and space requirement) vs. using bottled fish emulsion (which is fairly inexpensive)? This sounds very interesting, I'd love to hear more.
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Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 8:28 pm
Marihuanka - The fish get along pretty well together. The main problems people have with fish raising that I know of are primarily associated with overcrowding. When you stress out the fish, they tend to cannibalize, grow slower -the system becomes unhealthy. A main competitor in my area uses the drain and filter system (more on that later) and over crowds the fish. We solve many of the typical problems by keeping the population in the tanks low. This flows rather nicely into the fertilizer issue.
Now, there are three major types of aquaponic systems that I know of. There is the drain and filter system that requires a lot of pumping water and multiple tanks (sump tank, fish rearing tank, filtration systems, etc.) and only really is cost effective when you have a large operation. We want to market to the household so smaller is better. You can also add as many separate 100 gal tanks as you want.
There is a drain and flow method where you raise your fish in one tank and use gravity to slowly take water and solid waste out of the system where it trickles down an declining surface where your crops grow. From what I read, this is more susceptible to problems with the plants due to the regulation of flowing water. Water runs dry, you have issues. Water runs too much, you have issues.
The raft system makes sense to us because it is extremely portable and cheap to produce. It also has the simplest design which leaves less to mess up.
dragon_of_emry - 10 gal a week (I believe, I could double check) of liquid fertilizer. You need to drain that to keep the tank clean as well and is perfect to use on soil plants. With roughly seven fish in a tank they produce enough for the plants and extra.
The major advantage of using this system apposed to buying waste is that while you're spending a couple hundred dollars up front, you could make up to eight hundred dollars in crops in a year. You also need to feed the fish but a major part of that is finding inexpensive food. To which there are a couple ways around. That part we're still in development over. As far as space, you're actually saving horizontal space because you don't need to distance the plants as much as you do in the soil. The vertical elevation also helps a great deal with harvesting if you've ever tried to cut a salad from the ground.
It is no fun.
80% of revenue (if you were to sell your harvest) is from the vegetation. An interesting side note is that tilapia, while being omnivorous, taste like whatever they eat. You feed them coconut, they taste like coconut. Fish pellet tilapia doesn't taste bad either. Just don't buy tilapia from China. They don't feed the fish very good things.
Woo questions!
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2009 11:00 am
What type of tank? What are the dimensions? Is the system strictly for use outdoors? The floating garden concentrated on salad crops? Tilapia are a common fish for these systems, but not hardy everywhere---thoughts on alternatives?
We have done a little of this, and I may have some ideas you can use. Right now it's taxi-time. More later.
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2009 8:43 pm
Rubbermaid 100 gal black commercial tub. Don't know exact dimensions right off the top of my head. Quote: Is the system strictly for use outdoors? Yes. Sun depends on what crops you're growing, of course. Quote: The floating garden concentrated on salad crops? Not necessarily, but for our specific market -yes. It can grow anything besides roots like potatoes or tall crops like corn. Quote: Tilapia are a common fish for these systems, but not hardy everywhere---thoughts on alternatives? Prawns and catfish work well also, but not as popular here. I could use some advice if you have some to offer.
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2009 10:51 pm
PirateCass Thanks! Now I know what you're working with! Have you tested this system at all? The first question I would have is, how hot will that water get in the sun? Even our water garden, in-ground, which is roughly 14' x18' with a depth from 1' to 3', has been known to get so hot in early spring before the plants really leaf out that we have had to use foam sheets to shade it and cool the water. A good layer of insulation (like straw bales) or a removable outer reflective coating (if these are intended for use year-round) will really help you there. You might also consider starting out with a good dose of beneficial bacteria for pond use. It makes life easier for the pondkeepers and the residents. What's the surface area of your tub? A wider, shallower tub can potentially raise more fish for you, and more salad crops, too. You will need less aeration to counteract toxic buildup in the water. Shading the water, especially in a small container, will really help you keep stress under control. As for feeding your fish, allowing the algae to grow will feed them and help to keep the whole system stable. I can't begin to tell you how much easier it is to let the system balance and then just keep it aerated! We haven't fed the fish in the water garden for at least 3 years, and there are goldfish there bigger than my feet---ladies size 7 1/2. Then you have a totally organic fish. (To me, this is the difference between free-range beef and beef that are supplemented with grain.) I was glad to hear that you are thinking of using some bottom feeders. They help keep everything balanced. I don't eat them, but we have raised both catfish and crayfish in our pond, which everyone else is delighted to eat! We also have clams, and if you were going to keep this going year-round for a few years, you could conceivably seed a few for some cultured pearls, which take about 5 years to harvest. The crayfish and the clams multiply pretty quickly, especially the crayfish. As in exponentially! I have never seen so many crayfish in one place in my life as in the pond! If they won't be harvested, don't use them. Do prawns multiply that fast? No prawns here. We started this adventure with a kid's wading pool. Too small. So we went to a 12' above ground pool, intending two crops a year----trout in the winter, bass and catfish in the summer. It worked well until high winds hit it, splitting the wall and spilling everything out for the birds to enjoy, which they did. Live and learn! So now we have the water garden and a galvanized tub set into the ground in the vegetable garden, and raise fish in both. For us, it's bass, perch, and catfish, with occasional crawfish. I've been able to spare the frogs, so far, but lots of peole here eat froglegs, and there are some dinner-plate-sized guys out there. Sorry---that was really me. redface Depending on your climate, you may also be able to raise watercress---ours is near the waterfall. I've also been interested in growing some water chestnuts in a closed system. Sometimes you can find them on Ebay, they are illegal in many areas but would work well in a system like this. Anyone wanting to grow them for food, however, would need to do their homework, since they are poisonous without treatment, according to all I have read about them. You could grow lotus for their roots, and have spectacular flowers to boot. They will definitely tell you that the system is perfect---they multiply like crazy!
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Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2009 11:35 pm
ClassicHawk I'm also going to market in California where I haven't seen very much at all in the way of aquaponics. There's reason you don't see much in California. California is in the middle of a 3 year drought and water prices are way up here. In the San Joaquin valley farmers sued the local government for cutting back water supplies when environmentalists pushed for water restrictions to protect a native fish population. I hope you are able to find a more viable market.
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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 12:22 pm
 Yay for learning something new everyday! This is all so interesting! But I'm curious... what would you call your system/what's its name?
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