Aquaponics and Hydroponics

2014-06-19T12:49:00.001-07:00

Free Power

2012-05-26T19:54:00.001-07:00

Another investment; a solar pannle, also a wind turbine. Thexe devices should be all O need to power the aquaponics, so long as I can charge up batteries automatically.

Now I just need to work out how to get them started.

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poly tunnels

2012-05-26T14:16:00.001-07:00

Here are my first two prototype poly tunnels and the water tank for my first Aquaponic prototype system.

I am having a bit of difficulty finding a dealer who will send Talapia fry to the UK and am considering doing a crop of Trout instead, in the tank.

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My New Toy

2012-02-22T15:59:00.001-08:00

Investments

Investments are very important for any business, but especially for a new business. It is crucial to invest well and provide a young company or organisation, with what it needs, to increase it's likleyhood of succes.

This is my first major investment: A film camera. The main potential money earner, for any business nowadays; is it's website.

A camera like this will give me a far greater ability to design a good, intetesting and original website, to bring the potential punters in.

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Living in a Field

2012-02-08T10:40:00.001-08:00

Moving on a full Moon

I did not plan to move on a full moon, but it is interesting that I did, since people do say that 'things come to a head, at full moons'. Yes, and all the crazies come out!

Living in a field, not being connected to any utilities is quite strange and nice. Having to gather wood, so that I can make a coffee, is a novelty, which I'm sure will soon ware off.

It is very peacefully and I can play music as loud as I want, because there is nobody else in my immediate vicinity. Genny, Fresh ground water and canister gas, oh and a shovel!

I now must recover from the jet-lag of moving house and look for some land to do some Aquaponics on.

Free Working Hollidays

2012-01-30T14:08:00.000-08:00

WWOOFS
World Wide Opportunities On Organic Farms

The above named organisation WWOOFS provides free workers, to work on organic farms and in return the farmer must provide these workers with food and accommodation.
wwoofs are a global organisation.

Aquaponics is organic and I think I could provide food and accommodation for the wwoofs workers, probably nothing too glamorous though, but something that would be both comfortable and memorable.

I think I shall apply to be a wwoofs host, as soon as I get my first poly tunnel up.

Thanks to my mate Laura for telling me about them.

Here is a link to their site -wwoofs Link

A cool place to come and stay

The authentic hippy experience couldn't be more perfect than working in some organic aquaponic poly tunnels and sleeping in a communal tee-pee.

I think about four hours work a day ought to cover the workers for food and accommodation. Especially considering that most of the food will be grown on site. The rest of the time, they could do what they wanted and then they really would feel like they were on Holiday.

Apparently allot of the wwoofs workers travel around the world doing this, so it sounds a very good thing to get involved with.

Aquaponic Methods

2012-01-15T12:35:00.000-08:00

Three Main Methods of Aquaponics

There are potentially unlimited methods of setting up an aquaponic system. But there are three main ones and those; I am going to focus on here.

Setting up any system, which works and aligns to all of Aquaponics main principals, will give you an Aquaponic System, so there is great scope for inventions here, but for most, this choice of three, should be quite adequate:

Flood and Drain

This method is the most commonly used form, mainly for non commercial or small-scale growers. It is sometimes known as the ‘ebb and flow system’.

You have a pond or reservoir of water and 6-8” (20cm) deep trays of your growing medium, which can be something like aggregate type gravel or expanded clay pebbles, but there are many different things you can use.

Water is pumped up on a timer system for about 15 minutes, four times a day. Flooding the grow trays, but not above the surface area of the growing medium, as this will rot the plants, unless you are growing semi aquatic plants such as Water Cress, in which case you would be advised to flood about 2 inches/5cm above the surface of your medium.

Water drains back into your water reservoir and the system is operational.

Some growers sow sees directly into the medium, but more success is usually achieved by germinating them in conventional seed trays first, washing off the compost from the young plants and then planting them in the medium. The surface can often get a bit too dry for tiny seeds to get established and some tiny seeds, like Lettuce, will just get lost between the bits of medium.

Some growers actually stand pots of medium half buried in the medium of the grow tray. This might be beneficial if the crop you are growing is prone to rotting, such as Courgettes, as it will lift them off the wettest area. But for most stuff; I would dismiss such as an unnecessary extra cost.

Raft

This method is mainly used by big commercial growers.

Usually employing long flat bottomed grow trays, often the whole length of the poly tunnel or green house, with the reservoir of water and fish underneath.

In this system the lower parts of the plant’s roots sit continuously in the water.

Floating rafts of Styrofoam or floating board, cut to fit the trays; floats on the water, as it flows continuously through the system.

The plants are put in pots of medium and sat down in holes in the floating board, so that the lower part of the pot sits in the water.

For this set up; Coconut fibre is a good medium to use as it is buoyant and light weight. Often growers use the kind of pots that are used for growing pond plants, as the roots have more exit points and crops seem to prefer this. Whatever pots you use; they must be plastic and/or light weight and buoyant, as otherwise they would sink and sit on the bottom of the tray, restricting both root growth and the flow of water around the whole grow tray.

This method allows the grower to lift up whole sections to inspect them also to remove or replace individual plants.

NFT

Nutrient Film Technique

Used by large and small scale (back garden) growers.

Basically something like plastic guttering us used and a thin trickle of water goes through it. Plants in pots of light weight medium or blocks of rock-wool cubes are sat in the water and light is prevented from getting to the roots by something like horticultural plastic.

Aquaponics

2012-01-13T15:21:00.000-08:00

Aquaponics explained

Aquaponics is the most efficient and cost effective way of producing food, known to man. And it’s Organic!

Fish feed the plants, eliminating the need to buy plant food. The plants purify the water for the fish, giving you two crop products, instead of one, from the same amount of space.

The only thing which needs to be added is Fish food. So long as the fish food is organic and you don’t use any other chemicals, then your whole venture will be completely organic, producing much higher yields than any conventional farming system, be it organic or not & giving you a very competitive edge, should you decide to turn it into a business.

Aquaponics is quite simply a marriage between Aquaculture (fresh water fish; raising and breeding) and Hydroponics (soil free plant production). It is a far more efficient system, than both of its ‘highly efficient’ parent industries.

Fish and ponds

Fish or some other (preferably edible) fresh water creatures, sit (usually) directly bellow in a pond or tank of water.

The tank/pond water builds up with ammonia and other chemicals, from fish urine and excrement. Left to its own devices this water would eventually become stagnant and the fish would suffer, but the water is sucked up from one end, by small pumps, which transport the water on the beginning of its journey around the aquaponic system.

Gravel

The water is first pumped into the bottom of a container, holding gravel. This filters out big lumps of fish dodo, so that it doesn’t mess up the system further down. But its main purpose is to assist the whole procedure in a micro-biological way;

In nature there is the nitrogen cycle. Our atmosphere consists mostly of this inert element. Our planet has a nitrogen based atmosphere. Plants need Nitrogen to grow and produce the green pigment chlorophyll, found in the chloroplasts of the cells in the leaves and it makes them go green.

The Nitrogen cycle is recreated in miniature, in the aquaponic set-up. In nature nitrogen fixing bacteria live in river banks and on gravel, so having the gravel causes these bacteria to become present. Adding a small quantity of river gravel would probably help to get them there, to begin with, though that is not necessary and will arrive naturally.

The nitrogen fixing bacteria transform the ammonia from the fish urine into usable nitrates, which can be utilised, by the plants in the next stage of the circulatory aquaponic system.

The Plants

Water overflows in a constant gradual flow, out of the gravel holding container and into trays, positioned above the tanks or ponds and fixed at a slight angle, with the water entering it at the slightly higher end.

This water, enriched with nitrogen, then trickles constantly through the roots of the plants, giving the plants the entire range of nutrient they need.

At the ends of the trays, the water, now emptied of nutrients and purified; falls as an artificial waterfall, back into the other end of the pond/tank from whence it came, forming a complete cycle.

Cannabis

2012-01-10T22:25:00.001-08:00

How to grow whatever variety of Ganga Aquaponicly

Skunk and most other species of Marijuana can be grown more efficiently, in an Aquaponic system, than in a Hydroponic one. Increasing the efficiency of your operation and lowering your costs significantly. Whether using grow-lights or not!

About Cannabis Sativum

This plant is a weedy annual, with many variants growing both wild and in cultivation. It has some relatives, with are even woody perennials or small shrubs. The types grown in commercial production are generally hybrids of popular annual varieties such as ‘Skunk’ or ‘Northern Lights’. Cannabis is very sensitive to the hours of daylight and this tells it when to grow and when to flower. In the longer summer days it is triggered to grow fast and to produce lots of ever bigger leaves. But as the days draw in, with the onset of autumn; the plants are triggered to flower.

Growing under lights

Growers using hermetically sealed rooms and artificial sodium lighting can manipulate the hours of light, that the plants have, by placing all the lights on a timer and giving 18 hours light to growing plants, to replicate the summer and 12 hours light to make them think it’s autumn and to make them flower.

Such systems must have fan powered air flow, taking old wet air out and bringing new dry air in. Otherwise the walls will drip and rot with mould and your ceiling will fall in!

Having your ceiling falling on top of your crop and your lights, etc; is allot more worrying than being the only house with no snow on the roof!

Such systems are at risk of light pollution, if any outside light gets in when the lights are off. Just a little bit of light can ruin a whole crop. But you can use a 20 watt green light bulb in your grow-room & that will not effect your plants.

Advantages with using an Aquaponic system

I. There is no need to feed the plants and therefore no need to buy expensive plant food or to visit the grow-shop quite as often.

II. pH is far less of a concern and more natural methods can be employed, like adding chalk to your gravel medium to raise your ph or rusty nails to lower it. The system its self is supposed to regulate the pH its self, but there are a few suggestions if you live in an area, where the water is extremely off to one extreme or the other.

III. The tank need only be changed a few times a year, but even then; not fully. Many Aquaponic growers only change the water between actual crops of fish. This saves time, your water bill and all that expensive grow-shop nutrient feed, which just gets tipped on the vegetable patch or simply thrown away.

IV. So long as you use organic fish food and steer clear of inorganic pesticides, when dealing with Spider-mite, or other pests; then your product is Organic and should therefore fetch a higher price as most organic products do.

V. You get Fish, whether you raise them as food, sell or just keep ornamental ones; they are an extra thing, taking up no extra space or equipment and they will be saving you money.

Legality

Unfortunately this plant is illegal. Even where it grows wild and even where it has been employed by local shaman for millennia.

It really is a crime that this wonderful thought provoking and medicinal plant is kept so unavailable to so many people. But it is. So if you grow it, please remember to be careful and try not to tell anyone who is not directly involved in the operation

Hydro (Hydroponics)

2012-01-10T21:00:00.000-08:00

What is Hydroponic?

Hydroponically grown plants are plants grown without the use of soil. It is instead; the careful creation of a perfect environment, into which the optimum levels of food, light, pH & all that is required, can be easily applied.

Though there are many different methods, the principal is always the same; a plant has simple needs. Provide it with what it needs and it will grow.

Provide it with its perfect needs and conditions and it will grow the very best it possibly can.

Soil simply can’t compete, for growing annuals. It is just so much more difficult to provide those perfect conditions in a traditional soil based medium.

Hydroponics systems

A hydro set up will make life allot easier and increase yields. It has particular advantages, for growing crops under glass, as watering becomes ‘no longer an issue’, as each individual plant is easily rigged up to the system.

Basically a tray of plants sits above a tank of water and this water is pumped up from the tank onto the slightly higher end of the tray and trickles evenly down the tray, guided by the specialised way that the tray had been made to send equal amounts of water to all parts of the tray. The water runs back into the tank and forms a cycle.

Various instruments are required, such as;

A conductivity metre – to measure the nutrient content of the water.
A pH tester to measure the pH level of your tank water.

Needed also;

Plant food
pH upper or downer, depending on what you’re growing and what the pH level of you local water supply is.
A medium – A small blob of something like rock-wool, gravel or coconut fibre, for the plants to hold onto with their roots and to give them stability and support.
A covering of plastic sheeting, to stop any light getting to the roots. Small holes can be cut into this when positioning the plants.

The tank water should be changed about every two weeks, to avoid build up of any harmful chemicals.

NFT (Nutrient Film Technique)

This refers to the thin film of nutrient enriched water, into which the plant roots are growing.

Hydroponics + Aquaculture = Aquaponics

Hydroponic systems have been used for quite some time now and Aquaculture for very much longer. Both are efficient and scientific ways of growing food, but put together, they produce a hybrid system, with is far more efficient, than both its parent industries; Aquaponics.

Hydroponics produces plants, in an efficient system, but one that needs a lot of maintenance, of the conditions in the tank. Also the water needs to be changed at regular intervals, to prevent problems caused by build ups of certain unused chemical based nutrients from the plant food or other contaminant.

Likewise aquaculture gets through allot of water. Ammonia from the fish urine would make the water intolerable for most species of fish, if allowed to build up & stagnate. So fresh water needs to be added continually and often these set ups attach great ponds to natural springs or use river water, as with your average Trout farm.

With Aquaponics the water is purified by the plants and returned to the fish and the fish feed the plants in a complete natural balance and the water in the tanks seldom needs to be completely changed. Saving much time, water and money, whilst allowing diversity and essentially getting much more out of your space.

FISH

2012-01-10T18:48:00.000-08:00

Fish in Aquaponic Systems

Fish tanks attached to a system, designed specifically for growing plants, where Fish food is the sole running cost, except from the constant stream of aerated water that needs to be added to the tanks, which likens the whole setup to a mini natural eco-system.

The fish are essentially an extra commodity, on top of the main product. So it is not essential to make money from them. Many Aquaponic growers use only small ornamental fish, rather than any fish they actually use or sell. The very fact that they are using fish; means that they are;

1. Organic

2. Not having to buy plant food.

3. Not having to change the water.

4. Not having to be as concerned by the pH level, in the tanks and in the system.

So already, by incorporating fish into their system; they have increased their yields and lowered their costs, so significantly. This renders the fish’s necessity as an actual product as irrelevant.

Of course adding fish that you can eat or sell is a sensible thing to do. Both of these are strong markets, this can only increase your overall profits.

Types of Fish

The kind of fish used in an Aquaponic system is important, because the fish can provide the grower with extra food & or money, as well as all the other benefits.

There are two main groups of commercial, fresh water fish: Fish for eating and Ornamental Fish. Both have a market and both fetch a good price:

Commercial fresh water fish would include any river or lake fish, from anywhere in the world, grown to eat or to sell to eat.
Ornamental fish could be kept purely to feed the Aquaponic system and to look pretty, or they could be bread and sold to fish keepers and/or retailers i.e. pet shops.

Fish Tanks & Fish Ponds

An Aquaponic system can be set up indoors or outdoors, depending on what you want to grow.

Fish tanks

So long as the water is circulated properly; Aquaponic systems can be even rigged up to a household fish tank and it will work well for both the house plants and for the fish. Such a set up would probably be best positioned, with the fish tank just below a window and the plant tray sat in full light from the window, so the fish tank would be shaded and wouldn’t become clogged with algae and so the plants above would get the maximum light and photosynthesize at their highest potential.

It is worth noting, however; that some houseplants will scorch if in direct sunlight so the positioning of such a system, as with any plant, grown anyway; is to position them in their own specific optimum quantity of light and to grow them along-side other plants, which enjoy those same light conditions.

Ponds

Any pond which is well stocked with any kind of fish can be rigged up to an Aquaponic system. It could be done from an informal garden pond or from a well organised system, set up in a commercial poly tunnel.

It is all about getting the maximum yield from your space.

Fish Food

Fish food is the only ingredient need to input nutrients into the system.

It is not essential, but I strongly suggest, that anyone doing this uses organic fish food, or even live food, such as worms or insect larvae. Just giving them commercial fish food, would mean that you couldn’t call your self ‘Organic’.

Plant Research

2012-01-08T19:37:00.001-08:00

What types of Plants Shall I grow in my Aquaponic Systems?
As with my choice of Fish; what sort of plants I choose to grow, in my aquaponic systems; will be a multitude of very important decisions, I have to make. so I must think carefully and research my choices as much as I can.

As with my choices of Fish; The ornamental side of the market stands to be able to make much higher profits than crops do, but then crops means 'food' and there is always a guaranteed market for that.

Really, I would like to try as many things as possible and see what works for me and what sells.
A variety of photograph-able material, for the website would be a very sensible thing to have. Especially since I could potentially earn allot more from that, than I could from half a dozen retail outlets.

So far I have decided to try;

Salad Crops, indoor and outdoor (shelved in the poly tunnels).
Tall and caned plants, such as Tomatoes and Aubergines.
Tall tropical and experimental.
Non woody garden plants (outdoors).
Summer Bedding.
House Plants.
Soft Fruit.
Outdoor salad crops.

Fish Reasearch

2011-12-22T19:11:00.001-08:00

Amount of Fish per Aquaponic Pond

There is a set length of Fish you can have, per so much surface area of water. Without going into that too much today; basically you measure your fish, length-wise approximately and you have a certain total length, dependent on how much surface area of water you have.

This is of course to do with how much oxygen is getting into the water, which the fish need to breathe (fish with too little oxygen will gulp air constantly from the surface).

How to increase Oxygen content of water

In nature Oxygen naturally diffuses into water, it is also worth noting that cold water can hold more oxygen than hot.

Increases in Oxygen content of water in nature occur from waves in the sea, or in fast moving parts of rivers. Basically when water is being churned up.

In a fish pond or tank, or in an Aquaponic setup; extra Oxygen can be created by a fish tank aerator, an artificial waterfall or from water pouring off the Aquaponic trays, from some height, into the Aquaponic ponds.

Most Profitable Fish

In the above pictures, there a a selection of fish an one axolotl, for sale in an Exeter pet shop. All for over £15 each ( one type was on sale there for £50 each, all take about a year to grow and all are much smaller than a Trout. So BASIC, small expensive fish = higher potential profits, dependent on markets and current demands.

Some ponds will be for Trout, for sure, but to Begin with; they will be for consumption on site, by me and others living and/or working there.

I think that if I am to make any real money on the fish side, to start with; then small expensive fish, is the way to go.

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Putting a Plan into Action

2011-12-11T16:39:00.001-08:00

In order to get my Aquaponics plan into action, I have to invest heavily.

The only thing of any really value I possess is my house, which is only a cheap prefab, but it will free up enough revenue to buy some land and some poly tunnels.

Unfortunately; I won't have enough money to buy another house, so before I can get permission to plant a static caravan on my own land, I will rent the one in the picture above.

The Caravan is situated right in the middle of the area I want to move to and is no where near anywhere. It has a huge utility building, all amenities and has ready made Chicken Houses, with fox-proof runs.
Perfect for me. Purr-fect for the Cats!

I guess that to get anywhere in life; I have to be prepared to make sacrifices and to take risks.
I will miss my woods on Dartmoor, and my garden, but I will like to be within easy reach of the Sea.

The first part is done now. I have a buyer and I should be out of here and into a brand new era of my life, within two months.

According to my business plan; I should have just enough money to buy 4/5 acres of rough land, get four poly tunnels and everything else I need to start this new business + have just enough money left to pay me and one employee a meeger wage for the first ten months.

I feel a mixture of emotions about leaving Dartmoor, but I know that opportunities like this; may only come along once in a life time. So I must take this chance!

Besides; Aquaponics will change food production, health and productivity for the better and since more people need to eat than they need to make phone calls; Aquaponics could be bigger than the mobile phone.

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Fish in Aquaculture

2011-10-06T16:18:00.000-07:00

I think it is a good thing, to spend time researching the areas of a project, which I know the least about. With me and Aquaponics, that has got to be Fish. So I came here to Milemead Fisheries, which is situated in the tranquil Lumburn valley, close to a small hamlet, called Mill Hill, near Tavistock, in Devon.

The owner very kindly let me wonder about, taking photos, so I promised him in return I would include a link to his website, so here it is:

http://www.milemeadfisheries.com/

It is a really marvelous place. I could sum it up by saying lots of lakes and trees. But trying not to get distracted by the plant life; I endeavoured to learn about how fish is produced in Aquaculture systems, like this one.

Of course Aquaculture systems need to be constantly replenished with fresh water, to stop a build up of ammonia, which is contained in fish urine. A build up of this chemical would be very detrimental to the well-being of the fish. Here; the huge lakes are fed by a sequence of fresh water springs, I was informed. Originally I had assumed it to be fed by the near by river, but this method ensures that no agricultural chemicals will enter this delicate Eco-system.

I was also told that today was a bad day, if I wanted to see any fish coming up, close to the surface, because it was sunny. Fish (I was told) feel more comfortable coming up to the surface in dull or overcast weather, since presumably there would be less chance of predators.

At this fishery; Anglers actually pitch up tents and stay here. There were quite a few tents dotted about, all green and camouflaged. It's like angler heaven here.

Well, seen Aquaculture in action. Learnt quite allot today, but I feel that I still must research this topic allot more, so I can be clear in my mind; what I want to put in my ponds in my Aquaponics venture. If that means visiting more lovely places like this; than I guess that can only be a good thing.

Joe and the Giant Fish

2011-10-06T14:47:00.000-07:00

An Example of just how big Native Fresh Water Fish Can Get:

The fish show here, were not grown in an Aquaponics set up, but caught by my mate Joe, presumably in some North Devon Lake. It just demonstrates how big they can actually get. These fish were all grown in cold water, they would probably have taken years to get this size.
Of course in a pond, in a warm poly tunnel; they are going to grow very much more quickly and by all accounts; they should be able to get just as big as these incredible specimens.

Low in fat and full of Protein; fish is much better for your health, than most other types of meat.

On my trip to see a fishing lake, for myself today; I saw no fish, the owner told me, this was because it was sunny and apparently they like overcast weather, before they feel safe enough to come to the surface. I have noticed that in all Joe's pictures; the weather is gloomy.

I might know allot about plants, but I really know very little about fish, other than pond and fish tank varieties. This certainly is an area, which I must research further and any input from Joe, will be extremely helpful.

Growing Salad Vegetables in Aquaponic Systems

2011-10-05T12:19:00.000-07:00

Green Vegetables

Growing Salad vegetables in an Aquaponic system can be a very profitable crop, because they are very quick and easy to grow, many taking only a month from germination to cropping; in the heat of a poly tunnel or green house and because they don't grow very tall; they can be grown on shelves, which utilizes the available space to it's maximum.

There are a huge variety of green vegetables to choose from, which are often difficult to grow out side and are hard to find, particularly any which have been grown organically, like these will be.

Choices of green vegetables to grow would include tropical and Chinese Vegetables. These fetch a high price and are growing in popularity, so they are a good thing to be getting into.

Any good seed catalogue always have a very good choice of these exotic salad vegetables.

Exotic vegetables can be very tricky to grow in a traditional vegetable garden, in soil, largely due to the temperature and them not being able to with stand slug attacks, as our traditional vegetables can.

But in the perfect environment, provided with an Aquaponic system, as you can see; all appear to do very well indeed.

Growing Weed

2011-10-05T11:23:00.000-07:00

Ganga

In the future Hydro & Aquaponic systems will be used mostly for growing food, mainly green vegetables and fresh water fish. But currently these systems, particularly Hydroponics; are mostly used for growing Cannabis, for sale on the black market.

Of course, if I am to be selling Aquaponic products, then I must realise that ganga growers, who are currently using Hydroponic systems are potentially my biggest group of customers, so long as I can convince them that Aquaponics has far greater advantages for them and would increase their profits allot + do the same for reducing waste and cost. I do not plan to grow weed as a commercial crop my self though.

It is perfectly legal to sell equipment used to grow these plants. It's even legal to sell the seeds. The law in this country is very draconian & strange.

Grow Lights

The two pictures above show weed being grown under artificial lighting, which costs a fortune in electricity, but weed-growers have to hide what they are doing because it's prohibited. Also, because of Prohibition; the price is high enough to justify all that extra cost. The result of course is allot of electricity usage, which would not be necessary if the plant was legal.

Below is a picture of out door skunk. A more hardy faster flowering variety, which can be grown out side in cooler climates.

Cannabis is a light sensitive plant. It's life cycle is triggered by hours of daylight per day; this is another reason why growers use lights; so they can do a number of crops per year, rather than just the one.

Other commercial growers use artificial sodium lighting for many other crops, including cut flowers, such as Chrysanthemums, usually just to extend the daylight hours in greenhouses during the winter.

Cannabis likes 18 hours of light to grow and 12 hours of light to flower. It is triggered to flower in the Autumn, which is fine in warmer parts of the world, but here, in the UK; Autumn means frost and the subsequent death of any unprotected plants outside and subsequent loss of the crop.

Fish

2011-10-05T10:32:00.000-07:00

What kind of Fish to choose

It is proving to be quite a difficult decision to make; deciding what type/s of fresh water fish or other creatures to have in my Aquaponic System.

To the right is a picture of some Catfish. Many fresh water species of Catfish exist, lots of them are tropical. They fetch quite a good price, I believe.

The chip shop in the near-by village of Horrabridge sells battered Catfish, from Vietnam, and have been doing so for years. They seem to sell well. I think organically grown ones, from an Aquaponics system, produced locally, in the UK, would be better for them though.

My choices are:

Tropical Fish

There are two possible markets here; tropical ornamental fish, which I could breed and sell to pet shops or Tropical river or lake fish, meant for the table.

Just a quick peep in a freezer compartment in any Bangladeshi shop, will give you many wonderful examples of what I mean, by tropical table fish. You see; because Bangladesh is a mostly flat country, if you want a pond, all you have to do is to dig a hole. The water table is high and Little else needs to be done. The result of this is that Bangladeshis eat allot of fresh water fish. It must cost them quite a bit to import these fish, frozen, all the way from South Asia, so perhaps they'd like to buy them fresh and organic, from me instead.

Ornamental Fish

I am thinking here; mainly things like Goldfish and Koi carp. Again with pet shops being possibly my main buyers, or I could sell them directly to the public. They are fairly easy to breed. I have bread them before and there is a huge market for them here in the UK.

River Fish

Here; I am thinking Trout and Carp, something like that. Always popular and usually very expensive and out of the price range for most people. Aquaponics will change all that.

There are also many other species of river fish from all over the world. The effect warm water has on a cold blooded creature, is to make it grow much faster, making me even more competitive with traditional Trout farms, etc.

Other kinds of fresh water creatures

Here, I am thinking along the lines of fresh water Prawns and Cray- fish, maybe even Eels, who knows. I have seen lots of videos on you tube, with such systems successfully put in place.

***

What ever I choose, I would appear to have a very competitive edge on any market I entered into.

Each poly tunnel should have at least two massive ponds, each running the whole length of the tunnels. So perhaps I will try a few different things. I certainly prefer the idea of having edible fish better, but I think I would like to have a variety of different species to try.

Tomatoes all year round

2011-09-29T16:27:00.000-07:00

Just think; how great it will be, when the Aquaponics is all set up; fresh Tomatoes, like these, all year round.

Such plants are limited greatly, by traditional growing methods, not least of which; from the inconvenient arrival of seasons and dwindling daylight hours, but with a few tweaks and changes to the environment, in which the Aquaponic units are contained; and all runs continuously and needs little assistance.

Speaking of 'Assistance'; I wonder if Tris has finished looking at my bike yet?

The Benefits of Aquaponics

2011-09-28T03:23:00.000-07:00

Farming for the Future

The benefits Aquaponics has over any other form of Agriculture, yet known to mankind; are astonishing:

Cheaper to produce!
Much higher yields!
Much lower waste!
It's all year round!
Much less strain on resources!
Much more efficient, all round!
It's ORGANIC!
You get fresh organic fish to eat as well!

To actually be able to produce not only organic food, but unusual food as well; at far less cost than currently endured by a conventional farmer, with chemical soaked fields.

It will be a food revolution, some say food will be grown on the rooftops of our towns and cities and food will again one day be affordable and plentiful for all.

Aquaponics is of course also the most likely way food will be grown in space.

Hydroponic Systems

2011-09-28T02:33:00.000-07:00

Getting in the Right Mind-Set

Starting out with something new is always very challenging, and getting in the right frame of mind; is the most important thing, by far; to get sorted before I start.
Something complex and new to me like Aquaponics will undoubtedly be laced with hidden obstacles and things which are difficult to get my head around. So I must take notes of my strong and weak areas, regarding this new subject and constantly improve or make allowances for my weaker areas, i.e. DIY.

Drawing on Past Experience

My experience with vegetable growing, Hydroponics and keeping and breeding both aquarium and pond fish, should be a big bonus for me. I do also feel confident and quietly excited about my new venture and all that it will, I hope; entail.

I wish to try many different things in Aquaponic systems, I have many ideas, but I don't wish to share them just yet.

Today I am getting the Hosting for the website and that side of the business, can begin to grow. the actual physical side might take a little bit longer to get together, but we shall see.
I have lots of obstacles to cross, before I can get from where I am now, to where I want to be. But I can just about see a clear path there, and that has got to be a first for me.

Aquaculture + Hydroponics = Aquaponics

2011-09-22T15:07:00.000-07:00

Combining Systems

Aquaponics is a convenient marriage between Hydroponics and Aquaculture; the hybrid industry far more efficient, than either parent.

You have Hydroponics, used for growing plants without soil in a perfect cultured environment and then Aquaculture, growing fish. Both have to change their water every so often, as certain contaminants, such as ammonia build up in the system and makes the system less productive.

Aquaponics creates a circulation from fish to plant, plant to fish.

Only after a big mistake or in case of disease would you need to change the water, with an aquaponic system. The fish put nutrients into the water, the nitrogen fixing bacteria in the gravel (or whatever medium) change the ammonia , from fish urine into nitrogen, the plants eat the nitrogen and other nutrients and in turn return clean water to the fish.

By allowing the water to fall, back into the pond, it aerates the water and allows you to keep far more fish in your pond.

All you need to put in it once it's set up is fish food. Aquaponic systems are super efficient, and organic. You can produce masses of food in virtually no space at all, and with few of the usual problems faced with more traditional gardening methods.