Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Started this thread to give advice on what texts to get but to also ask and receive advice.

By general consensus the first is:

http://www.amazon.com/Recirculating-Aqu ... quaculture

but this one is also good and has more information on facility or farm planning and design rather than system.

http://www.amazon.com/Aquaculture-Engin ... quaculture

When I was looking up the links I saw this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Freshwater-Aquacu ... quaculture

It looks like a reprint of an older book. Has anyone read it? It interested me because I would like some more specific information on the culture of individual fish species. Timmons and Lekang both have info on a small range of fish species but it is spread through the text and is a little general. I'd like to find a book on trout, salmon, Baramundi, Tilapia, Catfish etc.

I would not recommend this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Hydroponic-Lettuc ... ydroponics

It was like reading google in hardcopy. Lots of general information which I knew and was very good at identifying all the things I needed/wanted to know but didn't actually tell me.

I have come across an interesting price disparity between a couple of books that could quite easily be confused for being the same:

Recirculating Aquaculture, 2nd Edition [Hardcover] – February 18, 2007
by M.B. Timmons and J.M. Ebeling (Author)

Amazon price: from $199.95 (used)

Recirculating Aquaculture Systems, 2nd Edition [Hardcover] - 2002
M. B. Timmons (Author), J. M. Ebeling (Author), F. W. Wheaton (Author), S. T. Summerfelt (Author), B. J. Vinci (Author)

Amazon price: I had this book in my shopping cart for a few months and have been notified that it has increased from $2,433.98 to $19,191.01

That's right - $19,191.01

PLJ that's one too look for at your local library

Its good but not that good.

The price might be the result of a loop that can occur in pricing bots (automated pricing program's).
What can sometimes happen is:
Seller1 has the book in stock, sets an initial price, but tells their pricing bot to adjust the price to 98% of the average price of the other sellers. Seller2 doesn't have the book in stock but lists it anyway with the assumption that they can buy it from another seller if they get an order. Therefore Seller2 tells their pricing bot to set the price at 120% of the average price of the other sellers. This will all work fine, unless...it's a rare book (or very poorly stocked by sellers) and Sellers 1 and 2 are the only sellers listing the book. In that case the average that Seller2's bot is working with is the price listed by Seller1, and the average that Seller1's bot is working with is the price listed by Seller2. You can see what happens here. The bot combination ratchets up the price in successive rounds and the listed price gets silly. Sometimes this is picked up by the sellers, sometimes a potential customer reports it, sometimes the provider of the online marketplace has an automated circuitbreaker program that will report it or intervene.
Not saying this is what has happened in this case, but it is the most common cause of crazy online book prices.

Thanks, Tallman, your explanation makes good sense.

I don't like my chances at the local library - $19K would be more than the value of its total collection - but might give it a go, anyway.

I just got the recirculating aquaculture book for Xmas, and it's great.

Don't buy it from amazon. Cornell has links to buy It for $124+sh direc, or for $249 they have the "Recirculating Aquaculture Short Course - Long Distance version". Comes with the book, course notes, and easy access to the professors.

Check it out at fish.bee.cornell.edu

Sounds better than driving to Ithaca...

I can now offer a recommendation on this book. Don't get it. Very old information and not very useful for AP.

Unfortunately many books today are a rewritten copy or a collate of many books previously released.
New information is rare and extremely expensive, mostly available for professionals and Uni's graduate.

I realize this is slightly off topic but...

Normal people can access most of the information if they have a University library nearby. They don't put bars on the doors so you have to be willing to walk in the University Library door and figure out how to search for the books and journals that contain the information. You have to be willing to sit there and read it if you can't get a library card to check out the items. It also helps if you have some science background. Some of the information of course isn't published and that's where you have troubles getting it and may have to pay.

Research databases are also available via computer and many libraries have subscriptions to use these databases.

Certainly a good point for those who claim they want to build commercial systems but apparently can not afford a reasonable library of text books and references.

I got the book most recently in question from my local library via an inter library loan from the University of Newcastle. Cost me $2.

If I had though it a good book I would have bought my own copy but very glad I didn't and checked it out form the library instead.

Investing time in practical experience worth more than any book.

We have been cultivating crops and farmed animal for something like 10.000 year......how many of those expensive books got human civilisations this far?

Knowledge and education should be free, ready available and for anyone.

IMO The educational system should be reviewed.