Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

We've been operating our aquaponics farm for over a year now. We built the farm on the UVI (University of the Virgin Islands) model after Tim took a course there in 2007. We made numerous improvements to the energy efficiency and system design that let us build the systems (we have 3 commercial-sized systems) for less than half what the UVi systems cost. Our electrical cost is also half what the UVI systems use, after we redesigned the blower installation and air distribution system to be more efficient.

We got USDA Organic Certification in June of 2008, and are currently growing an organic lettuce mix, green onions, chives, oriental stir-fry varieties (mustard cabbages), tomatoes, and taro (a Hawaiian root and leaf crop) in our systems. We have blue tilapia (oreochromis aureus) and a white tilapia with pinkish fins we think is a cross of niloticus and mossambicus. We also are polyculturing macrobrachium rosenbergii, or Malaysian Tiger Prawns; they're growing in our hydroponics troughs under the rafts quite successfully.

We've been really motivated to figure out how to do things better, because we earn our living from the farm; if it fails, we lose the whole thing. Because of this, we've worked hard the last year to figure out better and more economical ways to do things. A big part of our farm's operation is to pass on everything we know as quickly and as economically as possible to those who would benefit by knowing it. To accomplish this, we offer regular trainings in aquaponics operation and construction in Hawaii. See our website at http://www.friendlyaquaponics.com. Please visit and share your aquaponics stories with us.

Hi there. Just curious about the fish feed you are using because I'd heard that was a big stumbling block in the organic certification was getting organic fish feed.

Welcome Tim and Susanne!

You had me at Hawaii.

That's interesting about the prawns, that's a great use of space that is almost wasted otherwise.

I'm not certain where this reply will show up, and I had two questions, so here goes: we are using a standard Rangen 3 mm floating catfish food, NOT organic. This has gone up from 37 cents a lb in the last year to 75 cents/lb that we currently pay. This motivated us to do research on duckweed and alternate feeds. As a result, we are culturing four different kinds of duckweed now and working with nutrient levels in the duckweed nutrient solution to see which duckweed the fish like best and has the highest protein level.

For organic certification, the certification agencies will allow you to use a non-organic input in your systems, as long as an organic one is not available and the input does not violate any of the OMRI guidelines regarding pesticides, chemicals, herbicides, and hormones. As soon as an organic input is available, you have to use that to keep your certification. It's the egg or chicken question.

Longer-term we are planning to build a small fish-food manufacturing facility. My husband Tim is a welder and machinist and can make almost anything. We have a local source for low-cost (read we pick it up for free) beef slaughterhouse waste, banana waste, and brewery waste that we can formulate a pretty complete fish food with. This is as soon as we have $50,000 to spare to build the plant. We figure we can make 2,000 lbs of fish food per week at a cost of 35 cents/lb, sell it for 50 cents/lb, employ a couple of people, and save the local aquaculturists 25 cents/lb on fish food. So we're looking for an investor until the time we have the funds ourselves to put this plant together.

We threw 300 macrobrachium rosenbergii PL's (post-larvae- little 1" long prawns) into the hydroponic troughs under the styrofoam rafts about four months ago. A month ago we were harvesting prawns out that were size 3-5 (means there are three to five prawns in a pound; these are big buggers). We didn't feed them anything; they eat the detritus in the bottoms of the troughs: dead mosquito fish, plant roots that fell off, and general system crud. Our estimate now is that we are getting 3 harvests per year of these prawns, at about 40 lbs per harvest. We pay $25 for 300 PL's (one system complete stocking), and get $10-12/lb for the prawns here in Hawaii, so the yearly gross from one system is around $1,100-1,300. I tried unsuccessfully to paste an image of the prawns into here, but you can go to http://www.friendlyaquaponics.com/whatwegrow.html to see one.

I've been interested in those prawns but I don't think a private citizen can buy those for stocking in a backyard system here in Florida.

So how many square feet of trough is in one of those systems that you stock with 300 post larval prawns? How deep are your troughs?

Very neat. Do you have to make hides for the prawns - i.e. do they fight it out for territory or is there enough space that they can sort themselves out peacefully?

Just been listening to your interview on JengaJam... In light of your desires and aims... you most certainly have to come to the right place...

Here you'll find a huge array of simple low cost aquaponics food production systems ... many based on recycled components...

Many of them much simpler and cheaper to build, operate and maintain than the floating raft technologies ala UVI....

Please take the time to read through this forum... with an open mind... I think you'll be amazed at just how far aquaponics has come and gone beyond that of just the UVI model...

I'm somewaht amazed though by your comments regarding the "relatively" small number of people involved in aquaponics... even on a commercial scale...

There are many... not the least some of the pioneers such as the Seperanos of S&S Aqua... and Travis Hugey and his FAST oprganisation... numerous NGO systems such as Morningstar Fishermen

I'm glad you've arrived at the concept of aquaponics, are enthused and envigorated... but your knowledge appears confined to that of your UVI experience...

And aquaponics is neither new or as "select" as you appear to think.... and this forum is one of the best Aquaponic forums and repositories of aquaponics knowledge available... free... enjoy...

thanks for pointing this out to me, Rupert
here is a link to it:
http://recordings.talkshoe.com/TC-6478/TS-152192.mp3

Susanne and Tim,
please let me first apologize to you
just like some other members here, I was a bit taken aback by the avalanche of publicity drawing attention to your website
we have seen others who were only interested in selling manuals (mostly concocted from information they themselves assembled for free from the Internet) and consulting
so I admit that some of my questions posed on the threads you started held some kind of testing
though on the other hand my questions (and I'm sure those of others) are posted out of a real interest in knowing the answers
so please take them seriously

after listening to (part of) the interview I am now convinced that you two are real AP enthusiasts who want to spread the word
just like most of us do

so I apologize

just a tip: describe your system more in detail on your website, just like you do in the interview
it will enhance your credibility
as I went looking for a description and found very little

where economic feasibility is concerned, I think you must realize that you are in an very favorable position from two points of view:
first vegetables are apparently very expensive on the islands
second you have a climate that allows you to grow vegetables without concerns about temperature.
In more moderate climates, we need greenhouses and extra heating.
that gives a whole different financial picture.

I very much like your attempts to simplification.

and (much to the hilarity of some members here )
I truly am interested in your wind driven aeration device.

anyway, keep posting please
I am more and more interested

Frank

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Have fun with the ride