Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hello all,

I've been creeping on these forums for a while and figured it was high time I registered and made an introduction.

I graduated from LSU a few years back (GEAUX TIGERS!) and have since been on a country/state hopping adventure to find the sweeter things in life.

I'm currently stationed in Bahrain (small island off the coast of Saudi Arabia) but will be returning home (Louisiana) in a couple months. What comes then is anyone's guess, but my military career is ending so it'll be time to look for something new (a very welcomed change).

I've been well intrigued by aquaponics for some time and have been doing quite a bit of research on different methods. The people on this forum (namely you) have been a wealth of information and I just wanted to say Kudos to the creators and their community.

From what I can see, I would love to make a run at creating a viable business from aquaponics, but, as the lively and continued debate rages, very few seem to believe it can be done. I haven't made my mind up yet, but I have seen a plethora of companies claiming success and claiming even larger still that they can sell you that very same success. I'm smart enough to realize no one can sell you success, that part of any equation is earned, so pardon the pun, but most of these ventures smell fishy.

On the other hand, I've come to think the science behind this method is sound, and with the right size system, the properly researched market, and the proficiency of a well versed business background, someone could make a truly honest go at it. From what I can tell, the money is in the plants; healthy, good-looking, organic food plants. And not just lettuce; herbs, vegetables, and maybe even rare delicacies (truffles is a really interesting concept). The key is finding a way to minimize the amount of fish in a system, and a few people are introducing other species (mosquito fish, gammarus, etc.) into their ecosystems to do just that. But, what am I saying, you guys already know all of this, and I'm just getting ahead of myself.

Thanks once again for creating a civil and intelligent environment where people can share ideas and trials about something they love. I look forward to virtually meeting many of you and with you all the best in your current and future endeavors!

Peace,
Chase

Welcome. Hi there from your neighbor in Texas... Glad to hear you'll be home soon. I'm a newbie. Don't have a system in yet. I'm currently in planning stage. There are lots of great people on this forum.. Several in the south so you'll be able to get great regional info as well as general info too. Look forward to virtually seeing you around..

Thanks for the response Tambra.

I grew up for a good portion of my life in Corpus Christi, Tx. I consider Louisiana home, but Tejas is a close second. Would love to check out what you've got planned so far; I'll take a gander at your previous posts. I've been learning so much through other people's trials and errors. Learning from your own mistakes is important, but if you can learn from another persons, well that's just shy of cheating haha.

People achieve greatness by standing on the shoulders of giants. Who knows how long it took traditional agriculture to be as commercial a it is. I would posit to say, at least 10,000 years. Only in the last 100 years or so did our population depend on so few people to supply our food. If you would go back 200 years it would probably be said that one person could probably tend about one acre of crops, but now one person can handle 400. So it is only a matter of time before all of he kinks are worked out. Automaton was the key to our present agriculture success(?). So I would imagine that is where we would have to go to get commercial systems up and running. I'm not sure that there are not any commercial systems out there that run on their own. They just are too busy running that they don't talk about it. Or they are used to grow a crop that they don't want to talk about...

Pleasure to meet you and glad to have your thoughts...

I don't disagree, but I would say "efficiency," rather than automation, is probably the overall umbrella of agricultural progress. Automation would, of course, be a huge part of that...

With efficiency comes potential negatives too though (fertilizers, bad soil management, etc. etc.). Like everything else in life, I suppose it's a balance. Where do efficiency, a quality/healthy product, and the bottom line all meet? That, my friend, is a challenging question.

Welcome I hope you return safely and lookward to your ideas. Always good to do a drawing of your proposed system and run it by the members. This will help with any problems first up and save you time and money with your system. Cheers

Thanks Bear and I appreciate the well-wishing's.

I will definitely do a drawing when I get closer to the design stages of a system. I'll take pictures too, people around here seem to LOVE pictures haha.

Right now I'm still in the research and planning phase. I want to understand the science behind it before I dive into anything. Hopefully this will help me create a more efficient system. I'm starting from the ground up, so things like the Nitrogen Cycle, Mineralization, Nutrient Profiles of Different Plants, Fluid Dynamics, Fish Development, Temperature Management etc. etc. are very important to me. This is why I think I'm getting the aquaponics bug so much, it's a conglomeration of so many interesting systems working together that it seems there's always something to learn! It's fascinating to me...

Anyway, on that note, if you have any helpful resources to get me started (empirical studies, plant nutrient needs, fluid formulas for pumps) I'm always open to suggestions. I've found quite a bit on my own, but it never hurts to ask those who have been there before which resources really helped them.

Thanks again!

Welcome ya ornery craw dad!

O' no Ryan! And here I was looking through your posts thinking you were going to be my aquaponics idol. Then, for no good reason, you've got to go and call a crawfish a "craw-dad." I'll never understand you non south east Louisiana folks haha...

But, on a better note, you're stuff is absolutely phenomenal Ryan. Love the variety of vegetation/fruits, attention to data, and willingness to share what you've learned. It's quite impressive and obvious that people like yourself are a dime a dozen. Keep doing what you love brother and I'm sure you'll be fielding a few of my questions soon. Much respect!

It might sound awkward... but I love your melons. What you've reported about their sweetness levels is incredible. That's the good stuff right there; that's the potential of aquaponics.

Thanks for the hello!

Welcome, from a native Louisiana person (living in Texas now) and a former Army guy, I hope you make it home fast and safe.

I am planning a small commercial operation, not looking to make a full living off it, but hoping to have it pay for itself and maybe put a little cash in my pocket. If that does not work, then that is fine also. Been working on it for a year now and still a long ways from being finished. I am doing it all without going into debt so it is taking a lot longer that way.

Lmao! But the "crawdaddy shuffle" just wouldn't sound as cool!!!!
Thx Cbrum, glad you like my no BS approach

I don't get a lot of free time to come on here but I'll try to stop in here from time to time. Need anything specific shoot me a pm! Be safe over there bud!