Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I have a question which I am sure somebody knows. Where and how did aquaponics start?

Where I am at people love my system and it is fun to see people get excited about aquaponics. but some are thinking I started it, no matter how much I deny it. A quick google search shows many many many before me. Maybe since i am the first they saw they assume I invited it. aghhhhhhh But who was the first guy to put fish with plants like we do? Is there a creditable page up on this? I want to give credit where credit is due.

Perhaps start with this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquaponics

Probably with the Aztecs... but hey you can claim to be the first.. nearly everyone does...

The "wiki" seems to change periodically...

And they left out people like The Speranos... and Nelson & Pade...

And put a lot of emphasis on recent American people... while totally ignoring the development of aquaponics in Australia for the 5 years prior to most of those systems...

I think Joel was the first one to make backyard kit systems?

You could always make updates to Wikipedia yourself Rupe...

Did a couple of times... they just get edited/removed/reversed...

I would give a fair bit of credit to the New Alchemy Institute especially in the early days; it was the first time I had seen the concept of hydro and aquaculture pulled together.

Thanks, I am not comfortable claiming that i have done anything new. wiki, is often off and I have found it can't be used as a solid reference on other subjects sounds like aquaponics on wiki is the same.

Why not? I am claiming that I brought back the handlebar mustache... It is new to anyone born after Rolly Fingers retired from baseball.

On another note, I have a theory that the hanging gardens of Babylon was a giant aquaponic system. It probably won't hold up to any real scientific scrutiny, but it is a fun theory anyway. I suppose that because it has not gone through the scientific method yet, it could only be considered a hypothesis. Heck I don't even know if the proper grammar is a hypothesis or an hypothesis. Neither feel right. Then again the plural for hippopotamus is hippopotamuses, even though hippopotami feels more correct. Alright, everyone just ignore the pirate...

If one is a believer God was the first, we are just making smaller model copies

The Chinese apparently used koi fish in their rice fields thousands of years ago. So I'd say the inventor is either the Aztecs, Chinese or Babylonians.

Today, most Chinese rice fields are so full of pesticides that no fish would survive there.

This doc http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/Travis/aquaponic.pdf gives a fair info/history -lesson, and cred/ref, on "modern" aquaponics IMO

cheers