Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi guys/girls i have a very broad question i hope you can help me with . I have just moved into my new house which has a 1 acre rear garden with a 5000 gallon pond and 3 large garages .i have little need for so much space
and would like to start a small business i am not expecting any get rich quick schemes but would like advice on how to start . i do not currently work and so have a lot of time to spend .
I have looked into a few possible streams of income including small scale trout farming .
setting up a large herb garden .
breeding and selling koi carp
and many other ideas which frankly i have little knowledge of .
I would like to breed talapia as a food source and use the water to grow my veg but my girlfriend and children assure me they would not eat the fish and veg . Any ideas are welcome guys .and sorry my question isnt very clear

Welcome to the forum,

You might want to check into the feasibility of making enough for this to be worthwhile. There are a couple of members who have some experience in the UK doing this sort of thing and hopefully they'll be able to offer up some advice, business wise.

As far as your girlfriend and kids are concerned, do you like them a lot .

All kidding aside, ask them what their objections are. Keep in mind that they may be trying to tell you they don't want to be a part of this and would rather you weren't doing it, without hurting your feelings. Find out if it's just the method they object to and why it bothers them. It could also be they don't think it will work as a business. Maybe they've got some ideas of their own. Whatever the case, give careful consideration before you reply.

It's much easier to run a business with the support of your family than without.

Hope this helps,

Cheers

Like anyone with ambitions of business or commercial dreams in AP, Id highly recommend starting with something small to see how it all works, monitor your inputs including feed, fish and electricity and then make the call from there. No one will come close to giving you enough information on running a business from AP.

I don't see how they can object to eating what you grow. It' the freshest, most carefully grown food you'll ever eat!

Turning it into a business is tough. Even a small commercial system can be expensive. You save a lot of money if you design and build your own system, but it will cost you a lot of thinking/research and a ton of sweat.

Rent out two of the garages to people who want to restore their old cars (they are usually pleasant).
Try the herb garden and see how you go (local market).
Chuck a few Koi and goldies in the pond and feed them infrequently.

BTW nice sized pond

Hi
I think in your position I would put some gold fish into the pond. See if that interests the children. Then I would put up a poly tunnel. Leave some space in it for the children to play on wet days. Grow some veg. Especially the ones, the lady of the house likes.
When I knew Wolverhampton there was a large ethnic community. Fresh locally produced Asian veg probably has a niche. Google Citizen Peng
Do some research. Read up on aquaponics. Possibly build an RFF filter ( plans on this website) Use the waste to improve fertilization in the poly tunnel.
At worst the kids have somewhere to play. At best a whole new world for them and you.