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gregw
10-07-2011, 04:18 AM
In one of the opening pages of DIY Aquaponics they describe a potential commercial facility this way:

"A commercial aquaponic system utilizing maximum floor space and a strict, balanced diet for the fish are the mark of a successful system. Such system can produce an extremely high numbers of final food stuffs. For example, a greenhouse approximately 37 feet wide by 100 feet long (3700 sq. ft.) can house an aquaponic system capable of producing 50 to 60 thousand heads of premium lettuce and approximately 11,000 pounds of fresh Tilapia per year. An aquaponic system of this size can be a rewarding and profitable business and could be operated successfully by a small number of persons or a family."

Is anyone on this board operating such a facility or know of a working model simular to this? This sounds like something I would like to do, but I need to see one in current operation first.

Thanks, Greg

davidstcldfl
10-07-2011, 05:37 AM
Hi Gregw, 'Sorry'...some how, I missed 'welcoming you' to the forum... :D

If your interested in commercial....check out 'Freindly's aquaponics' in HI. Also 'Green Acres Organics' in Brooksville FL.
They both are 'succesful'...they do have manuals for self-study, and they have classes too. Great tax write off, for your new buisnes... :D

Friendly's will tell you, they make most of their money from the veggies. Yes, they sell their fish, and even raise freshwater prawns, but the veggies are where the money is.

The ladies (Gina and Tonya) running Green acres, went to Friendly's classes in HI. They used what they learned, and built a very nice system. Thery are doing so well, they are doubling their system.

keith_r
10-07-2011, 05:42 AM
"where the money is" is going to depend on where you are... friendlies is in HI, all kinds of fresh seafood available..
tilapia is really cheap around here in ohio (3.99/lb) and is to costly to grow in our climate because of heating.. yellow perch on the other hand, sells for 14.99/lb regularly..
each "commercial" operation has to find it's own market..
on "another" forum, i've been following the documentation of a commercial build in minnesota
nelson and pade have done some stuff in the states, but info is kind of hard to find

gregw
10-07-2011, 06:26 AM
Thanks for the replies. I'm in Louisville Ky. I have an acre of ground to build on and hope to be able to earn a suplimental income from a seasonal greenhouse system. I was hoping to grow rainbow trout in an open well system (not sure if that's the right term) where I use cool well water into the trout tanks, the water goes through a typical trough sysem and finally outdoors to irrigate a traditional in ground garden. No loop. I will smoke and cure the trout in various ways for direct sale through the internet and local restaurants. (Veggies the same way) I have no idea if this is feasible, but I have till next summer to do the reasearch. I'm building a house on the adjacent acre right now, also a DIY project. Looks like a road trip is in order for reasearch.

dataman19
11-19-2011, 01:36 AM
Maybe catfish would be more marketable in Kentucky..
Not too many restaurants sell fried tilapis, and everyone likes fried catfish in the south....
...
Just my take (I was born in California, Raised in Tennessee and lived in Europe).
Tilapia seems to be the aquaponics choice (because it likes warm water, just like the plants in the green house like it "not cold").
..
But you don't have to keep the fish tanks in the same greenhouse as the grow beds. In fact, you can keep the fish tanks in the basement (for trout and maybe catfish you would need a skylight for some daylight - I used Solar Tubes. Got them at a bankruptcy liquidation auction, bought 24 for $150.00. Really cheap).
..
You can buy mirror foil/plastic and roll your own semi perfect solar tube, just use a plexiglass bubble/skylight for the top and a cut to size fluorescent lamp diffused for the bottom lense. You will be simply amazed how well it will work.

foodchain
11-20-2011, 08:08 AM
I have had the best success with trout in raceways. Pond trout don't taste right, and they don't like the warm water. Faster moving cool water makes them happy. Yellow Perch would be a strong choice, but by commercial standards are slow growing. Catfish demand is steady but supply is down, as the catfish farmers in the south are draining tanks and planting corn, for biodeisel as the margins are higher. Don't take my word for it, next time your at the market, flip the packages over and see where your frozen fish come from. Even 'catfish' is often not the US channel, but an Asain catfish that lives in the rivers...I think it's called Swai....but I don't have that book handy and would have to double check.
Commercial aquaculture can't compete with the imports...this is true whether you are talking prawns, tilapia, or catfish...whatever. That's why you are seeing fewer processing plants, and even fewer large operations. Most fish farms are growing fingerlings for stocking, etc. Not commercial consumption. The margins are just not high enough to do JUST the aquaculture side for MOST people. Too biggest challanges are feed/labor. If this is just you, the labor still costs. What's your time worth? I struggled with this for a long time. For me, it's a hobby I enjoy. Sometimes I make money....sometimes I break even...but mostly like any other hobby, I lose money at it. But my families quality of life is improved, our food quaility is 'purer', and we are happier. Best advice I can give, start small. It's lower capital invovled, and a mistake with 1,000 gallons is cheaper and easier to fix than 20K gallons. Let's get some other input on this though. There's a lot of people here with different points of veiw. I have done some research on the most effecient green houses out there. The info I have favors the geodesic domes which are an easy DIY project when I look it over, I have yet to build one of those though. Good luck.