OK 15mules, somehow I missed your first post, however you have the answers to a successful commercial Aquaponics operation:-

state University studies (Arkansas) rates aquaculture as a risky business proposal. They rate AP as an unproven business model. They rate Tilapia as a low profit fish market.
AP is an unproven business model and I would say mainly because the people with the knowledge to accomplish it don't have the means $$$$$.$$ to put it into operation.

Also Tilapia are a low profit fish market. That is a complete fact. As long as China is the world's largest producer of Tilapia and as long as America allows them to ship their product (Tilapia Fillets) to our shores, no one in America will ever be able to compete with them.

I have had several different small businesses over the years and the same laws govern them all.
You and me both. In fact just like you now, I use to be a licensed firearms dealer back in the 70s LONE PINE SPORTING GOODS
Additionally, I got my first merit badge in the Boy Scouts at the age of 10. It was in leather works and I still do leather today. I have created about everything you could do with leather from shoes, purses to a full blown roping saddle with no pattern.

I have started and successfully run more than one business in the past, but when the real estate bust came, like so many, I didn't see the writing on the wall, I lost everything. Now I have no way of rebounding until I can find a vehicle (business not auto) to get me healthy again.

Do you have a market for the service you are offering?
You can jump out and start a commercial system raising whatever, tomatoes, eggplants...makes no difference. If you don't have a market for your product, you'll be feeding it to the BSF to keep it from stinking up your yard.

What is the actual cost of the service of are offering?
In getting started, you must know what it's going to cost and most of all when you build, don't build with a small operation in mind. All construction plans should be geared toward easily adding to, building on, expanding with little to no interruption of your operation. Never build a "TEST COMMERCIAL SYSTEM". A test system mean you are possibly expecting a failure and therefore, you are only going to test it.

Know your "Sh*t" and get your ducks in a row and start off with success in mind or go home.

Will your client pay enough for your service to leave a profit?
Here again we go back to marketing. This is an item you need to establish in the beginning, not after you've raised a 1,000 bushels of tomatoes etc before you decide on how much you will need to charge to make a profit and OH yes, will the market pay the price?

Remember, if your are raising food stuffs to sell to the public either directly or indirectly through grocery stores, there will be tons of red tape, hoops to jump through and continuous irritating government inspections to put up with done by people who would just as soon you would fail so they wouldn't have to actually work for their money.

Now, can it be done. The answer is quite simply "YES". When will it be done, like Atlas said, "Give me a place to stand and I can lift the world" or something like that.

In other words, give me the cash and I can show you how it's done.

Aquaponics isn't rocket science. It's the marketing of the product that is where the actual work comes in. Convincing the world that Aquaponically grown fish & veggies, raised "FREE OF ALL CHEMICALS" is far more healthy and better for you and your loved ones than organic or any other form of food farming.

Name recognition is the key:- XEROX (no longer in business but people still make Xerox copies), IBM, FORD, CHEVROLET.

Develop a Brand and promote your BRAND and "CHEMICAL FREE" grown fish and vegetables and you could be the next Campbell Soup, Heinz, Del Monte. Sorry to quote big names, but you get my gist.

WHAT TO DO???

I HAVE 46 (SOON TO BE 47) YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN AQUACULTURE, AQUAPONICS AND RAISING VEGETABLES AND OTHER PLANTS.

GIVE ME A PLACE TO STAND AND I'LL SHOW YOU HOW IT'S DONE