Should I go Aquaponics?

[jackalope]

Welcome to the forum Aquamon, glad to have you here! Questions are always welcome, don't be too skeeered to ask, we don't bite (well, maybe one or two of us, but not all of us ) We love questions, and we especially love photos Please be sure to put where you live in your profile so we know what part of the country/hemisphere/planet you are in ..... someone who lives nearby may be able to help you out personally as well.

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[jackalope]

The big difference for me is the purchase/use of the nutrients, which someone has already mentioned. Note that in some jurisdictions, the spent water from Hydroponics is now considered toxic waste, so you may have to contend with that ..... be sure to check in with the state/county/city versions of the EPA before you make your decision ..... it could be expensive, especially if there are inspections and/or permits required, and you know they just love to levy fines and force you to tear out all of your hard work if you didn't have adequate permits to expel that toxic waste! Aquaponics, on the other hand, is a closed loop system, where you won't be putting any toxic waste onto the ground or into the sewer system (under normal circumstances). Aquaponics water is just dirty fish water as far as the EPAs are concerened, just as if you were dumping out your aquarium water from your goldfish bowl! Aquaponics gives you two crops, not one .... Food and fish! ..... once you're all set up, basically your only expenses are power and the fish food! Note that the only thing I'm considering is for home consumption, I can't say the same for commercial , because there are a lot of other factors that have to be taken into consideration and analyzed prior to entering into a business venture.

[rfeiller]

there are a number of edible plants and many ornamental plants that do not want a lot of light, but would bring another dimension to your aquaponics, a number of them are considered tropical. they would take care of your water purification needs. philodendrons are a plant i have used when i had my commercial tropical fish hatchery to perform the task of removing the nitrates. since they are a vine they do well cramped and they develope a large root mass, don't need any rooting media, and produce attractive foliage. just make sure the plants themselves are not toxic. if you have the room taro (sometimes called elephant ears) does a great job at that process. just a thought.

[dufflight]

If you want the GB's on the next floor then a tall tank may help. The taller the tank the less head the pump has to pump to.

[Aquamon]

I think the head loss is something I've accepted.

I have recently built a room in my basement for my project equipment and may use half of that for an aquaponics setup. I've got too much going on to focus though.

Thanks for the replies because it draws me back to this site with the email notifications.

[urbanfarmer]

I just wanted to say HELLO!

I have found this forum to be a cornucopia of knowledge. The members here are friendly and wise! Your stay will be a pleasant one, WELCOME.

The typical backyard gardener should see similar growth as traditional geoponic (in the soil) horticulture. You should give it a try, it's very fun and rewarding!