Practical Aquaponics and Integrated Aquaculture Technology
Murray Hallam is probably the best-known face in the world-wide Aquaponics movement. Murray is by nature an innovator and in his Research & Development facility has perfected many new methodologies for commercial farm Aquaponic systems.
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Practical Aquaponics > Blog > General News
The question has been asked countless times and I guess will continue to be. Why do Aquaponics and is it worth it? Is Aquaponically grown produce and fish all that different?
Some claim no! Some say that the nutritional value or density, is not much different between produce grown in a regular dirt farm or garden, a hydroponics system or an Aquaponics system. I suppose that comparison is something to be documented, but let's suppose that the comparison is correct. Why then bother with growing Aquaponically?
In this short piece so far, we have not mentioned the fish. Regular dirt gardens/ farms, or hydroponics at any level can't deliver a fish dinner.
So what other reasons might there be to engage in Aquaponics. I will list some. The list is not exhaustive but a good start. 1. Freedom from dangerous pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. 2. Aquaponics can be truly "Organic" (none of that midnight spraying of poisons. If you do, you will kill those little policemen, the fish.) 3. Use of natural processes for the production of plant nutrients. 4. Most efficient use of water. (that one is a big one, especially now in SoCal, Aussie and other places) 5. Can be done anywhere. Especially significant in desert areas, places of poor, degraded or polluted soil. Inner city areas that are food deserts. At village level where resources are very limited. 6. Pure food. This sums up many of the above reasons.
Food purity is the overriding consideration. Many, if not most other food production methodologies, are pure food failures.
Perhaps you can add some reasons that are important to you. Please comment below.
Posted By Murray Hallam on 19th April 2015
Updated : 19th April 2015 | Words : 319 | Views : 63731 | Comments : 23
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Hi murray just wondering how to get started.
Posted By Stephen Kelly on Friday 14th October 2016 @ 13:38:40
Hi Stephen, Perhaps with our DVD's see here. Aquaponic DVDs This one is very useful for a starting point. DIY Aquaponics and Aquaponics: The First 12 Months I hope this is helpful.
Posted By Murray on Friday 14th October 2016 @ 13:38:40
It is and is not. It depends on your needs and what your resources and skills are. It does not take much to buy a shovel and start in on gardening. The more equipment you buy the less time and effort it will take to manage. From a simple shovel and a handful of seeds to a shed of landscaping equipment it is a buy as you go affair. Aquaponics however is an expensive upfront cost with a long term pay out. You can manage the cost by DIY but really it is a labor that requires the question is it worth it to me. For someone growing for food independence the answer is yes. But you are going to want to go big or go home. If you start too small and upgrade latter you will find that you could have saved yourself a whole lot of trouble and money just going for it at the start. That being said if you start small with the idea of possibly growing big and planing for integrating it into larger system you may find it easier. The fact that you can control conditions no matter the season or weather really gives you security in your food supply.( a water heater can make a greenhouse warm all winter long. Just as tinted windows, sunscreens and dehumidifiers can keep the heat down in hot summers.) For food growth there is nothing more effecient than an aquaponics system. The cost of fertilizer is tied in with the feed cost so you get the plants and you get the meat in one input. If you grow your own feed through vermaculture you can lower the growth costs even more. The only other constants in cost are power and water bills. Now If you really want to grow your own food the square footage needed is not that big. If you make shelves and tall tanks you can really get things cooking even in the smallest yards. And every farm should have an entire green house devoted to aquaponics for the family's food security. Especially if they mono culture.(Why depend on a good harvest for your family's grocery bill when you have plenty of space to make that fear disappear) For non food growers the answer is no. You can make an aquaponics system but it is more of a novelty and a conversation piece. Ponds and fish tanks have plenty of information on plants, water treatments and filters that can make life easier and more pretty than your average DIY project.
Posted By Marshall on Saturday 2nd May 2015 @ 10:41:23
My main disappointment with Aquaponic gardening is that there are limitations in the plants that seem to grow well - i like my lebanese cucumbers, purple king beans, silver beet, bok choi and other green leaf plants ( although some of these are bitter( from I presume the high nitrates). Surprisingly I have a great passion fruit vine - quite productive but quite a few other flowering veges are not so productive- even when I add K every week. Incidentally the roses I grow seem to last longer in the vase than the ones from soil garden. Great for some herbs which can take over the grow bed- esp mint and basil.. Would like to hear less of how to build a system and more about the plants that can be productive ( and tasty). Which plants have worked well for you ?
Posted By Jim hales on Thursday 23rd April 2015 @ 09:03:53
Hi Jim,I do not have knowledge or details of your system, but we have plenty of success with all kinds of food plants. We grow plenty of cucumbers, beans both climbing and dwarf, silver beet by the truck load and so on. Bok Choi we don't bother with mainly because it attracts insects, big time.
Posted By Murray on Thursday 23rd April 2015 @ 09:03:53
I enjoy it as a great hobby that gives back . I like my catfish and you cant believe how good an aquaponic fish tastes . Picking fresh greens in the worst part of winter is great. I feel that it has added to my family's quality of life as well as my own.
Posted By greg on Monday 20th April 2015 @ 23:46:52
That's fantastic Greg, Love the catfish! I love my Jade and Silver Perch. Nothing like going in there with the net and getting a fish or two out for dinner.
Posted By Murray on Monday 20th April 2015 @ 23:46:52
I have actually done the research on Nutrient Density. Fed a diet of Duckweed (with resident zooplankton), Soldier Fly Larva, and Red Earthworms, as mine are, the fish are significantly higher in Omega 3 Oils. Because this diet essentially becomes the nutrient bath of the plants, such dynamic fertilizer really does result in greater nutrient density. Example: It took fourteen grams of chard grown in my test garden to equal the density of that grown in my A.P. System just twenty feet away. My original soil is was very depleted and I have spent five years creating the finest garden soil in the county. Nevertheless, because of the diet I feed my fish, my A.P. veggies are much higher, and more diverse in nutrient content. It's difficult to argue with the facts.
Posted By Phillip Cloudpiler Landis on Monday 20th April 2015 @ 13:40:25
Thanks for the feedback Phillip. Very interesting although I am not surprised. Love to see more on your research when you have time.
Posted By Murray on Monday 20th April 2015 @ 13:40:25
Here in Egypt...the inverse... The Aquaponics is expensive food then it just to reach and the cost to build one is very high and classic farms not care to the water bcz the others have almost water to the Tourist resorts.i try to build my Owen but thy said on me ..that crazy and failed... just a few Pearson.s had success with it but they in desert ...in village no no and i try
Posted By Gamal H on Monday 20th April 2015 @ 04:22:37
Thanks for your comment, very interesting. Would like to know more about the difficulties you have experienced.
Posted By Murray on Monday 20th April 2015 @ 04:22:37
Hi Murry and other aquaponics enthusiasts. I just completed a Life Cycle Assessment thesis study of an aquaponics system in Bangkok Thailand at the end of last year. One of the obligations I needed to meet involved publishing in a scientific journal. It is a very short summary of the Thesis work. I have made it available to the internet for those interested. If anyone has interest in the larger LCA work, please contact me to receive the PDF. https://www.academia.edu/11758227/Environmental_Sustainability_Assessment_of_a_Media_Based_Aquaponics_System_In_Thailand_-_Mark_Hindelang_-_JGSEE
Posted By Mark Hindelang on Monday 20th April 2015 @ 02:32:11
Hi Mark,Looks like a great document. I will read it tonight with great interest. Thanks so much for sharing.
Posted By Murray on Monday 20th April 2015 @ 02:32:11
4-S' S=Food Safety S=Food Security S=Food Sustainability And in my opinion the most important! S=Food Sovereignty sov·er·eign·ty supreme power or authority. synonyms: jurisdiction, rule, supremacy, dominion, power, ascendancy, suzerainty, hegemony, domination, authority, control, influence, autonomy, independence, self-government, self-rule, home rule, self-determination, freedom Food sovereignty is the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems.
Posted By Randy Stout on Monday 20th April 2015 @ 01:19:26
So true Randy,Many overlook the three "S" you have listed. And the fourth is very important. Who actually owns the food supply?
Posted By Murray on Monday 20th April 2015 @ 01:19:26
Murray, We have been having fish meals with veges all grown in the system. The fish (Jade Perch) are absolutely beautiful and extremely high in Omega 3. Our sliver beet is SOOO crisp that you hear it tearing as you pull it apart. Wundabar!! Les
Posted By Les Wallen on Monday 20th April 2015 @ 01:13:50
Hi Les,Silver beet is great steamed with coconut milk. Have you tried that? Yes, Jades are hard to beat. Thanks for the feedback.
Posted By Murray on Monday 20th April 2015 @ 01:13:50
I made aquaponics for independence. I´d rather eat what I grow, and sell the rest, making a living out of it.
Posted By krantzberg on Monday 20th April 2015 @ 01:12:50
Excellent Edgar, thanks for the feedback. Your own home grown produce is much better and it tastes just great, that is for sure.
Posted By Murray on Monday 20th April 2015 @ 01:12:50
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