WORLD CLASS PRODUCTIONS LLC

· Aquaponics utilizes the nutrient rich water from aquaculture that otherwise would have been a waste product or would need to be filtered in a costly manner.

· Aquaponics eliminates the cost and time involved with mixing traditional hydroponic nutrients.

· Aquaponics provides a truly organic, natural form of nutrients for the plants.

· By eliminating the soil in vegetable production, you eliminate all soil borne disease.

 Aquaponics uses a fraction of the water that traditional field production does because no water is wasted or consumed by weeds.

· In aquaponics, plant spacing can be very intensive, allowing you to grow more plants in a given space.

· With high stocking densities in the fish tank, plants will quickly grow and develop in an aquaponic system.

· In aquaponics there cannot be any pesticides or herbicides used, making the end product healthier and safer.

· If your climate permits or if you are growing in a greenhouse, you can grow crops in an aquaponic system year-round.

What plants can I grow?
Early on in the research of recirculating aquaculture systems, experiments were done to determine the efficiency of aquatic plants in consuming the nutrients in aquaculture water, therefore helping to purify the water for the fish in the system.   As research continued, terrestrial plants were tested and proven to be an effective means of water purification for aquaculture and this nutrient rich water a nearly ideal hydroponic solution for growing plants. 
  

Lettuce, chives and other leafy crops were first considered for aquaponics but, more recently, commercial growers and researchers have had great success with tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, melons, flowers and many other crops

What fish can I raise?
Tilapia, a fresh water that is fast growing and has firm white meat when filleted, is most commonly raised in aquaponics because it is very hardy and can tolerate a wide variety of water quality conditions.  Other fish, such as crappie, brim, bass, carp, goldfish and koi can all be raised in aquaponics.  If you are considering home food production or commercial aquaponics, you should start by contacting the agency that oversees fish and waterways in your area to find out if there are any restrictions on what fish you can raise

How many fish can I put in my fish tank?
It depends on the size of the tank and the type of filtration you have.  In an aquarium-based system, a good rule of thumb is to stock the tank at 1" (of fish length) per gallon of water.  In larger systems with proper filtration, commercial growers usually stock the tank to a maximum of 1/2 lb of fish/gallon of water

How many plants can I have with a certain number of fish?
The number of plants you can grow is directly related to  1.  The number of fish         2. The size of the fish  3. The amount of fish food added daily

The scientists at the University of the Virgin Islands have determined that for each 60-100 grams of fish food added per day, you can support 1 sq. meter of plants in raft aquaponics

Can I make money doing this?
Maybe.  Aquaponics, like any business, takes an adequate investment in equipment, proper design and excellent management and marketing skills.  Plus, you need to be a skilled fish culturist and plant grower.  With those qualifications, an aquaponic farm can be quite profitable.

Commercially, aquaponics is in its infancy but, as the technology develops and is refined, it has the potential to be a more efficient and space saving method of growing fish, vegetables and herbs. By incorporating aquaponics, hydroponic growers can eliminate the cost and labor involved in mixing a fertilizer solution and commercial aquaculturists may be able to drastically reduce the amount of filtration needed in recirculating fish culture. Although there is currently a limited number of commercial aquaponic operations, many people are expressing a strong interest in this intensive method of food production.