kenc,
I read your question and didnt initially reply while i compiled how i wanted to answer it. Ken has already hit some of my points but i am going ahead with my response as i planned it.
I have no experience with commercial aquaponics but my personal OPINION is that you would need higher food costs or a niche market to be economical viable...
Lots of people are already trying to make millions of dollars off of aquaponics. As best as i can tell, all of them require alternative methods of income weather that be from investors, the government/grants, or by teaching people how to do what they are doing.
With that said. Aquaponics is a new technology, that is still in it's infancy. It provides potential for growing a lot food in a relatively small footprint and demand for food increases as this planet's population approaches 8 trillion. Much of the information about aquaponics is from shoot from the hip, learn from mistakes, wild west aquaponics cowboys like myself. With only a couple of exceptions, educational institutions are just now starting to work with aquaponics as a technology and develop it in a more scientific way. Keep in mind that if we still farmed corn the same way we did 100 years ago, our nations food base would not be economically viable, either.
rmedgar,
theirs lots of ways to skin the cat, so to speak
mnfish,
thanks
MRHELLO ,
The blue stuff is insulating foam, styrofoam. The idea was to separate the pond liner from the screws to avoid any kind of deterioartion or leaks down the road and also serve as a bit of insulation. I am not sure if it worked on either account, but that grow bed is over 2 years old, was moved and is still in use today (not by me)
catmandoo,
word.
