been interested in setting one up and have been looking online for info. seemed pretty simple at first but the more i read about it the more confusing it seems. any links out there with a comprehensive guide to set up a basic system? would the trouble be worth it or would buying a kit be worth the extra $?
There's a lot of good material out of Australia.
If you're seriously interested in this, you should set up a very small system to see how you like it.
I think climate has much to do with ease of use. If you live up north you will likely need to look into either a seasonal system or an indoor system.
Australia is ahead of the curve due to having a warm climate and the need to conserve water.
You also need to think about what you want out of it.
Do you primarily want to produce food? Aquaponics is good for producing vegetables and fish-based protein in some systems, with the fish providing fertilizer.
Do you primarily want to clean water in a recycling program? Aquaponics can do this, but it becomes a more complicated endeavor. You need to plumb in a gray water system, and there will be limitations with the end use of the water.
thanks for the input, didn't think anybody responded to this thread and forgot about it.
i'm primarily looking at it as a way to produce food. in southern california so i think climate would be ok.
i've never had fish before so that might be the biggest challenge for me. i'd like to try out trout but it seems like keeping the water cold during the summers might be a problem. from what i've read tilapia seems like the easiest but read some negative things about them(mostly from australians i think).
i won't be able to do it right away but it's a project i'm hoping to get done before summer. any websites you would recommend or a book? seems to be a lot of different types of systems out there and it's a bit overwhelming.
thanks kvr, i've seen that video before and thought it was explained better than most other vids i've seen. not very handy so i'm gonna need detailed instructions and that manual is perfect!