Aquaponics

Advantages:

Better tasting vegetables (after well established – up to four years)

No chemicals, pesticides, or fertilizers

Healthier, fresh vegetables – Vegetables and fruits main objective

Self sufficient vegetable supply

Yearly harvest of fish, secondary income source or home consumption

Minimum effort with no gardening problems when using sealed greenhouse

Cheap greenhouse, easily expandable

Low water requirement

Low power requirement when planned for gravity flow

Worms, bacteria, hardy fish, duckweed, simple filters create amazing harvests at low cost

Disadvantages:

Attention more critical for fish care than children or animals

Water quality control biggest error for beginners – pH, oxygen, nitrates, temperature

Over feeding and too few plants kill fish

Failing to properly cycle new system (up to a month in warm temperature, longer when cold) results in poor water quality, fish shock, and

dead fish

Power outages without back-up system will result in high fish mortality (lack of oxygen, too much ammonia)

“Aquaponics is fascinating to people because they discover it is a better way to garden. You get it out of the weeds, get it out of the ground. You can grow at twice the speed and four times the density.”

Portable Farms, a California and Florida firm that has classes on aquaponic farming and sells backyard-size systems, says a 10-by-20-foot system can grow 1,100 vegetables and produce 400 pounds of fish a year.

Will Allen, Miguel Castro Jr, Jerome Peloquin, Calvin Anderson, Sweet Water Organic, Josh Godsil…….

Aquaponics Network

Restaurant/Food Network

MoyoBlackcat

Patowmack FarmHaven

Zazu KitchenRiverpark

Uncommon Ground Heritage Tavern

http://vimeo.com/5894770

Startup Success: How to Pitch Angels:

Marketing/Pitch/Motto

Brand strategy, online/digital strategy, creative development, media

planning, direct marketing, public relations and market research…….

Community Gardening/Education

Sustainability