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Grow fresh fish and vegetables together in a closed-loop system that uses 90% less water than traditional gardening. Step-by-step guide to building home aquaponics systems that provide year-round food production in small spaces while recycling nutrients naturally.
Why Aquaponics Works Better Than Separate Systems:
Fish waste provides perfect nutrition for plants, while plants clean the water for fish. This symbiotic relationship eliminates the need for soil, reduces water usage dramatically, and produces both protein and vegetables simultaneously.
What You'll Build:
- Home-scale systems designed for families wanting fresh food year-round
- Fish and plant combinations that thrive together in closed-loop environments
- Simple maintenance routines requiring just 10-15 minutes daily
- Troubleshooting guides for water chemistry, fish health, and plant nutrition
- Expansion strategies for scaling up successful systems over time
Home Production Results:
Families report producing 50-100 pounds of vegetables plus 20-50 pounds of fish annually from systems occupying just 50-100 square feet of space.
Grow both dinner and the main course in one integrated system. Perfect for urban gardeners, sustainability enthusiasts, and families wanting fresh, local food security.
Sylvia Bernstein: is the president and founder of The Aquaponic Source and the co-Founder and former Vice Chairman of the Aquaponics Association. She also manages AquaponicsCommunity.com, the largest US-based online forum site dedicated to aquaponic gardening. An experienced speaker and internationally recognized expert on aquaponic gardening, Sylvia writes and blogs on the subject for the Aquaponic Gardening Blog, Maxiumum Yield and more. Her inspiration is a large, thriving aquaponic setup in her backyard greenhouse in Boulder, CO powered by tilapia, catfish, bluegill and other creatures-that-swim.
Acknowledgments
Foreword, by Tom Alexander
Preface
The aquaponics epiphany
About this book
SECTION 1: AN INTRODUCTION TO AQUAPONICS
Chapter 1: What is aquaponics?
Hydroponics
Aquaculture
Chapter 2: The global perspective
The bad news
The good news
Chapter 3: Home food production
Earth-smart gardening
Convenient gardening
Year-round gardening
Growing fish for food
SECTION 2: THE PLAN
Chapter 4: Before you start
The plan
The hardware
The software
The integrated system
Chapter 5: System location and environment
Climate considerations
Lights
Chapter 6: System design
Basic flood and drain
Adding a sump tank (CHIFT PIST or CHOP)
Adding a second pump
Barrel-ponics®
Hybrid system
Aquaponic System Design Rules of Thumb
SECTION 3: THE HARDWARE
Chapter 7: Grow beds and fish tanks
Volume relationship between grow beds and fish tanks
Common grow bed and fish tank requirements
Special considerations for the grow bed
Special considerations for the fish tank
Commonly used products and materials
Vertical growing
Aquaponic Grow Beds and Fish Tanks Rules of Thumb
Chapter 8: Plumbing
The pump
The pipes
The timing mechanism
Some other thoughts about circulating water
Aquaponic Plumbing Rules of Thumb
Chapter 9: Grow media
What is the best medium?
Aquaponic Media Rules of Thumb
Chapter 10: Water
Purity
Temperature
Dissolved oxygen
pH
Aquaponic Water Rules of Thumb
SECTION 4: THE SOFTWARE
Chapter 11: Fish
How many fish can I grow?
What type of fish can I grow?
Sources of fish
Introducing fish into your aquaponics system
Feeding your fish
Harvesting your fish
Aquaponic Fish Rules of Thumb
Chapter 12: Plants
What plants grow best in aquaponics?
Growing plants in aquaponics
How to start plants in, and for, aquaponics
Spacing your plants
Unhealthy plants
pH and nutrient supplementation
Insect control
Aquaponic Plants Rules of Thumb
Chapter 13: Bacteria and worms
Bacteria farmers
Nitrifying bacteria
Caring for and feeding bacteria
Worms
Aquaponic Worms Rule of Thumb
SECTION 5: THE INTEGRATED SYSTEM
Chapter 14: Cycling
What is cycling?
The importance of testing tools
Cycling with fish
Fishless cycling
The Murray Hallam cycling technique
Speeding up the process
Aquaponic Cycling Rules of Thumb
Chapter 15: System maintenance
Daily
Weekly (after cycling)
Monthly
Aquaponic System Maintenance Rules of Thumb
In Conclusion
Appendices
Troubleshooting
Aquaponic Gardening Rules of Thumb
The top 10 dumbest mistakes I've made in aquaponics
What to consider before plunging into commercial aquaponics
Aquaponics System Maintenance Checklist
Aquaponics System Data Tracking Sheet
Recommended resources
References
Index
About the Author