If you cook, you’d appreciate the lack of dirt in various vegetables you cook. Turns out, the industries that brought that side effect, hydroponics and aquaponics, could potentially be a savvy business investment as well. In case you’ve been looking at some parts of your land and wondering about commercial aquaponics startup costs, here are 8 most profitable aquaponics fish and system in 2017!
Is aquaponics profitable? Well, the answer is the same as for any other venture. It all depends on how much time and money you are willing to invest in it. Generally, most people turn to aquaponics system as a hobby or a way of using that extra space in the backyard. The aquaponics profit margin is difficult to determine for this particular reason. This remains to be a relatively new way of growing produce, and the majority don’t invest enough in it. According to one study, 31% of the producers gained revenue from their aquaponics system, but the rest had others sources of income. Either way, your aquaponics profit per square foot should be high enough if you decide to combine the right plants with our choice of most profitable aquaponics systems and fish. You can find the most suitable plants in our article about 12 most profitable plants for aquaponics small gardens and backyard nurseries. Therefore, in case you’re wondering whether you can make money with aquaponics, the answer is positive.
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As for commercial aquaponics profitability in India, it could be said that Vijayakumar Narayanan is one of its pioneers in the country. He now runs a blog advising his fellow citizens to become self-employed and run this business, so we can expect the aquaponics profit margin in India to become even higher.
After reading our 10 Best Tasting Freshwater Fish to Eat, you may have wondered if you could grow them on your own. In order to decide on the best fish for aquaponics systems, we went to Uponics. There we opted for the fish which was edible, i.e., it’s easiest to sell and ranked them according to their harvest times. The sooner, the better. When it comes to aquaponics systems, we compared the descriptions and advice from Nelson Pade, Japan Aquaponics, and Friendly Aquaponics. No system is perfect, but we chose the ones which were the easiest to maintain and most likely to bring you proper harvest.
Now let’s take a look which systems and fish to choose if you’re ready for a new agricultural adventure. Here’s our choice of 8 most profitable aquaponics fish and system in 2017!
8. Media-filled beds
Admittedly, this method can require a lot of work. As opposed to rafts, the beds aren’t that easy to move so it can be time-consuming and hard. Also, it’s not the absolute best pick if you’re thinking large-scale (we have another solution for that). However, you can grow almost every kind of plant in them, and they are extremely simple to install and maintain, which isn’t always the case with other systems.
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7. DWC (Deep Water Culture) system
DWC or the raft system is one of the most popular commercial aquaponics systems due to the variety of plants that can be grown and simplicity. Basically, the plants are floating on the water surface while the roots are hanging down and soaking up the nutrients from the water. It can be installed over a fish tank or a pond, but in that case, the fish will be tempted to eat the roots. That’s why the best way is to keep the fish in a fish tank while pumping the water into long channels with floating rafts. What is more, the system costs are moderate.
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Now, let’s talk fish.
6. Bass
Harvest time: 12-18 months
Largemouth, smallmouth, or striped bass – it doesn’t really matter which particular fish you will choose. What matters is how much time you wish to dedicate to it. This species requires constant monitoring.
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5. Trout
Harvest time: 12-16 months
The trout love pristine, cold water. That can be an issue with some plants which aren’t used to that temperature.
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4. Barramundi
Harvest time: 12 months
Aussies especially adore this species from 8 most profitable aquaponics fish and system in 2017. The Barramundi is delicious to eat. In addition, it produces a lot of waste to be used for plants. The only drawback is that the species is aggressive and tends to attack smaller fish. On the other hand, some people find it very fun and interesting to keep for this particular reason.
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And now, let’s see the top three most profitable aquaponics fish and system in 2017.
3. Perch
Harvest time: 9-16 months
The perch easily adapts to different conditions, which is a big plus. The only downside lies in the fact that this fish is carnivorous, which means its diet requires other fish, shrimp, and bugs.
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2. Tilapia
Harvest time: 6-9 months
Everyone has heard of tilapia about it being the fastest growing fish and the most profitable species on the market. However, there’s one fish that grows at an even faster rate, but it is also very tasty. Perhaps the reason why tilapia is preferable lies in the fact that it breeds easily, so you would constantly need bigger tanks.
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1. Catfish
Harvest time: 5-10 months
This is probably not the fish you’ve expected to see in the first place of our list about 8 most profitable aquaponics fish and system in 2017, but its position is well-deserved. The fast-growing catfish is ready to harvest at only 5 months. Just make sure the water temperature is close to 80 °F (around 26 °C), and check on the pH value every now and then.
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