Build or Buy??

[Philip Gauthier]

I am in the process of trying to move from a back yard system to a 6,000sf commercial set up and am struggling with the issue to build my own system or purchases one from and company that will supply you with the whole set up. I am looking to do a raft and media beds setup, I am not really bothered by the construction side of it as I have been a journeyman plumber and carpenter for many years. all though the idea of tech. support on a commercial level would be nice. The commercial system is around $60,000 and I fell that with my skill set and contractor pricing at supply houses I can do it for quit a bit less ( am I correct ) any advice on this would be greatly appreciated as I move forward. Thank You

[Sahib Punjabi]

:-)

TCLynx said:

Sigh,  This is a tricky subject because to date there are actually very few commercial aquaponic systems out there that can claim being in operation and profitable for more than a few years, or at least I should say there are very few that are out there and advertizing the fact.

So, my initial knee jerk reaction is to feel that if you need to ask the question, you are probably already in over your head.  Take one of the training classes available first before you decide.  Perhaps do some extra research into what kind of system and where you will be running it before you even choose which training would be most appropriate for you.  To be reasonable and honest, there are trainings out there that take place in a sub tropical-tropical climate which might not be nearly so useful to someone trying to do Aquaponics In the great white North while the Nelson and Pade classes might not be as useful to some one who gets to do aquaponics in a tropical climate.

Do a lot of business research.  None of the aquaponics trainings can guarantee you will sell your products.  Make sure you have a market to justify your investment.  Now this is probably the biggest point in favor of DIY start small and expand if the market will support it.  Perhaps you should start with something like a Friendlies micro system and expand on that kind of scale.  Of course the type of system appropriate will also depend on the goals and primary products you intend to sell.  If you are mainly wanting to sell a plant product then the Friendlies low density methods are probably more appropriate but if you are aiming to grow fish as a primary product then you may need to add more solids separation and removal which is more along the lines of the UVI methods rather than the Friendlies modifications.

And finally, Aquaponics is still farming, you don't get to do it from your desk, it is not a magic bullet or a get rich quick way of growing food.  It is simply a very (the most) water efficient method of farming both plants and fish by doing it together.

Good Luck

[Philip Gauthier]

I am currently running a backyard system that is about the size of Friendlies micro system, that I built myself that is 60sf were theirs is 64sf. I have had it up and growing now for the 2nd year ( taking winters off due to the great white north ;) and grown hydroponically for the last 5years. so I fell I could successfully advance in to a larger scale operation as far as business research I have a completed business plan that appears to show a successful venture.corporation paperwork filled and returned with a back ground as owner operator of a successful construction company and a legal services company. I have no misconceptions that a start up is ever a sit at the desk kind of job. so I am sorry if led you to believe I was looking for a get rich quick scheme.

I guess I was looking for advice from people that are running larger systems inside greenhouses. under the assumption that like most thing in life you get what you pay for. So I guess my real question would be does that hold true in this application as well. Why are pre-manufactured systems so expensive, Is there a benefit to purchasing a higher priced system over building one. maybe they have some proprietary secret that is not publicly known.  

[TCLynx]

Philip, I wasn't really trying to be particularly hard on you, we have just seen many people discover the idea of aquaponics and suddenly decide they are going to quit their day job and start up a commercial operation so I like to make sure people really have their eyes open to the reality of farming before they jump in.

Do the kit sellers have something special that isn't publicly known.  No probably not, they simply have to pay for their investment in getting any specialty containers molded (that is really a HUGE cost) and the time and money they put into developing a system that hopefully should work as they advertize.  If you have done a large amount of research and gone to training in the type of system you want, and are good at understanding all the different things involved in designing/building a system you can likely save money by building your own.  And if you need a bit of help, you could probably buy plans from some one and build yourself for far less than one of the turn key systems.

I'm not sure if there is anyone active on the site that has bought a commercial scale turn key system for use in a greenhouse that could comment.

[Philip Gauthier]

you are right I do want to quit my day job :)

I have talked to a couple people on here who have gotten turn key systems and it seams like they have had to make some changes to there systems to fit there needs anyways. so it looks like some one could be up and running productively with a built system in roughly the same amount of time.

[E Probst]

Philip I am with you, large scale is the way to go! most people only learn by doing and the bigger you are the less problems you should have.

[Philip Gauthier]

I sure hope you are right, but I hope this fall we will be breaking ground and I will keep you guys informed as to what happens.

[E Probst]

I am trying to start mine with 500sf then move to 1500sf then 4500sf in over a year and as i find customers.

what the hell I will eat the fish and give the lettuce away to a homeless shelter if I can't find someone to buy it!

[Philip Gauthier]

what did you use to construct your DWC bins? I built mine out of plywood with an 8mil. liner and am not expecting it to have great longevity.

 

[Chris Megison]

We went to the N and P and other trainings and decided to build our own. We are nearly done with our phase 1 construction and system build out..3500sf of grow space in a 7000sf greenhouse. All phases will be about 11,000 sf of grow beds in 25k space. Story in today's paper here: http://tinyurl.com/6nyp6xh

Will be happy to share our knowledge and lessons learned.

[Jordan Erickson]

Hey Everyone,

I am searching for a Business Plan outline that I can follow to create my own business plan for an Aquaponics Farm. Does anyone have a business plant outline that they would be willing to share, or know where I can find a good outline? I would greatly appreciate it!  Thanks,

Jordan