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OK, I read your pitch and now I'm interested. What sort of plants are you ideally suited for? How important are the fish and aquaculture part? Would it reall

by jrpt 10y ago

OK, I read your pitch and now I'm interested. What sort of plants are you ideally suited for? How important are the fish and aquaculture part? Would it really "pay for itself" given the labor costs (time)? I mean you say it is automated, but what about refilling water, cleaning up dead fish, and whatever else comes up? Do I have to clean the fish tank? How do you prevent animals from getting into it and eating your plants or fish? If this becomes popular, what's preventing competitors from making the same thing, and commoditizing your product?

ph0rque 10y ago
Glad you're interested! What sort of plants are you ideally suited for? Almost everything you grow in a garden can grow in aquaponics. The only limitations are extremes: plants that require a really low pH, such as blueberries, large trees (banana trees will wreck your veggie bed), etc. How important are the fish and aquaculture part? The fish are very important. They provide the nutrients for the plants (you still would need to add a bit of iron once in a while). Without the fish, you have a hydroponics system, with ongoing nutrient costs. Maintenance is minimal. When I ran my first proof-of-concept system for a year and a half, I averaged 15 minutes a day, and that was mostly to feed the fish (easily automatable for ~$10). Do I have to clean the fish tank? It depends on how clean you want it to be. If you're looking for aquarium-level of cleanliness/clarity, then you'd have to clean it a few times a year. If you're ok with backyard-fish-pond-level cleanliness (a bit of algae growing, etc) then once a year (or less often) is fine. How do you prevent animals from getting into it and eating your plants or fish? I had my system in a greenhouse, so that wasn't an issue. If you get an outdoor system installed, you can add a number of off-the-shelf measures to prevent animals from eating your harvest, such as nets. If this becomes popular, what's preventing competitors from making the same thing, and commoditizing your product? If we're able to figure out the mushroom media feature, that would be a huge differentiator, but that will be an R&D journey to get there. Another way we can build a sustainable advantage is to develop AI to tell you signs of early-stage pest infestation/disease, and what you can do to avert it (But that requires both smart hardware and software dev).
- beeboop 10y ago
  Good luck, I voted for you. I would love a simple system like this - fresh food in my background with low effort and cost. Lots of reduced waste from grocery store shopping (in terms of shipping to the store and associated spoilage). Also a great program for the surprisingly large amount of families in the US that struggle to get enough food.
- enraged_camel 10y ago
  Good stuff. Voted for you.

by jrpt 10y ago

ph0rque 10y ago

Glad you're interested! What sort of plants are you ideally suited for? Almost everything you grow in a garden can grow in aquaponics. The only limitations are extremes: plants that require a really low pH, such as blueberries, large trees (banana trees will wreck your veggie bed), etc. How important are the fish and aquaculture part? The fish are very important. They provide the nutrients for the plants (you still would need to add a bit of iron once in a while). Without the fish, you have a hydroponics system, with ongoing nutrient costs. Maintenance is minimal. When I ran my first proof-of-concept system for a year and a half, I averaged 15 minutes a day, and that was mostly to feed the fish (easily automatable for ~$10). Do I have to clean the fish tank? It depends on how clean you want it to be. If you're looking for aquarium-level of cleanliness/clarity, then you'd have to clean it a few times a year. If you're ok with backyard-fish-pond-level cleanliness (a bit of algae growing, etc) then once a year (or less often) is fine. How do you prevent animals from getting into it and eating your plants or fish? I had my system in a greenhouse, so that wasn't an issue. If you get an outdoor system installed, you can add a number of off-the-shelf measures to prevent animals from eating your harvest, such as nets. If this becomes popular, what's preventing competitors from making the same thing, and commoditizing your product? If we're able to figure out the mushroom media feature, that would be a huge differentiator, but that will be an R&D journey to get there. Another way we can build a sustainable advantage is to develop AI to tell you signs of early-stage pest infestation/disease, and what you can do to avert it (But that requires both smart hardware and software dev).

beeboop 10y ago
Good luck, I voted for you. I would love a simple system like this - fresh food in my background with low effort and cost. Lots of reduced waste from grocery store shopping (in terms of shipping to the store and associated spoilage). Also a great program for the surprisingly large amount of families in the US that struggle to get enough food.
enraged_camel 10y ago
Good stuff. Voted for you.