Richard bray

Personal
Personal systems also have a range of uses and applications. These systems are usually smaller, and the growers are more budget conscious. Eating healthy, sustainable food is the driving force behind personal systems, but that only works if the system eventually pays for itself.
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Personal systems should ultimately provide food directly for the grower, so this type of system should be designed around variety. If your goal is to eat fresh, healthy, home-grown herbs and vegetables, then you will probably want to do more than lettuce and basil. Each plant has a different nutrient profile, so you want to maximize the benefits of growing your own veggies by eating a variety of plants.
Variety, in aquaponics, generally means a reduced yield. However, even a reduced yield in aquaponics is higher than the average Traditional vegetable garden. It’s easier to tailor the temperature, pH, nutrient profile, lighting, etc., to one or two crops. It takes more planning and maintenance to grow a variety of crops, but many growers are able to grow a diverse garden with the right system resign.
This is why most personal growers opt for media-filled beds. Media, Ike clay pebbles or river rock, provides a great buffer for your aquaponic system, and it provides the biological surface area that bacteria need to break down waste into nutrients. It also allows you to incorporate worms into your grow beds to help break down sludge and other waste that’s hard to clean.
Media beds offer stability for larger, fruiting plants, and they also cut down on the number of filters you need to keep your system running.
Personal systems are the most difficult to establish, since the crops are based on the grower's preference. If this is your first attempt at an aquaponic system, allow your climate and location to determine your fish and plant selection for the first year. Once you are comfortable Beeping a system running, look into changing your fish selection or seeing in new crops for a challenge.
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Profit
Profitable systems are generally larger than personal systems, but they are much easier to plan and build. There are more components, but the focus is on mass production of one or two crops, so the system can be custom-made to suit the needs of particular plant and fish species.
Profitable systems should ultimately provide income for the grower, so this type of system should be designed around efficiency. This generally means more upfront cost on labor-saving elements. For instance, deep-water channel (DWC) systems allow for quick transplanting and harvesting, as well as moving large amounts of plants to different grow beds if necessary. However, the extra filters needed to make this system work can add to the upfront costs.
Planning for these systems should include the capacity to expand, space for workers to maneuver, a processing and packaging station, and a basic market study. Your plant and fish species will be determined by your market, not your personal preference. You may hate tomatoes, but aquaponically-grown tomatoes may be a high- income crop in your area. Do some research before you commit to fish or plant selection.
Goals
Once you've determined whether your motivation is educational, personal, or profitable, it's time to plan the more specific purpose behind your system.
Outline your purpose for building your system by answering these questions:
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