What Makes An Effective Aquaponics System? Brought to you by Phyllis Davis, President of Portable Farms, Inc. and Co-Inventor of Portable Farms Aquaponics System.

1. What Makes an EFFECTIVE Aquaponics System? - From the Inventors of Portable Farms™ Aquaponics Systems Aquaponics is a balance of water, fish, sunshine, plants and bacteria. A balance of these five components is what makes a successful aquaponics system. BUT WAIT! There is ONE MORE factor that determines the success of any aquaponics system! Read on . . .

2. What Makes an EFFECTIVE Aquaponics System? - From the Inventors of Portable Farms™ Aquaponics Systems If you guessed THE HUMAN FACTOR, You’d be Right.

3. What Makes an EFFECTIVE Aquaponics System? - From the Inventors of Portable Farms™ Aquaponics Systems REGARDING FISH: Provide your fish with proper aeration, good food, insulation from cold or excessive heat (tilapia are happiest when the water is a warm 78 degrees F), and adequate sunlight.

4. What Makes an EFFECTIVE Aquaponics System? - From the Inventors of Portable Farms™ Aquaponics Systems Keep your fish from being stressed. When fish become stressed, it lowers their immune system and they can become susceptible to disease.

5. What Makes an EFFECTIVE Aquaponics System? - From the Inventors of Portable Farms™ Aquaponics Systems Wear gloves when you feed the fish and also when you handle the plants and the gravel to avoid human pathogens from getting in the water.

6. What Makes an EFFECTIVE Aquaponics System? - From the Inventors of Portable Farms™ Aquaponics Systems Tilapia are friendly (even clown like) and they enjoy human interaction. Talk to your fish when you feed them and treat them with respect and they will respond by being healthy and growing to maturation.

7. What Makes an EFFECTIVE Aquaponics System? - From the Inventors of Portable Farms™ Aquaponics Systems Never overfeed your fish. It’s tempting to overfeed them because they ‘frenzy’ when you feed them and it’s entertaining to watch them jumping around, but the fish are healthier if you’ll feed them only what they can eat in 15 seconds.

8. What Makes an EFFECTIVE Aquaponics System? - From the Inventors of Portable Farms™ Aquaponics Systems Don’t overcrowd the fish tanks and make sure the tanks are always clear and clean.

9. What Makes an EFFECTIVE Aquaponics System? - From the Inventors of Portable Farms™ Aquaponics Systems Empty the Clarifier/Settling tank regularly so their water does not foul with ammonia buildups.

10. What Makes an EFFECTIVE Aquaponics System? - From the Inventors of Portable Farms™ Aquaponics Systems Never, ever, use chemicals that could harm the fish, plants or the system.

11. What Makes an EFFECTIVE Aquaponics System? - From the Inventors of Portable Farms™ Aquaponics Systems Add make-up water during times of hot weather by placing the hose in the grow trays before it circulates back into their fish tank.

12. What Makes an EFFECTIVE Aquaponics System? - From the Inventors of Portable Farms™ Aquaponics Systems Feed your fish nutritious a high-protein fish food and even duckweed if you have it available.

13. What Makes an EFFECTIVE Aquaponics System? - From the Inventors of Portable Farms™ Aquaponics Systems Give your fish occasional treats of organic chopped greens grown in the farm.

14. What Makes an EFFECTIVE Aquaponics System? - From the Inventors of Portable Farms™ Aquaponics Systems We recommend using California Hybrid Tilapia which is a male fish that are a crossbred of Mossambica and Hornorum tilapia. HUMAN TIPS FOR PLANT GROWING NEXT . . . .

15. What Makes an EFFECTIVE Aquaponics System? - From the Inventors of Portable Farms™ Aquaponics Systems REGARDING PLANTS: Experiment with plants and seed selections and determine what works best in your aquaponics system in your climate. Russian Heirloom Tomatoes YUM YUM GOOD

16. What Makes an EFFECTIVE Aquaponics System? - From the Inventors of Portable Farms™ Aquaponics Systems Implement stalking and support systems to encourage vertical growth of plants that bear heavy fruits and vegetables (tomatoes, zucchini, etc.)

17. What Makes an EFFECTIVE Aquaponics System? - From the Inventors of Portable Farms™ Aquaponics Systems Protect plants at all times of their growth and maturation. Protection from wind, humidity, extreme temperatures (hot or cold), insects, disease or predators.

18. What Makes an EFFECTIVE Aquaponics System? - From the Inventors of Portable Farms™ Aquaponics Systems Pay close attention to water flow with appropriate levels of nutrient from fish waste. Take care of plants that require pruning unneeded branches.

19. What Makes an EFFECTIVE Aquaponics System? - From the Inventors of Portable Farms™ Aquaponics Systems Don’t allow plants with large root systems to remain in grow trays too long. For example, the root system on a tomato plants grows very wide and very deep like a 4” thick ‘carpet’ under the gravel and will alter water flow for the rest of the Grow Tray.

20. What Makes an EFFECTIVE Aquaponics System? - From the Inventors of Portable Farms™ Aquaponics Systems Study indoor pollinating techniques designed for non-pollinating and self-pollinating plants.

21. What Makes an EFFECTIVE Aquaponics System? - From the Inventors of Portable Farms™ Aquaponics Systems Apply effective and safe organic methods for treating plants IF they need support (seldom needed, but occasionally, you might have a problem) for any type of bugs including ants, aphids, red spiders, worms, etc.

22. What Makes an EFFECTIVE Aquaponics System? - From the Inventors of Portable Farms™ Aquaponics Systems Learn effective harvest and planting cycles that are crucial to maximize yield in all aquaponics systems.

23. What Makes an EFFECTIVE Aquaponics System? - From the Inventors of Portable Farms™ Aquaponics Systems Use grow lights from 4:00PM to 8:00PM from Mid-November to March 1 if living in the Northern Hemisphere so you can grow various crops year round that require a longer grow day.

24. What Makes an EFFECTIVE Aquaponics System? - From the Inventors of Portable Farms™ Aquaponics Systems To Learn MORE about Portable Farms™ Aquaponics Systems, and Receive a FREE QUOTE, Contact Us! YOUTUBE LINK to view a PatioPonics Portable Farm Phyllis Davis President, Portable Farms, Inc. Co-Inventor, Portable Farms™Aquaponics Systems and PatioPonics Portable Farms™ Dean, Aquaponics University 760-317-4788 (Skype) EMAIL