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The Urban Aquaculture Manual
 by Jonathan Woods
Sponsored by Heifer Project Internationalwith assistance from theEvangelical Lutheran Church of America
Table Of Contents
Chapter One: Urban AquacultureChapter Two: Simple Recirculuation SystemChapter Three: An Aquaponic SystemChapter Four: Resources
Chapter One
URBAN AQUACULTURE
INTRODUCTION
Aquaculture is a type of animal-based agriculture that can be practiced in smallspaces. It is suitable for city people who want to raise food animals but havelimited space to do it. Unfortunately, there is little information about urbanaquaculture. This manual was written to give city dwellers information aboutaquaculture in the city.This manual provides some basic knowledge about aquaculture. It tells you how to build two different aquaculture systems, a simple recalculating system and anaquaponic system. It also tells you how to maintain these systems and what to do if something goes wrong. Finally, it list", some good places to find out more aboutaquaculture.
PROS AND CONS
Raising fish in the city is not for everyone. To get good growth, fish have to be feddaily, and something goes wrong with their tank it needs to be fixed promptly.
 
Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of using the systems in thismanual.
 Advantages
1. You can raise fish and plants in a small amount of space.2. You don't need a large garden plot or backyard.3. Fresh fish are a nutritious and healthy food.4. Food fish are often cheaper to raise yourself than to buy.
 Disadvantages
1. Tanks take up space and are very heavy.2. Tanks have to be kept warm if you intend to use them over the winter.3. Indoors, an aquaculture system can make a room very humid.4. Some fish can be tricky to raise.
COSTS
There are two types of costs to think about when you decide to build a system,construction costs and maintenance costs. You only have to pay construction costsonce - when you build the system. Maintenance costs include things like food,electricity, and repairs. These are paid for as long as you have the system.Estimates for construction costs (below) and maintenance costs (opposite page) for the two different
systems
are shown. By 'crop' I mean the time to raise and harvesta group of fish from fingerling to eating size. Note that some of the materials that you need can be obtained for free or at a low price. These estimates are based on buying most material new at a large hardwarestore like Home Depot. Your costs might be higher or lower than these dependingon where you show, and how much you can get for cheap or free.
BENEFITS
 
The reason that you are thinking about building a system is because of the benefitsyou will get. Fresh fish and vegetables, satisfaction from growing your own food,and even improved indoor air quality are all benefits that people have gotten fromthese systems. Below, I have show the dollar value of fish and vegetable yields thatyou can expect from a well- run system.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The value of the fish and plants that you grow is higher if you eat them yourself.This is because farmers can get paid a lot less for a crop than consumers pay for itin the grocery store. By eating what you grow, or sharing or trading it withneighbors, you will get higher economic benefits.For each dollar that you spend in food, maintenance and utilities, you can expect toharvest $1.75 to $2.00 worth of fish. If you also are growing vegetables in theaquaponic system, then you will harvest $1.25 worth of vegetables as well. Thetotal return per dollar is close to three dollars for the aquaponic system and twodollars for the simple recirculating system.If you operate your system all year round, then you can recover the cost of construction in one to two years. Operating it only in the summer will lengthen this period to 3 or more years. So if you are planning to use one of these systems for more than 2 years, then it is worthwhile economically to build one.If you feel entrepreneurial, you might consider building more or larger systems andselling your produce.Running small businesses and operating large aquaculture tank systems are beyondthe scope of this manual, but there are some references listed in the ResourcesChapter that you could consult if you want to grow fish and vegetables for profit.
HOW TO START
The first thing you should do is read this manual through. This will help you get anoverview of what is involved, what you will have to do, and what you can expect.
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