Minimum Growing Space

[MaryN]

Got to say that my personal jury is still out on aquaponics. I understand the principal, and even quite like the idea, but it seems to raise more questions than it answers.

Does the system you use rely on the temperature of the area you live in, and do you need a particular temperature to keep things moving? Would cold weather be a bit of a blight? The fish that seems to be most popular is tilapia (not a personal fave of mine; it's a bit tasteless and somewhat squishy), and I thought this was a sub-tropical fish- I may be wrong. Would that be affected by temperature changes, and what would it take to keep the whole system at the correct temperature bearing in mind that in a post-SHTF scenario it may not be quite so easy to keep a temperature at a constant level - hell, you could be shivering in a duvet without any warmth. Also, I assume that as you are growing the fish to eat, you need to replace them as you go along. Would this mean you would need to start up a fish-breeding facility as well to replace the stuff you are eating with chips? What if the little beggars are not too keen on reproducing - I could see myself peering irritably into the fish-nursery and mouthing "Breed, you little blighters! Breed!"

It may be just my concept of things, but it all sounds a bit faffy ....