[Ag-eq] Aquaponics

[Tracy Carcione]

I heard an interesting piece on aquaponics.  I think it was on World 
Gardening Radio, out of the UK, but it was talking about the US.
People are taking empty factories and converting them to aquaponics. 
There's a place in St. Paul that was an old brewery.  They take food waste 
from local restaurants and use it to generate energy.  They didn't go into 
that; I think it's a methane reaction.  Then they use the energy to run 
grow-lights.  They have big tanks with tilapia fish in the water and herbs 
and greens on top.  The fish waste fertilizes the plants, and the plants 
filter the water.  I've read that tilapia do very well in this kind of 
setup.  Then, they sell the fish and the greens to local restaurants.  A 
very neat loop.
The program said one could have the same kind of setup on a small scale with 
a goldfish or two, though we don't usually eat goldfish.
Our list member Fred does something with aquaponics.  I'd be real interested 
to hear about it--the scale of it, and such.
I'd like to try it myself, though my husband has a real thing about fish; he 
says they just die.
Tracy