The Disadvantages

Some possible disadvantages that can occur with aquaponics, are the following:



1. High initial costs for the building, water basin, pipelines, pump and breeding beds.

2. The almost endless number of possibilities to configure the system can lead to different solutions, which could be inconsistent with the research, or be crucial for success or failure.

3. Some Aquaponics rely highly on artificial energy technology-solutions and environmental control, to generate the water return as well as the water- and surrounding temperature. But a system during whose conceptual design the saving of energy matters (e.g. the use of a solar-heating and the exploitation of gravity to reduce the pumping), can be extremely energy-saving.

4. Although good planning can minimize the risk, aquaponics systems can have several potential error sources. For example power breakdown or a plugging of the pipeline, which can lead to a complete loss of the fish stock.

5. Like with all systems that are based on aquacultures, the feeding stuff is made of fish meal, that is generated of inferior species. Due to the progressive reduction of wild fish stock, this method is no longer sustainable. Now, however, there is organic fish food available, which could prove as a possible alternative and thereby eliminate these concerns. Further alternatives include the cultivation of common duckweed in an aquaponics, which serves as food for the fish that are cultured in the same system. Likewise the growing of grubs of black soldier flies (stratiomyidae) by using grub composting, can be seen as an alternative, since they can be used as fish food as well.