DIY Aquaponics: The Definitive How To Guide

I was expecting a lot more from this book. It is expensive, not very clear, as has some editorial mistakes. But it also have good information in some topics, but it is not the "definitive" guide as many basic information is not well developed. The section of DIY systems is interesting, but a Little short of information.

I wanted something like for a quite long time and I got it thanks

Overpriced and this guy is no subject matter expert, has a theorist.

It's really hard to classify this book. First, it's an ebook that has been printed. It doesn't read well at all, the information is disorganized which is weird because whole book feels like it's in an outline format with little narrative. I can't say it feels like an instruction manual, it's not a how-to book, and it isn't really a narrative. I guess I'd say it feels like it could be a hand-out for an aquaponics class. You know the author knows his stuff, but the book is horribly lacking in meat.Let's take the 13-page plumbing "chapter" as an example: It shows you a schematic of a bell siphon, including a parts list, and includes a two-sentence paragraph explanation of what a bell siphon is and what it's used for. But it doesn't explain how it works, doesn't talk about how too much or two little flow into the grow bed will make the bell siphon fail; it doesn't explain when or why you'd want to use a bell siphon instead of other choices. It also DEFINES a few other plumbing components and fittings but doesn't actually talk about PLUMBING. The plumbing chapter doesn't talk about what size pipes to use, what materials to use, whether or not you should glue the connectors and with what kinds of glue and why. Oh, I suppose I ought to mention that FINDING the plumbing chapter means flipping through the book until you find it, because the "table of contents" has no page numbers, the chapter numbers don't appear at the top or bottom of the page, and the chapter doesn't even begin at the top of a page! Of course there is no index, either.Want to look for information on pests in this "definitive" guide? Good luck! There's two pages on pests in the indoor and outdoor "chapter" and two-and-a-half pages in the maintenance and troubleshooting "chapter". And of course you'll only find that by flipping through the book, there's no other way to find it.I think this one sentence from the book says it all:"For the best designs on the market, contact FarmTower Co. We can design you a system & train you on how to use it."I would expect that the "definitive" guide to *DIY* aquaponics would tell ME how to design the best system and tell me how to use it. Not tell me to contact an them if I want a good design!The way I see it, the only thing this book is useful for are a few system design schematics. But a quick web search will reveal far more, for free, and will often provide more narrative as to the reason why one system is chosen over another.I cannot recommend this book to anyone. Every other aquaponic I've read has been FAR more useful. Save your money.

Since you are using your book as advertising for your own aquaponic systems (ironic for a DIY book, wouldn't you say?), and doing it in part using unflattering comparisons to your competitors I suggest you do it accurately. On page 34 you compare our most high-end system with the smallest fish tank to your system that uses recycled barrels and storage tanks. A much more accurate comparison would be with our AquaBundance 3-Bed Tote System - [...].Further, when I went to your website and searched for the "FarmTower Co. DIY H275 (or V275)" for actual details about what it included in your system, what it is constructed with, and how it is made there was nothing there. The product pages either say "Coming Soon" (actually, it is misspelled "Comming") or you just get lost in space or you are required to enter a password. What it does say, however, is that you are a "pioneer" of this industry. Really? With no products? From your website bio it looks like you just graduated with your undergrad degree in Physics three years ago. A "pioneer"?So it seems to me that what you are doing is using this very expensive book is to try to build a reputation for yourself and support advertising of a system that is priced lower than your competitors systems because it hasn't been created yet! It further seems to me that the more honest thing to do (assuming that it is "honest" to use this form of advertising in your "DIY" book in the first place) would be to create a high-quality, reliable product, as we have done, then sell it at a price that gives you a reasonable profit, understand what the actual cost drivers are, build a team to support it, and THEN start comparing it to your competitors, if that is the type of marketing you feel you need to do (personally, I find it kind of slimy).Sylvia BernsteinPresidentThe Aquaponic Source, Inc.

I have been a aquaponics hobbiest for a few years now . I have built a couple of systems and have tried a couple of different set ups. But I will say what I liked most about this guide was it allowed me to source my materials very easily and very affordably. Also it has a very simple fool proof designs. Not only was the setup simple, but the day to day operation once my system was running has been really easy to maintain and balance. I have been impressed and happy with how quickly my little herbs and veggies have taken off.

The DIY Aquaponics: The Definitive How To Guide is probably the best, most comprehensive how to guide out there. It provides a well organized overview of the evolution of aquaponics along with detailed descriptions of several systems you can build yourself. All the specifications and instructions are there. This is really a must have for anyone serious about the art and science of growing food using aquaponics.

This book helped me with some of the specifics I had problems with while setting up my own home system. It was also a pretty enjoyable read.