A while back I received this letter:
Dear Sylvia,
Thank you for your aquaponics advocacy and for writing Aquaponic Gardening, which I am about half way through. It is a great introduction! My wife and I will probably buy our first system from you. I am in my due diligence stage and have a lot to learn. However, I am approaching aquaponics from an organic farming bias, having owned a small organic citrus farm in Dominica for the past 6 years, and I am a little dismayed at the seeming lack of focus on the quality of inputs, i.e. Fish food in aquaponics.
Are the soybeans and corn from GMO sources? I guess there are no OMRI standards for fish food or are there? But, if GMO ingredients are allowed and used in fish food, and there are no standards for the quality or source of fish food ingredients, how can you call aquaponics organic? Guess that is what I really do not understand.
Best Regards,
Doug
I did not save the letter because it is unique. The concerns Doug expressed come up at almost every talk I give and every class I teach. I saved it because I thought it would be the perfect introduction to this blog post that I have been so looking forward to writing! This is the blog post where I get to say Actually, Doug, there is an organic fish feed. We now carry it at The Aquaponic Source!
This week we are extremely proud to announce that we are the exclusive retailers of our own AquaOrganic brand of premium, 100% USDA certified organic fish feed! It has been formulated by a team of experts in aquaculture, organic animal feeds, and aquaponics to provide a superb source of nutrition for all omnivorous pond fish, including Tilapia, Catfish, and Koi.
Yes, it is definitely more expensive than regular fish feed. Unfortunately non-GMO and certified organic ingredients come at a pretty steep price in this country. But if you are growing tilapia for the dinner table you will still only be feeding them about $5 worth of food for two adult-portions of organic fillets. Don’t you think it is worth $2.50 for each tilapia dinner so that you feel good about what your fish ate as it grew?
And if you are growing Koi, especially expensive show fish, don’t you think they will live a longer, healthier life without all those color enhancers and chemical additives?
Supplies are limited and we expect that we will have a tough time keeping up with demand until we get into a groove with this new product. Click here to order. Your fish, and your family, will thank you.
Aloha,
I am wondering if it would be possible to flat rate priority NON-GMO, organic fish food to hilo, hawaii 96720. Big Island aquaponics and aquaculture needs affordable NON-GMO feed. Your shipping costs are currently prohibitive. Please examine retail and commercial flat rate (<20lbs?).
Thanks (mahalo) and Aloha, Akamai
Yes I would be interested in getting organic fish food in Hilo hawaii also, we have a small aquaponics system. Maybe if we get enough interest in the area we could get a pallet and split it up, I know someone doing that for organic non-gmo chicken and pig feed
Just let me know!
I’m about to ship out a pallet to hilo that will include some bags of this feed. Please email me if you interested. I’m trying to get the best prices on shipping right now.
I’m also living near Hilo, Hawaii and am looking for organic feed for my tilapia. do you have any ideas for me on price and availability? Thanx, Tony
It is available now, Tony – http://www.theaquaponicstore.com/AquaOrganic-Organic-Fish-Food-s/126.htm.