
Aquaponics Intensive Commercial Course – Johannesburg (2 Weeks)
This course runs everyday of the week, excluding Sundays. Book 30 days in advance and get access to the Early Bird Discount and save R3,000!
Hosted by industry experts, including Justin Hess and Johan van De Bosch. Running a successful aquaponics business is much more than the reading a text book or listening to a lecture – at the end of the day it is about making a profit. This is our most comprehensive and hands on training course yet and designed for farmers that want to go commercial! By the end of the first of two weeks, you will be required to fully operate and run one of the aquaponic systems at Ichthys Farm. The focus on the second week will be to develop the skills required to successfully operate and run a system using operational best practices developed over 14 years at Ichthys Farm. It includes the principles of good system design that are critical for a successful operation. It’s all about minimising run cost and maximising yields.
You will in addition learn how to manage a system as an independent business owner; managing budgets, financial statements and tunnel performance metrics to name a few. It aims to simulate the business and operational environment the candidate will experience when he start up his own facility. The course is strictly limited to only 5 candidates for the full duration of the course and on most days will start at 7am in the morning.
Course is ideal for both owners and supervisors.
- Interest in aquaponics
- Pen and paper
- Laptop
- Water bottle
- Comfortable shoes as we walk around on the farm
- Do bring work / old clothes, and or overalls as it is practical work and you get really dusty and dirty doing the grinding, drilling etc.
Topics Covered
- What is Aquaponics
- Types of systems
- Fish Husbandry
- Plant Health management
- Aquaculture design
- Home system build
- Tank Aeration Designs
- Parallel Air Pump System
- Water Pump Manifold System
- Dosage Systems
- Media Bed Designs
- DWC Bed Design
- Morning system check
- Practical Work
- Seedlings
- Transplanting
- Mineralisation
- Spraying
- Morning system checks
- Commercial system design
- Understanding the design flow
- Daily tunnel activities
- Financial planning
- Evaluate CAPEX models for starting your own system
- Understanding your market, marketing strategy and sales strategy
- Conduct a Aquaculture and Hydroponics Financial Planning
- Configure and build a monthly and quarterly budget
- Configure a Profit and Loss statement for a 24 month period
- Configure a Balance Sheet for the system
- Conduct a Capital Budgeting evaluation for project
- Evaluate strategies to improve commercial viability
- Mineralisation Systems (Anaerobic and Aerobic)
- Environmental control systems and related tunnel designs
- Morning system checks
- Advanced aquaculture
- Economics of aquaponics
- Aquaculture regulations and grants
- Fish breeding
- How to harvest fish and management its cold chain
- How to collect and transport fish
- How to minimize stress to the fish when introducing the fingerlings into your system
- How to manage the fish quarantine area i.e. water changes
- How to treat unhealthy fish in your Aquaponic system and quarantine area
- Understand the most common issues experienced with fish
- Introduction to hydroponics and design
- Plant nutrition
- Pest control
- Understand the Standard and Reactive Spray Plans, and best times for spraying
- Scouting, night time inspections, and pest cards and “focussed spraying”
- Understand correct spraying procedure and spraying effectiveness
- Training on responsible use of crop protection products: how to store and dispense chemicals and dispensing, and health and safety measures
- Seed to harvest
- Develop/Review the Tunnel harvesting Plan
- Understand how to manage for continuous harvesting
- Understand how to prepare for the harvest
- How to manage harvest product quality and QAS documents
- Understand the harvesting transaction process
- Understand “Corrective Action” Report Feedback
- Lastly, conduct and communicate Post Harvesting preparation and audits.
- Product distribution
- Marketing
- Trouble shooting
- Operational management – The Farm Business Structures and Performance Model
- Aquafeed
- Business case development
- Regulatory, cold chain
Hourly Schedule
Day 1 - Friday - Build a Hobby System
- 08:00 - 13:00
- Introduction to Aquaponics
- 13:00 - 13:45
- Lunch
- 13:45 - 16:00
- Aquaponics 101
Day 2 - Saturday - Aquaponics 101
- 08:00 - 13:00
- Construction
- Bell Siphons, Solid Lift Outlets, Float Rafts
- 13:00 - 13:45
- Lunch
- 13:45 - 16:00
- System Assembly
- Assemble the system and get it running
Day 3 - Sunday - OFF
Day 4 - Monday - Advanced Design
- 07:00 - 08:00
- Morning Activities
- 08:00 - 13:00
- Advanced Commercial Design
- 13:00 - 13:45
- Lunch
- 13:45 - 16:00
- Farm Tours
- Visiting other aquaponics farms
Day 5 - Tuesday - Finances
- 07:00 - 08:00
- Morning Activities
- 08:00 - 13:00
- Developing an Aquaponics Business Case
- 13:00 - 13:45
- Lunch
- 13:45 - 16:00
- Practicals
- Planting, Seed Germination, Transplanting
Day 6 - Wednesday - Aquaculture
- 07:00 - 08:00
- Morning Activities
- 08:00 - 13:00
- Fish Husbandry
- 13:00 - 13:45
- Lunch
- 13:45 - 15:00
- Fish Breeding
- Tilapia, Trout & Catfish
- 15:00 - 16:00
- Practicals
- Hatchery enhancements
Day 7 - Thursday - Aquaculture
- 07:00 - 08:00
- Morning Activities
- 08:00 - 13:00
- Fish stock management
- How to optimise your densities
- 13:00 - 13:45
- Lunch
- 13:45 - 16:00
- Practicals
- Building Air Lifts & Mineralisation
Day 9 - Friday - Hydroponics Masterclass
- 07:00 - 08:00
- Morning Activities
- 08:00 - 13:00
- Seed to Harvest
- 13:00 - 13:45
- Lunch
- 13:45 - 15:00
- Pest Control
- 15:00 - 16:00
- Nutrient Management
Day 10 - Saturday - Hydroponics Masterclass
- 07:00 - 08:00
- Morning Activities
- 08:00 - 13:00
- Commercial Hydroponics
- Hosted by Johan Van Den Bosch
- 13:00 - 13:45
- Lunch
- 13:45 - 16:00
- Commercial Hydroponics
- Johan Van Den Bosch
Day 11 - Sunday - OFF
Day 12 - Monday - Operations Management
- 07:00 - 08:00
- Morning Activities
- 08:00 - 13:00
- Developing the Operations Blueprint
- 13:00 - 13:45
- Lunch
- 13:45 - 15:00
- Staffing of the farm
- 15:00 - 16:00
- Practicals
- Pest Control, Dosing & Spraying
Day 13 - Tuesday - Cold Chain Management
- 07:00 - 08:00
- Morning activities
- 08:00 - 13:00
- Regulations & Markets
- Understand the regulations required
- 13:00 - 13:45
- Lunch
- 13:45 - 16:00
- Practicals
- Harvesting and packaging of produce
Day 14 - Wednesday - Elevator Pitches
- 07:00 - 08:00
- Morning Activities
- 08:00 - 11:00
- Business Pitches
- Students present their business pitches
- 11:00 - 13:00
- Evaluation & exam
- 13:00 - 13:45
- Lunch
- 13:45 - 16:00
- Graduation & Wrap Up

Comment (1)
best cialis online