Aquaponics refers to any system that combines conventional aquaculture (raising aquatic animals such as snails, fish, crayfish or prawns in tanks) with hydroponics (cultivating plants in water) in a symbiotic environment. In normal aquaculture, excretions from the animals being raised can accumulate in the water, increasing toxicity. In an aquaponic system, water from an aquaculture system is fed to a hydroponic system where the by-products are broken down by Nitrifying bacteria initially into nitrites and subsequently into nitrates , which are utilized by the plants as nutrients, and the water is then recirculated back to the aquaculture system.
As existing hydroponic and aquaculture farming techniques form the basis for all aquaponics systems, the size, complexity, and types of foods grown in an aquaponics system can vary as much as any system found in either distinct farming discipline.
As existing hydroponic and aquaculture farming techniques form the basis for all aquaponics systems, the size, complexity, and types of foods grown in an aquaponics system can vary as much as any system found in either distinct farming discipline.
Aquaculture
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Aquaponics
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EBook
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Online Resources
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The main principle of aquaponics is very simple and mirrors nature. Fish are grown in tanks and nutrient-rich water from these tanks is pumped into hydroponic beds where vegetables, herbs, flowers and other crops absorb the nutrients for growth and purify the culture water, which is returned to the fish rearing tanks. Although the fish are living in a tank, in essence they are being raised in a river where their waste products are swept away and replaced with clean water. The plants are grown in water containing high levels of oxygen and nutrients – everything they need – without the problems associated with soils, such as weeds, soil diseases and pests, heavy metal and other toxicant issues and an often-experienced lack of oxygen or moisture. Plants remove only the water they need for growth. |
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