Aquaponics merges two farming technologies – aquaculture and hydroponics.
Aquaculture is the farming of fish, crustaceans, mollusks and aquatic plants.
Hydroponics is growing plants only in water, not soil. Aquaponics is a symbiotic
relationship, where fish waste ammonia is converted by bacteria into nitrites and then
into nitrates. The plants absorb the nitrates as fertilizer, and clean water is pumped
back to the fish.
Aquaponic systems can be setup
as homemade or store-bought kits.
System sizes can range from small
to large scale. The number of fish
must be balanced to the amount of
growing surface area for proper
bio-filtration. Keep the water well
oxygenated by pumping all the
water volume through the gravel
bed at least once per hour.
All aquaponics systems require the
following key components:
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Fish “tank” with Aeration
Pump & Water Lines
Plants
Light source
Plant Container(s) with Growing Medium, i.e. gravel or charcoal, to act as Bio-filter
Fish - small scale goldfish or larger scale koi, tilapia, catfish, etc.
Aerator
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