Into to Aquaponics

[Quadcam]

What is Aquaponics?

Aquaponics is a bio-integrated system that links recirculating aquaculture with hydroponic vegetable, flower, and/or herb production.

Aquaponics serves as a model of sustainable food production by following certain principles:

* The waste products of one biological system serve as nutrients for a second biological system.
* The integration of fish and plants results in a polyculture that increases diversity and yields multiple products.
* Water is re-used through biological filtration and recirculation.
* Local food production provides access to healthy foods and enhances the local economy.

In aquaponics, nutrient-rich effluent from fish tanks is used to fertigate hydroponic production beds. This is good for the fish because plant roots and rhizobacteria remove nutrients from the water. These nutrients – generated from fish manure, algae, and decomposing fish feed – are contaminants that would otherwise build up to toxic levels in the fish tanks, but instead serve as liquid fertilizer to hydroponically grown plants. In turn, the hydroponic beds function as a biofilter – stripping off ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, and phosphorus – so the freshly cleansed water can then be recirculated back into the fish tanks. The nitrifying bacteria living in the gravel and in association with the plant roots play a critical role in nutrient cycling; without these microorganisms the whole system would stop functioning.

Plants for aquaponics systems: Lettuce, herbs, and specialty greens (spinach, chives, basil, and watercress) have low to medium nutritional requirements and are well adapted to aquaponic systems. Plants yielding fruit (tomatoes, bell peppers, and cucumbers) have a higher nutritional demand and perform better in a heavily stocked, well established aquaponic system

Fish Species: several warm-water and cold-water fish species are adapted to recirculating aquaculture systems, including tilapia, trout, perch, Arctic char, and bass. However, most commercial aquaponic systems in North America are based on tilapia. Tilapia is a warm-water species that grows well in a recirculating tank culture. Furthermore, tilapia is tolerant of fluctuating water conditions such as pH, temperature, oxygen, and dissolved solids. Tilapia produces a white-fleshed meat suitable to local and wholesale markets

Heres' a before and after of a system...not mine..

8 weeks later


fish

5 months later

[Missy]

interesting. have you started a system yourself?

[Quadcam]

not yet, I have some of the supplies like a few hundred pounds of hydroton clay balls that I scored off craigslist for $30. I have a couple old aquariums to use for the fish but I need to find some cheap or free plastic barrels to hold the growth medium.

I may try and work on it in the fall after I build the greenhouse. I learned alot from an australian site called backyard aquaponics . http://backyardaquaponics.com/forum/index.php They have tons of info and member systems, thats where those pics are from.

the growth rate of the veggies using this system is just unreal and I cant wait to finally get a system up and running.

[Ceashels]

That is a very cool set up. Thank you for sharing the information.

[Russ]

VERY impressive setup.

[angelbumpkin]

Very neat setup.