Aquaponics - About

Right, I realise that I didn't really introduce the subject of aquaponics. I'll give a brief summary buy for further reading here's the wiki page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquaponics :) Aquaponics is a combination of aquaculture, raising of fish, pawns, snails, etc. for food and hydroponics the growing of plants in water. Fish produce ammonia through their gills and poop which in fact can become toxic to them. Through bacteria action this ammonia can be converted to nitrites and then into nitrates.



source: http://aquaponicshowtodiy.landscapeideasandpicture.com/aquaponics-systems

Plants like nitrates, fish don't (they don't mind nitrates but they don't like ammonia). Aquaponics takes advantage of this. The water from the fish tanks, pond in my case, is pumped into grow beds where the bacteria live on the stones or whatever material has been used there. The plants live in this material and consume the nitrates, cleaning the water. That water is then returned to the fish tanks, done properly this can also aerate the water which fish also like.

In many cases people raise edible fish so you can get both fish and plants from this kind of system.

There are only three inputs to an aquaponics system. Food for the fish, electricity for the pump and, every so often, water to top up the system.

There you have a brief introduction into aquaponics. There is actually loads of stuff on the internet about it. It seems quite popular else where.