Aquaponics
are a new and innovative set up which allows anyone to grow their own
fruit, vegetables and herbs whilst breeding a variety of fish. That
is not all that is enticing, as this system is also very low in
maintenance and cost wise.
Starting
off, the set up requires the use of two containers, a water pump, air
bubbler and bell filter which is very simplistic yet very effective
when in motion.
By
separating the two containers in a bunk or side by side set up, one
part is used for growing the plants whilst the other is used to house
the fish. Due to the nature and requirements, we find that a ratio
between 1:4 to 1:7 in plant / fish tank size to have the best yields
possible. Depending on the fish used, you will may also need to go up
to 1000L – 2000L in order to grow them efficiently.
After
this is setup, the water pump can be installed to the bottom tank,
with the water head exiting into the top plant tank. The top plant
tank will need to be filled with a filter and grow media which when
set up correctly, will flood then flash dump so as to not rot the
roots of the plant that is growing in the plant bed.
Essentially
the system works by pumping the fish waste to the top garden bed as
fertilizer, then allowing the grow media and plants to filter the
water till it is clean again for dumping back into the bottom fish
tank again. This reduces the need for any sort of cleaning. Vegetable
matter can be used depending on the fish, as feed further reducing
the maintenance of the system.
It
is easy to see why aquaponic systems are the best innovation to home
grown fruit and veg that we have seen in the last hundred years!
