What
aquaponics is can be seen as food production, but the essential
definition lies in combining hydroponics and aquaculture. The
combination of both make aquaponics a system that is perfectly
suitable for farming both plants and fish at the same time, in a
cycle that is mutually beneficial.
The fish produce waste, and this waste becomes ammonia and nitrates. Neither of these are good for the fish, when they have been build up too much, but they are still great fertilizer for plants. The plant suction of these nutrients make them purify the water, which is very good for the fish.
Water
In
addition to answering what is aquaponics, the hydroponics needs
nutrient that is expensive for feeding the plant, and flushing the
system periodically, which potentially leads to disposal waste
issues.
The
re-circulation of aquaculture is in need of having excess nutrient
being removed from the system, which normally means that a percentage
of water is generally removed on a daily basis.This is a nutrient
enriched water that need to be disposed, and replace with fresh and
clean water.
Fish
There
are many cultures that made use of the cycle to successfully grow
better crops, and then nurture the fish as an optional food source.
Both Thailand and China has been padding their rice with the
aquaponic techniques for years.
Aztecs
has developed a building floating island system for food-plants like
squash and maize. There is fish propagated around islands, while
leaving waste behind them at bottom of the lake, which is where they
could be collected for fertilizing plants.
The
modern aquaponics has more advanced technology than the classical
ones. However, they are still both environmental friendly and
efficient for production of food.
Tank
The
fish is usually kept in large tanks, and plants are hydroponically
grown without any soil. They are normally planted in beds, with a
little clay or gravel, while their roots are hanging down, and inside
the water.
In
what aquaponics is, it is partly the water being cycled through the
system, which make it possible to collect waste from the fishes,
which are then pumped to plants bed, where the plants can naturally
filter it, before they can be returned to fish tanks.
Unlike
the farming methods that are traditional, the plants has no need for
any chemical fertilizers, because they will all be coming from the
fish-waste. This is also normally organic, as any use of pesticides
would damage the fish.
System
This
is aquaponics, because when the system has been set up, then it only
need a little extra water to make up for evaporation, because there
is consistency in the water-recycling.
This
is a great improvement to the traditional way of growing plants,
which has always need a lot water.
There
are many types of plants that can be grown in the aquaponic farms,
regardless if it is of commercial sized or home sized, these includes
especially herbs and leafy plants.
The
most popular fish in aquaponics is tilapia, even though there are
many others that are suitable for the aquaponics environment.
