Aquaponics

Aquaponics is simply the combination of aquaculture (fish farming) and hydroponics (growing plants without soil). In a symbiotic relationship, the fish provide nutrients necessary for plant growth. And the plants, in taking up the nutrients, help to clean the water the fish live in. An aquaponic system is a mini ecosystem where both plants and fish can thrive.

The Fisheries AquaRanch^TM can easily be adapted to aquaponics by adding a grow bed for the plants to live in. The water from the fish tank is pumped to the grow bed and trickles through a medium, such as perlite, to feed the plants and to provide water and oxygen to the plant roots.

Students of all ages can learn the concepts of renewable-sustainable agriculture from an aquaponic system in which plants and fish live in a recirculating aquatic environment. A small aquaponic system can be set up in any classroom. This can encourage individual responsibility in students while demonstrating the principles of the nitrification cycle, plant usage of nutrients, pH, relationships, botany, plant growth, biology, and fish health. Aquaponics is a unique teaching tool that will give students skills in several diciplines. Aquaponics is fun and interesting for everybody.

Gardens can be nourished by the effluent from an aquaculture system. Many plants thrive on aquaculture water. The picture to the right is of a working aquaponic system. In the greenhouse is an AquaRanch™ aquaculture pod system. There are hybrid striped bass in the tanks and a recirculating growbed with vegetables and flowers above the tanks. The clarifier is set up to discharge the effluent out to the garden. The garden plants on the outside of the greenhouse are planted in soil and fed the aquaculture water through plumbing at the base of the plants.

Commercially, aquaponics is in its infancy; but, as the technology develops and is refined, it will be a more efficient and space saving method of growing both fish and vegetables or herbs. By incorporating aquaponics, hydroponic growers can eliminate the cost and labor involved in mixing a fertilizer solution and commercial aquaculturists are able to drastically reduce the amount of filtration needed in recirculating fish culture. Although there is currently a limited number of commercial aquaponic operations, many people are expressing a strong interest in this method of intensive food production.

To learn more about aquaponics, check out the Aquaponics Journal, books, CD-Roms, school curriculums and videos at www.aquaponics.com.