Ultimate Guide To Aquaponics

Traditional gardening and farming is starting to lose ground to new and more modern techniques of growing plants.  More and More people are moving towards hydroponic farming to enable them to grow fruits and vegetables indoors an there own homes with specially designed pots.  The biggest drawback to using this method is having to use chemical fertilizers to feed the plants.  This has a significant affect on the quality and flavor of the crops produced.

This problem can be overcome with the use of aquaponics.  The aquaponic system relies on sybiosis between plants and fish.  Aquaponics can be defined as the combining of aquaculture and hydroponics, by growing fish and plants together.  This allows both to be grown with out the need for chemical fertilizers and will result in a buch healthier crop of food.  Any chemicals at all could be disasterous to both the fish and the plants.

What types of plants do well in an aquaponic system?  Just about any kind you can think of!  the only exception are plants that fruit underground like potatoes, yams, peanuts and onions, etc. Fruity vegetables like cucumbers, strawberries, tomatoes, squash, okra, pepper, melon; herbs like basil and oregano; different types of beans and peas as well as green leafy vegetables grow very well in this type of system. What will amaze you even more is the great taste your veggies and legumes will have. You will not believe that something so good can be grown in your garage or in your living room. They have a far better taste than the veggies you buy from the market as they are all natural, organic and have no other chemical “improvements”. Just what is best of the plant! Your meals will be healthier and tastier!

If you want to obtain great results make sure you purchase organic seeds, so that you know exactly that your crops will be 100% organic. This way you will enjoy the real taste of freshly harvested vegetables in the comfort of your home. What can be better than that?!

Before you rush down to you local hardware store for a truck load of supplies, lets discuss exactly what is involved in aquaponics.

An Aquaponics system takes the best traits of traditional aquaculture and a modern gardening technique called hydroponics and combines them. By combining the two the resulting system is a clean and efficient and extremely easy to maintain aqauponic system.  Enthusiasts and profesionals alike will attest to this very fact.

A balanced system

In order for your aquaponic system to thrive and produce, there must be balance.

Balance within this kind of biological system is achieved through the interaction of three key players: the fish, the plants, and the bacteria. That’s right – without the bacteria, an aquaponics system will simply not work. (Or it will take ten times more work to sustain it!)

Here’s what happens when you have an aquaponics system in place:

In one part of the system, freshwater fish (such as tilapia) swim around in about one thousand to two thousand liters of water. When you feed the fish, they produce waste material. Unused fish feed also becomes part of the waste in the water. Your fish will also produce a chemical known as ammonia.

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After a while (as you can imagine), the water in one part of the system becomes quite dirty because the fish continually produce waste matter and ammonia.

That’s where bacteria come to the rescue. You see, over time naturally occurring microbes begin to grow in the water. Bacteria such as nitrobacter are capable of breaking down the ammonia that is being continually produced by the fish.

Once the bacteria have done their part in decomposing the ammonia (which can cause toxicity in the water), nitrates are produced. Nitrates are byproducts that usually occur in aquariums and other aquatic systems. In high amounts, nitrates can also cause problems because these byproducts can encourage the growth of unwanted vegetation in the water.

And that’s where the plants come in to balance the system once again. Plants have no trouble at all handling nitrates. Nitrates are natural nutrients for plants.

So in one part of an aquaponics system, you have the fish which produce ammonia (and consequently, nitrates). In another part of the system, you have the plants that literally absorb the nitrates and other waste products in the water. All the undesirable waste that comes from the fish section of the system is utilized by the plants so that the plants grow. Water from the fish section is circulated so that the plants are able to filter and clean the water several times per day.

The beauty of an aquaponic system is that you have an all-natural biological filter operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Your fish never suffer from the difficulties of living in a closed system because you always have plants to help carry away the waste and detoxify the water. Over a period of time, the system will achieve a natural state of biological balance and all you have to do is to monitor water levels and ensure that there is no overcrowding in the fish tank.

A wide variety of fish are suitable for use in aquaponic tanks.  Before you decide on the fish you will be using in your aquaponic system, we recomend a little research.  You will want to find out what fish will do best in your weather, temperature and general climate in your location.

Not all fish grow and develop the same.  Some fish will grow faster than others and some are just better suited for closed-tank environments.

Another thing to consider is that some species will not reproduce in holding tanks.  If you decide to use any of those species, new fish will have to be bought after a harvet to begin the cycle again.

Today we will discuss the most common species used in aquaponic systems:

Tilapia

Tilapia are categorized as an invasive species, but that doesn’t mean they should be avoided. It just means that you have to be extra careful not to accidentally release tilapia into the wild to prevent this fish from competing with native fish species. (Tilapia can negatively impact the growth ad reproduction of native species.)

Tilapia is a mild-flavored freshwater fish that can survive in holding tanks if some heating is given to maintain a consistent water temperature. Tilapia is a group of cichlids that can be found all over the world.

Tilapia feed primarily off aquatic vegetation and can easily reproduce in closed systems. Tilapia that have escaped into the wild can reproduce hybrid tilapia if they are able to mate with other tilapia species.

White bass

A Midwestern species, the white bass is an excellent edible fish species that you should also consider stocking. Unlike the tilapia, the white bass is carnivorous and it can feed easily on small crabs and smaller fish.

In the wild, a single white bass can lay as many 900,000 eggs during the active spawning season. No care is given to the eggs after the spawning. The adult white bass leave the spawning sites after the eggs have been fertilized. The white bass can grow up to fifteen inches, but the average size for this species is nine inches.

The meat of the white bass is often cooked through smoking and is a crowd favorite in the Midwest, due to the fact that white bass is not hard to catch at all, especially during the spawning season.

Crappie

Our third favorite is the crappie because of its delicately flavored meat and because of the fact that like the tilapia, it can adapt well to closed systems.

Unfortunately, crappie (unlike other fish) need at least two years before they are able to mate and reproduce. Once the female crappie lays her eggs, the male partner protects the spawning site from intruders. It only takes ten days before the fertilized eggs are hatched naturally.

Carnivorous by nature, crappies should be fed insects and small fish if they are kept in a closed system like a fish tank. Avoid stocking crappies with larger fish such as walleyes as these larger fish will actually prey upon crappies. You wouldn’t want to deal with larger fish nibbling on your crappies.

Aquaponics is an extremely sustainable way to raise fish and fruits and vegetables in a closed system.

The Aquaponics System

The disadvantages of the standard garden are eliminated while at the same time the traditional freshwater fish system is improved upon.  By using this technique, you will be able to produce a thriving freshwater fish system and produce the nutrients needed by the plants. The plants will feed on the waste produced by the fish within the system, and help filter and clean the water.

This approach is very sustainable and many aquaponic enthusiasts around the country have already experienced great success with creating sustainable aquaponic systems that regularly produce organic vegetables and tasty, clean fish.

Demystifying aquaponics

Aquaponics is usually defined as a combination of two methods: aquaculture and hydroponics. Aquaculture is the process of raising fish in closed systems. Hydroponics, on the other hand, is the art of producing fresh fruits and vegetables using water alone — with no soil to speak of. When you combine these two systems, you get Aquaponics.

Why would aninterested in aquaponicsyone be ?

Here are some of the main advantages:

1.    Aquaponics does not require a lot of space.

2.    You will end up harvesting both fish and fruits & vegetables.

3.    It’s relatively easy to set up your own aquaponic system.

4.    It is not expensive at all to create and maintain an aquaponic system.

5.    Aquaponic systems are expandable. As you continue to master the process, you can add sections to your existing system to increase your yield/harvest.

6.    You can find aquaponics practitioners around the country. You’ll be able to reach out to people with identical interests and learn from them when you are just starting out.

Flexible production

Aquaponic systems can be scaled up or down depending on your production needs. A small aquaponic system can produce up to nearly 25 pounds of fresh fish such as tilapia every six months… and let’s not forget the nearly 50 pounds of vegetables!

You may also decide to sell your organic vegetables, fruits, and fish. You can expand your operation to a commercial aquaponics system to produce a bigger harvest. Of course, you’ll need more space and a more powerful water pumping system, but these are just one-time expenses for your system.

After you have expanded your aquaponic system that’s all there is to it.  Now you just have to maintain the system to be able to ensure your plants and fish grow.  The sign of a smooth running system is a large harvest.  If you are getting a large harvest of fish and vegetables then your system is clean and well maintained from day to day.

This is the perfect project for anyone of any age looking to be self sufficient.  If you have a passion for gardening and/or and a desire to get things done then this is definitely for you!