Aquaponics is a way to grow food:

vegetables

herbs

fish

Aquaponics uses a very simple concept:

Use dirty fish water to water and fertilize your plants and crops.

So what EXACTLY is Aquaponics?It is a mixture of:

Aquaculture and Hydroponics

Growing plants without soil - only Water.

Growing fish and other species in fresh water.

Modern Aquaponics systems do NOT use soil to grow the crops

But,

Aquaponics systems can be as simple as …

Here’s how an Aquaponics system really works:

Fish waste goes into the water.

The water gets pumped out of the tank into a container with plants.

The plant roots absorb nutrients from the water which helps them grow.

The water goes back into the fish tank.

But it is a little more complicated than that . . . .

The water from the tank is polluted. Fish waste adds Ammonia into the water. If too much ammonia accumulates, the fish will die. BUT . . .

Bacteria (good bacteria) in the water convert the ammonia in the water to chemicals called Nitrites. BUT . . . .

Nitrites are still bad for the plants and animals. More good bacteria in the water converts the nitrites into Nitrates. AND . . .

Plants LOVE Nitrates. This is the fertilizer that they need to grow.

So this means that we will have plants and crops to eat when they grow.

It also means that we will have fish to eat when they grow up.

It’s a type of continuous food supply.

It’s an ECOSYSTEM

And where do We (ENMS) fit in?

We will have an aquaponics system here in the classroom.

Fish tank

Grow Light

Plants floating in water

Water Pump

We will grow and eat our own crops

Some of the problems with a traditional garden are:

• It is seasonal• The soil must be prepared, fertilized, and you plant seeds in the spring time.• The soil nutrients are used up by the plants and the plants die.• The amount of fruits and vegetables produced is based on the amount of nutrients, sunlight, and water.• After the plants die the soil will have to be re-fertilized, and the plants replanted.• Traditional gardening requires regular watering and soil fertilizing.

How does Aquaponics compare to a traditional garden?

Here are the advantages of an aquaponics system:

Plants produce more food than plants that grow in a garden. The yield can be anywhere from 5 to 20 times more food in less time.

Vegetables plants will grow faster than plants that are grown in soil.

The amount of space for aquaponics is much less than a traditional garden.

Lower set-up and operating costs.

Here are the advantages of an aquaponics system:

The cost for electricity for a small pump may be less than $15 per month. This cost can be reduced with solar panels or a small wind turbine.

The closed system use about 80% less water than soil gardening.

The system is easy to build. There are many step-by-step manuals that make the building of the aquaponics system easy.

They are easy to maintain. After the system is constructed the maintenance becomes almost care-free.

Here are the advantages of an aquaponics system:

All the material and parts for the system are available at your local garden or building system store.

You save money when you grow your own fish, fruits, and vegetables.

The best part. You get to eat healthy, fresh organic food and fresh fish that you grow.