Aquaponics - Hydroponic's First Cousin in the Gardening World

 

Many people may have heard about aquaponics and hydroponics, but not really understood what the difference between these two terms is, or even what they mean to the world of gardening. Hydroponics, which is a Latin term meaning "working water," is the growth of plants without soil which involves supplying all of the nutrients usually supplied by soil to plants via water. Aquaponics combines the breeding of fish in a controlled environment with hydroponic plant growing - the plants and the fish are bred together in one integrated system, which benefits both of them. The plants and fish come together to create a sustainable, healthy ecosystem for food production, which leads to increased output of both plants and fish, as opposed to fish farming or hydroponic gardening independently.

 

Aquaponics solves a problem that consistently faces fish farmers and hydroponic gardeners. The water that farmers use to breed their fish contains an extremely high level of nutrients, due to the fish excrement in the water. Normally, this water is simply discarded because there is no good application for it; a huge waste in a world where people are starving because of an inability to grow food. Hydroponic gardeners face the opposite problem. They are always in need of nutrient rich water for their plants, and hydroponic nutrient solutions are expensive. Aquaponics brings the nutrient rich water of fish farmers together with nutrient starved hydroponic plants, creating a cheap, all natural solution to the problem of hydroponic nutrient mixes.

 

This solution does not only work well for the plants. Aquaponics also helps breed healthier fish, because the plants create a natural filter for the fish. The plants help mimic the ecosystem of the lakes and streams where these fish grow naturally, thus creating a larger output of fish than fish breeding alone.

 

All kinds of plants and fish have been successfully grown in aquaponic systems. Hypdroponic lettuce, herbs, flowers, and even melons and grapes have been grown in this manner. Fresh water fish like tilapia and bass are favorite species of fish bred using this method.

 

Another benefit of aquaponic growing is that is saves space. Plants can be placed much more closely together than in traditional hydroponic gardening - in fact, the more densely the plants are planted, the better the fish breed - significantly increasing output. Additionally, plants can be grown year round using aquaponics, which is important to people who live in climates not conducive to growth. The end output of these growth systems is truly organic, unlike more traditional hydroponic systems. Because of the fish, pesticides cannot be used.

 

Aquaponic farming is a great way to conserve water, as well. It uses significantly less water than traditional fields, and even less water than traditional hydroponic systems. The water that is used in aquaponics is used to it full potential; it provides a habitat for fish while at the same time providing a nutrient rich water source for plants. This dual use of resources is important to environmental activists.

 

Research into aquaponics began in the 1970s, but it is only now beginning to catch on commercially. There is research into this system happening in the agricultural departments of major universities in hopes of making aquaponics even more commercially viable. Novice and amateur gardeners can also use aquaponics at the home in their own gardens. All you need to get going is a food plastics grade fish tank (any other kind of tank will leak chemicals from the plastic into your food). A number of resources can be found online to help gardeners set up their own aquaponics system at home.