Aquaponics is a system that is primarily defined as one that displays or exhibits a combination of traditional form of agriculture and hydroponics. This combination is known as aquaponic systems and sees fish, crayfish and even shrimp raised in tanks, the effluent of which is then used to fertilize plants raised nearby.
Usually a filter would be needed to filter the water to keep the toxicity low and the fish happy. With this type of configuration, the filter is the plants that are watered and feed on the nutrients in the water. The by-products of the fish are transformed into vital nutrients and the waste becomes useful again. The water, after undergoing a filtration process, is re-transferred as clean water. This provides a symbiotic environment where the normal level of toxicity created by the fish is used in a positive way.
There is no set structure or size for an aquaponic system. It varies a lot depending on the area available outdoors or even indoors and also depends on a number of other factors, such as the growing units (for growing the plants) and the tanks (for the fish) that are available for this purpose. These systems use mostly fresh water for this type of cultivation. However, sometimes salt water is also used and this again depends on the vegetation and aquatic animals used for this purpose.
Many different plants can be grown in such a system, including lettuces, tomatoes, herbs, spinach, radishes to name a few, and many different fish species can be used. You can breed specific fish like Tilapia, Jade Perch, and Trout that will provide you with a constant supply of fresh fish or you can use non-edible fish like Koi and Goldfish to provide the necessary plant food.
Important components of aquaponic systems include
• Fish tanks: can be as simple as an aquarium with tanks up to 5,000 liters
• Pumps to move the water to the culture beds
• Drainage system to empty the cultivation beds
• Solid removal systems: not all effluents can be used.
• Cultivation beds: where plants grow by absorbing excess nutrients from the water
• Sump – the place where the water is finally loaded back into the rearing tanks
Aquaponic systems are still considered to be in the early stages and are in constant development. This is being considered as an alternative to the traditional way of farming and conventional cultivation due to the many advantages it offers such as yield and water conservation.