What is aquaponics?
Aquaponics is the name given to any system which uses the waste produced by aquatic animals to fertilize plants. The animals produce nitrites which are toxic to them if allowed to accumulate. In an aquaponic system nitrogen fixing bacteria convert the nitrites into nitrates which can be used by the plants in the grow bed. This in addition to ammonia and other waste produced by the fish provides an excellent fertilizer for plants. By absorbing these chemicals the plants better the quality of the water for the fish, thus a symbiotic relationship is formed between the two. A hydroponic growing system uses less water than a conventional system and as the plants get their nutrients from the fish it does not require any chemical fertilizers. For these reasons Aquaponics is often championed as an environmentally friendly way to grow small scale gardens.
Aquaponics vs Hydroponics
Hydroponics is any method of growing plants that substitutes nutrient-rich water for conventional soil. Aquaponics is a form of hydroponics, however there are other methods of adding nutrients into the water such as through the use of more conventional manures or fertilizers.
My Hydroponics Project
Aquaponics has long been a subject that has interested me. I always thought of it as comparatively difficult way to grow plants. However, recently I have seen more and more people create their own systems at home. For this reason I decided to give it a try using my home aquarium.
My 40 gallon aquarium houses 1 blue gourami, 1 plecostomus catfish, 6 harlequin rasboras and 3 snails. As you can see my tank is already planted, however after conducting water tests I am confident that there are still enough nutrients in the water to sustain a modest aquaponic setup.
To move the water from the aquarium to the grow-bed and back again I chose to use this half inch tubing that I found at the home depot. I drilled in a series of one-eight inch holes along the tubing to allow the water from the grow-bed to flow in easily.
For a grow-bed I used this plastic container from Target. Before deciding on this container I checked to ensure that the plastic would not leech chemicals into the water or react with sunlight. I then drilled in 2 holes to allow the tubing in and sealed them with an aquarium safe silicone.
For a growing medium I used clay pellets made specifically for hydroponic/aquaponic setups. I used 2 ten liter bags to ensure that my grow-bed was covered in a 3 inch thick layer of pebbles.
To test out this setup I added a Bolivian good luck plant that had been given to my family as a gift.
After several weeks in the grow bed I noticed good growth in the plant, however I also noticed algae growing in the tubing leading into the bed. Because of my success with this plant I will add more to the setup soon and post any updates here.