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| Aquaponics Systems |
This nutrient rich water then needs to be disposed of and replaced with clean fresh water. While re-circulating aquaculture and hydroponics are both very efficient methods of producing fish and vegetables, when we look at combining the two, these negative aspects are turned into positives. The positive aspects of both aquaculture and hydroponics are retained and the negative aspects no longer exist.
Aquaponics can be as simple or as complex as you’d like to make it, the simple system pictured above is made from one IBC (Intermediate Bulk Container). The top was cut off and turned upside down to become a growbed for the plants. Water is pumped up from the fish tank into the growbed. The water trickles down through the media, past the roots of the plants before draining back into the fish tank.
The plants extract the water and nutrients they need to grow, cleaning the water for the fish. There are bacteria that live on the surface of the growbed media. These bacteria convert ammonia wastes from the fish into nitrates that can be used by the plants. The conversion of ammonia into nitrates is often termed “the nitrogen cycle”. This will be dealt with in more detail elsewhere on this website.
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| image by: NTG |
How does it work
The two main components of the system are the fish tank and the grow beds with a small pump moving water between the two. The water passes through the roots of the plants before draining back into the fish tank. The plants extract the water and nutrients (fish waste) they need to grow, cleaning the water for the fish.
There are a number of different styles of grow bed designs, the two most common being flood and drain and floating raft style.
Flood and drain style grow beds
Water is pumped from the fish tank up to the grow beds which contain the plants. Water then flows through the grow bed consisting of expanded clay balls and is gravity fed back to the fish tank. The water level in the grow bed is controlled via a syphon arrangement that alternates the flooding and draining of the grow bed.
Floating raft style grow beds
Water is pumped from the fish tank up to the grow bed. Plants are grown suspended via foam in the water-filled grow bed. A bio-filter converts ammonia to nitrates which are utilised by the plants. Air stones are used to provide aeration to the plants roots.
Benefits
- The main benefit from a system like this is the ability to grow fish and plants for consumption in the one system.
- Aquaponic systems use about 1/10 th of the water used to grow plants in the ground.
- Aquaponic systems can be incredibly productive, producing large amounts of produce.
Suggested plants to use include many Asian vegetables, as well as tomatoes, basil, cucumber, various herbs, melons, eggplants and chillies.
Fish
Suggested fish for use in an NT aquaponics system are sleepy cod and barramundi. During the cooler months a small water heater may be required for barramundi.
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