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If you are a "green-minded" person, or if you are interested in growing your own organic fresh fruit/vegetables or clean fish, then aquaponics might be a perfect system for you to learn more about. After taking some time to research this new technology, you will find that a question on many people's minds is "what is aquaponics?" This system is based on aquaculture, which is a closed freshwater system for raising fish that does not require daily water drainage or replenishment. Aquaponics creates a biological ecosystem that organic fruits and vegetables grow extremely well in, while at the same time purifying the water that the fish live in. The main components of the aquaponics system consist of growing beds for the vegetables, and a holding reservoir for the fish, where the water is re-circulated from one part to the other. There are several methods of recycling the water through this system, and one of the most popular methods is known as the "nutrient film" technique. It is called this since the nutrients from the fish waste water create a thin layer around the grow beds that is absorbed and used by the vegetables as food. As these nutrients are absorbed by the plants, the water is cleaned and recycled for the fish. Aquaponics was developed to grow pesticide-free organic vegetables and fish that are free of pollutants and dangerous levels of chemicals that are unfortunately found in many closed freshwater systems. The popularity of this method of gardening is easy to understand, since it is inexpensive to set up, and will require virtually no maintenance once the amount of vegetation and fish is carefully balanced. What is the Secret to Aquaponics? There are quite a few reasons why using the aquaponics method for growing organic fruit and vegetables is superior to traditional methods such as hydroponics and aquaculture. The main reasons include: Aquaponics is a virtually hands-off system. Once biological balance is achieved, it is selfsustaining, and only requires the fish to be fed. Aquaculture and hydroponics both require moderate to heavy daily maintenance, including feeding the fish, providing nutrients to the plant life, and water removal and replacement. Water Savings. Raising freshwater fish using the aquaculture method requires that at least ten percent of the total amount of water must be replaced each and every day. Over the course of one month, a five hundred gallon fish holding tank will need to have about fifteen hundred gallons removed and replaced, or else the fish will die. You may have to add some water to an aquaponics system if some evaporates, but the amount is insignificant.
Aquaponics provides an environment where several different types of fruits and vegetables can be grown. The size of the crops increases as more varieties are grown. The fish waste is turned into nitrates and provides continual nourishment for the plants. The plants purify the water by neutralizing the fish waste and ammonia, and keep the fish environment clean. Aquaponics solves the problems of both the aquaculture and hydroponics systems. Aquaponics naturally provides the same amount of nutrients for the plants to absorb and use for growth as is required in a hydroponics system.
What is happening In Aquaponics? As you can see, aquaponics is a new technology that improves on earlier methods of raising healthy fish and organic fruit and vegetables. Below you will find more specifics about how a successful aquaponics system is set up. Before you determine exactly how to set up your aquaponics system, you must determine how many fish and how many fruits and vegetables you want to produce. If you are planning on producing a large amount of fish or crops, perhaps for a new aquaponics business, then you will want to go out and buy a mechanical filtration pump. This will ensure that the fish waste does not build up around the plant roots and the pump will also circulate the water on a regular basis. Smaller systems do not require a pump if they are set up correctly. Large-scale aquaponics businesses can avoid using a filtration pump by setting up floating grow beds. Fish feed should be added to the fish holding tank for several days before any fish are added to it. This reduces the chlorine, and creates the healthy bacteria that will break down the fish ammonia, turning it into nitrates that nourish the plants. Without proper cycling, the ammonia and chlorine levels will be too high, causing the fish to die. After the fish are added to their holding reservoir, they are fed on a daily basis, and their solid waste and ammonia by-products are circulated to the growing beds for uptake. The plants cleanse the water by absorbing the waste and nutrients in it. The water is typically recycled back to the fish, which aerates the water and provides the fish with clean fresh water to live in. Achieving biological balance in your aquaponics system is the most important element in being successful. You must carefully combine the amount and number of fish, bacteria, and plant material so that this balance is achieved. Too many fish will lead to muddy water that will not support the fish, and not enough fish will fail to provide enough food for the plants. Without enough bacteria, the fish waste will not be converted to food for the vegetables. As you can see, each part of the system is dependent on the others, but it is really not that difficult to achieve if you understand the fundamentals and systematically build your aquaponics garden.
Robert Alekson is an aquaponics expert. So if you are wondering what is aquaponics all about, then be sure to visit http://www.aquaponicsfishsystem.com/.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_F_Alekson
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