How Aquaponics Works - 5 Areas To Concentrate On Before Setting Up Your System

This article will show why the study of aquaponics is really starting to take off at the moment and with the advent of books, e-Books and online tutorials, there has never been a better time to get into this topic of sustainable organic food production. It will not only save you money on your household grocery bills, but it will also give you a feel good factor. Afterall, you are doing something which is environmentally friendly and has been proven to lessen the impact of overpopulation and the need for further land clearance.

Lets quickly take a look at how aquaponics works, then we can get into the details. The system set up allows you to produce organically reared fish and vegetables which mutually benefit each other. Fish are kept in tanks and fed organic fish food. Their waste is broken down by special bacterial organisms and the resultant nitrates from the nitrification process is fed to the plants as a nutrient feed. This process of breaking down and removing the fish waste, protects the fish from toxic poisoning and allows them to live in cleansed water. The plants get free food from the nitrification process and produce the organic fruits and vegetables for your table. The fish can be seen as a bonus in this system and you have the option to rear edible or decorative species.

So, the 5 steps to consider:

Plans - do your research here as the quality of the plans in the beginning will determine the quality of your aquaponics system at the end. Do you want the plants to detail specialist areas of aquaponics as you already have a gist for the subject or do you require plans which are wide-ranging. Whichever medium you choose, online or bookstore, check the content and detail to make sure you get value for money. If you choose online, will you receive support?

Urban/Backyard/Home - whatever term you use, this refers to setting up an aquaponics system at your place of residence, whether this is inside your house, shed, garage, outhouse or specially designed building. Use the plans from the first stage to ensure you know how big the system will be, where you will locate it and will you have easy access to water and power supplies.

DIY - are you good with your hands? Can you plumb pipes together and run simple electrical cabling? Safely? Can you cut holes in plastic tanks and connect pumps and filtration systems? The level of DIY'er you are will affect the level of plans you should purchase and the size of system you should start with. Do not run before you can walk, this is where support with the product comes in very handy, unless you are a dab hand at doing things yourself.

Supplies - you will need to purchase quite a few items just to get started, tanks, grow beds, pump units, filtration systems, living supplies such as your plants and fish. Can you get these locally or will you be buying over the phone/online with the associated costs.

Fish and Plants - the lifeblood of your system. Which fish and plants are you going to rear/grow. The size of your tank could affect both species and whether or not you go with fresh or salt water types. Do not forget that many species require direct sunlight to grow and prosper, so your location will also affect this side of things. Will your fish be grown to eat or grown to look pretty in a pond?

Now we have looked at how aquaponics works, you have the information at your fingertips to take this forward and begin planning your own sustainable food production system which you can benefit from for years to come.

Steven Bourne is a writer with personal interests in the renewable energy sector and his hobbies are centered around the great outdoors and DIY.


Article Source: Steven Bourne