Quality Living With Fish Aquaponics

There have been so many developments in areas of fish farming and agriculture in the recent past. Some of them have done wonders to the development of agriculture and fish farming, and some did not live up to the expectations. When something fails people normally point fingers at the system only and not on the method of approach. Every system has its own merits and demerits. A fish aquaponics system is not an exception.

The recently developed organic farming known as aquaponics is going to revolutionize the method of farming in the years to come. The process of getting started with an aquaponics system really demands proper guidance. An immature way of handling this system may not fetch you the desired results.

An aquaponics system can be described as a combined process of the farming of the aquatic organisms like fish and growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions. In other words, it is a combination of aquaculture and hydroponics. Both these processes take place simultaneously, and this system addresses the negative aspects of aquaculture and hydroponics in the best possible manner. The highly nutritious fish effluent is a perfect blend of all the nutrients for the optimum growth of plants. The cleaning and purification of the water are being done with the help of plants and the medium in which they grow. Once the filtering process is over, the water will recycle to the fish tank. The same process can be repeated without disposing the water.

There are three basic types of an aquaponics system:

1. Nutrient Film Technique (NFT)

The main advantage of the NFT system is that the plant roots are exposed continuously to adequate supplies of water, oxygen and nutrients. The defect lies in the fact that it has a very little buffer against interruptions in the flow.

2. Grow Bed Method

A deep container with a vast surface area is being used as the platform for growing. These systems are often designed to provide water to the plants intermittently.

3. Raft Or Deep Water Aquaponics System

This is meant for large scale, industrial purposes. Though it is a highly productive method, intensive biological and mechanical filtrations are essential to keep the water clean.

Though you have the freedom to grow any type of fish in aquaponics, you will have to give proper attention to the biological and economic attributes. You will have to select fish species that are capable of reproducing in captivity, and extreme care will have to be given to select fish species that have a long shelf life. Other major factors include adaptability to artificial feeds, well known culture requirements, market demands, high degree of tolerance in crowding and high density conditions, adaptability to multi-species farming and strong resistance power to diseases.

Biological filtration and mechanical filtration are the two primary types of filtration employed in an aquaponics system. Biological filtration ensures water quality, and the mechanical filtration extract the solid waste to keep the dissolved oxygen level under control. This organic and integrated soil-less system with low operational costs, has become a favorite method among those who are passionate about organic farming. Wouldn't you say an aquaponics system promotes quality living?