Aquaponics system

What is Aquaponics?

Aquaponics is a form of agriculture that combines raising fish in tanks (re circulating aquaculture)
with soilless plant culture (hydroponics).  In aquaponics, the nutrient-rich water from raising fish
provides a natural fertilizer for the plants and the plants help to purify the water for the fish.  
Aquaponics can be used to sustainably raise fresh fish and vegetables for a family, to feed a village
or to generate profit in a commercial farming venture, year ‘round, in any climate.
How Does Aquaponics Work?

• By producing excrement, fish enrich water with many mineral

compounds.

• Water is circulated through a biofilter - essentially a colony of

nitrifying bacteria which turn ammonia and nitrites into plant-
nurturing nitrates.

• Plants consume excess nitrates and other trace elements and

utilize them for vigorous growth.

• Purified (and often oxygenated) water is returned to the fish tank,

supplying fish with a healthy medium.

The cycle goes on, producing high yields of both fish and vegetables.
Advantages of aquaponics over soil crop production:

• Fertilizer: In soil-less culture, nutrients are dissolved in a solution that is delivered directly to the plants, and
can be tailored specifically to plants’ needs. This saves a lot of money as fertilizer is expensive. This tailored
management of nutrients can improve productivity and enhance the quality of products.

• Water use: Aquaponics uses only about 10% of the water needed to grow the same plant in soil. Soil-less
cultivation has great potential to allow production where water is scarce/expensive.

• Utilization of non-arable land: Aquaponics can be used in urban/peri-urban areas that cannot support
traditional soil agriculture.

• Productivity and Yield: Aquaponics techniques can be more productive than soil, because it allows the farmer
to monitor, maintain, and adjust the growing conditions for the plants, ensuring optimal real-time nutrient
balances, water delivery, pH and temperature.

• Reduced workload: Soil-less culture does not require ploughing, tilling, mulching or weeding. Products do not
need extensive cleaning to remove soil contamination.

• Sustainable monoculture: It is possible to grow the same crops year after year using aquaponics. Soil-based
monocultures are difficult because over time the soil loses its fertility and pests and diseases increase.

• Although aquaponics is more expensive than hydroponics because the plant units need to be supported by
aquaculture installations, and if any one part of the system fails, the entire system can collapse, it benefits the
farmer in the long run.
How Does Aquaponics Work?

• The fishes are fed regularly on a daily basis.

• The excreta of fishes are rich in nutrients and it especially provides a good amount of ammonia. But plants
cannot absorb ammonia.
• The water from the rearing tank is circulated through the bio filter system.
• The bio-filter removes the algae and aerates the water to break ammonia into nitrates and nitrites.
• Then water is supplied to the hydroponics system.
• The grow bed of plants in hydroponics system is made of small broken tile pieces, spandex ceramic or any
other porous material.
• It provides a firm base for plants to stand straight and it also acts as substrate for bacteria (generally nitrogen
fixing bacteria) to thrive.
• The bacteria break down the nutrients to a form which plants can absorb.
• Then water is directed back to the rearing tank.

To ensure plants don’t suffer from deficiencies, maintain optimum water pH (6-7) and feed the fish a balanced
and complete diet, and use the feed rate ratio to balance the amount of fish feed to plants.As of now we
produce some basil, spinach and lettuce in our aquaponics system. The volume of water in the rearing tank is
enough grow more plants and we are working towards that direction.
Components of Aquaponic Systems

A home aquaponics system design consists of the following basic components:

• A grow bed (where the plants will be)

• A fish tank (of course where the fish swim)
• A means to transfer water from the fish tank to the growbed (normally a pump), and
• A means to drain water from the growbed back to the fish tank (you can use standpipes or siphons for this
purpose.

A more complex aquaponic systems mostly have five main elements:

• Fish tank
• Plant bed
• Settling basin for solid waste
• Bio-filter for nitrification
• Water pumps for circulating water
Types of Aquaponic Systems

Media-Filled Bed – Aquaponics System Designs

This is the simplest form of aquaponics, and you can build this using containers or tanks and fill them with
media of your choice. The most commonly used media consists of expanded clay pebbles or small river
rocks or Lava rocks. Their main purpose is to provide the plant roots a medium to grip on as they grow
bigger and taller.

The pump in the fish tank, transfers water into the growbed for the plants to flourish. You can run this
system with two options; a continuous flow, flooding and draining the grow bed, or a flood and drain system
with a timer or a siphon.
Types of Aquaponic Systems

Continuous Flood System

In a continuous flood aquaponics system design, you

must make sure the growbed is always filled with water.
Water is pumped continuously from the fish tank to the
growbed and will be gravity drained, back to the fish
tank again to complete the cycle.

Flood & Drain System With A Siphon

In this aquaponics design however, water

is continuously drained from the growbed by means of a
siphon. This is a more popular aquaponics system
design among “aquaponians” as it generally produces
better result. 
Water Calculations
Grow Bed
The industry standard is to be at least 12″ (30 cm) deep to allow for growing the widest variety of plants and to provide complete filtration.
Must be made of food safe materials and should not alter the pH of your system (again, beware of concrete).
Fish tank
If you have flexibility here, 250 gallon (1000 liters) or larger seems to create the most stable aquaponics system. Larger volumes are better for
beginners because they allow more room for error; things happen more slowly at larger volumes.
Must be made of food safe materials and should not alter the pH of your system (beware of concrete, for example).
Stocking Density
1 pound of fish per 5 – 7 gallons of tank water (.5 kg per 20-26 liters)
Steps for Planning your System
Determine the total grow bed area in sq ft (or sq m)
From grow bed area, determine the fish weight required (pounds or kg) using the ratio rule 1 lb (.5 kg) of fish for every 1 sq ft (.1 sq m)of grow bed
surface area, assuming the beds are at least 12″ (30 cm) deep.
Determine fish tank volume from the stocking density rule above (1 pound fish per 5 – 7 gallons of fish tank volume or .5 kg per 20-26 liters). When
your fish are young and small, reduce the number of plants in proportion to the size of the fish and their corresponding feed rate / waste production.
For example, if you plan to have 2 2’x4′ grow beds, then you will have 16 sq ft of growing area. Plan to stock so you have a mature weight of 16
pounds of fish which require an 80 – 112 gallon fish tank.
Media
Must be inert – i.e won’t decompose or alter the pH of the system.
LECA (Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate, AKA Hydroton), Lava Rock, and Gravel are the most widely used media types. If you choose gravel,
understand it’s source and avoid limestone and marble as they could affect your pH.
Water Flow
You should flood, then drain your grow beds. The draining action pulls oxygen through the grow beds. The least complicated way to achieve a reliable
flood drain system is using a timer. While more complex, siphons are also excellent options for aquaponics.
If you are operating your system with a timer you should run it for 15 minutes on, and 45 minutes off.
You want to flow the entire volume of your fish tank through your grow beds every hour if possible. Therefore, if you are running your pump for 15
minutes every hour (see above), and you have a 100 gallon tank, you need at least a 400 gallon per hour (gph) pump. Now consider the ‘lift’ or how
far against gravity you need to move that water and use the sliding scale that is on the pump packaging to see how much more power you need
beyond the 400 gph.
Recommended Plants and Fish in Aquaponics

Fish
•tilapia
•blue gill/brim/sunfish/crappie
•catfish
•carp
•fancy goldfish
•pacu
•various ornamental fish such as angelfish,
•guppies, tetras, swordfish, mollies

Plants
•Tomatoes
•any leafy lettuce
•pak choi
•kale
•swiss chard
•microgreens
•radishes
•carrots
•beets
•Herbs such as basil, mint, chives
•watercress
•broccoli
•cauliflower
•cabbage