Monday, July 2, 2012

AQUAPONICS--HYDROPONICS


Aquaponics is based on productive systems as they are found in nature. It can be loosely described as the combination of aquaculture and hydroponics, hence the origination of the name, aqua-ponics.

Hydroponic systems rely on the careful application of man-made nutrients for the optimum growth of plants. Water needs to be discharged periodically as the salts and chemicals build up in the water becoming toxic to the plants. Aquaculture systems focus on maximizing growth of fish in tanks or pond culture.

The fish are usually heavily stocked in tanks. The high stocking rates mean the tank water becomes polluted with fish effluent, which gives off high concentrations of ammonia. Water has to be discharged in the tank once a day, everyday. This water, if often, pumped into open streams where it pollutes and destroys waterways.

Aquaponics combines both systems and doing so, cancels out the negative aspects of each. Instead of adding toxic chemical solutions to grow plants, aquaponics uses highly nutritious fish effluent that contains almost all the required nutrients for optimum growth. Instead of discharging water, aquaponics uses the plants and the media in which they grown to clean and purify the water, after which it is returned to the fish tank. The water can be used indefinitely and will only need to be replaced when it is lost through transportation and evaporation.


Dave Tally
July 2, 2012

2 comments:

  1. Never found such informative articles
    fullbloomHydro

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  2. An informative review about aquaponics and hydroponics systems. Gardening enthusiasts can find this writeup of yours helpful and can guide them towards successful use of these systems. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete