AQUAPONICS:
Aquaponics is an integrated form of a re-circulating aquaculture
system (usually, freshwater fish farming) and hydroponics. In these
systems, plants within hydroponic components utilize nutrient rich fish
waste as fertilizer. In doing so the plant grow area filters the
wastewater — allowing for its reuse in the fish-rearing component.
This low-cost vertical aquaponic system can grow leafy greens, herbs and
raise fish for a small family year round, and it fits in a 5' by 3'
space. Sean Brady, the
aquaponics projects coordinator at the Center for Sustainable Aquaponics and
Nourish the Planet in
Loveland, Colo., showed us how to build a system from scrap he found
around the greenhouse. We published a
version of this how-to guide at engineeringforchange.org, and it's
one of the good ones, so we'd like to share it with Instructables, too.
What it is
A vertical aquaponic system grows vegetables without soil in columns above a fish tank. By growing vertically, you can produce about twice the amount of plants as you can with a hydroponic system of the same area. One five-foot tower can produce more than 200 heads of lettuce per year. And it uses a small fraction of the water needed to grow crops in soil.
A vertical aquaponic system grows vegetables without soil in columns above a fish tank. By growing vertically, you can produce about twice the amount of plants as you can with a hydroponic system of the same area. One five-foot tower can produce more than 200 heads of lettuce per year. And it uses a small fraction of the water needed to grow crops in soil.
The system puts fish waste to work as fertilizer for crops. A small pump
draws nutrient-rich water from the fish tank to the tops of the
vertical columns. The water trickles down through the roots of the
plants, gathering oxygen from the air as it falls back into the tank. It
releases almost no waste and, because it's soil free, there's no need
for fertilizer or most pesticides.
You do have to replace lost water as needed, power the pump and feed the
fish. Try raising crickets for fish food, or buy them flakes. It might
not be too hard to power one of these pumps with a small solar panel or
some other renewable energy. If anyone has an idea, please share.
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