Aquaponics - A Growing Industry
Last Update: Oct 28, 2016
Not many here in the WA community will know what Aquaponics is so I will give you a quick overview.
Aquaponics is a very ancient method of growing dating back thousands of years. It was taken up by Canadian researchers in the early 1990s and since then it has taken off as a commercial and home growing option for those wanting to produce organics food at low cost.
Aquaponics operates using both fish and plant. The water from the fish pond is circulated through the growbed and fertilises the plants. The grow bed cleans and conditions the water for the fish.
There is a great deal goes on behind the scenes here but this is a very basic idea of how it works.
Aquaponics, when done right, grow healthy plant and fish at least twice as fast as conventional gardening. The plants grow bigger and healthier and all this with huge cost savings.
Aquaponics is the way of the future, it is a sustainable way to produce fresh food and vegetables. For those wanting to grow at home it is very practical. You can produce enough food for a family of 4 in a very small area. With vertical Aquaponics, as little as 2 metres by 2 metres.
An article published on Huffington Post claims sustainable farming will be a 3 trillion dollar industry in the very near future. Studies are being put to the UN on this to find a way to encourage countries to adopt these gardening practices.
Read the post http://huff.to/2eEEbVR
Not the nromal post for this comunity but I am passionat about this industry and want to spread the word, I hope you enjoyed my post and perhaps learned something. If you are interested in learning more message me.
Cheers Kev
Recent Comments
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Hi Andrew, I cannot include a working link here. My site is diyaquaponicswithkev.com Just copy into your browser address bar and it should work. Cheers Kev
I am working in a little 20 x 50 ft Aquaponics greenhouse ( the experimental one) getting ready to build a100 ft greenhouse for commercial growing & will be documenting all impute & outputs in a system that uses all gravitational feed after the initial pump to the fish tank. I look forward to talking with you more. Thank you for the blog.
Hi Brek, I am impressed, What are you growing? You say gravitational feed, are you pumping to a header tank?
I have a very good book on aquaponics, it goes in depth. Let me know and I will send it to you.
Cheers Kev
The fish tank is tall enough, we grow tomatoes, lettuce ( several varieties), and other greens and potentially strawberries vertically.
Thanks for the post Kev,
I saved the link because this is very useful knowledge.
Have a Blessed WeekEnd;
Your Brother In Christ;
William
You are welcome if you want to learn more you can go to my website diyaquaponicswithkev
Sign up and you can download a free eBook
Cheers Kev
Hi Kev,
We are a growing number. I have redesigned my hydroponic strawberries so that I can include an aquaponic system. Thanks for sharing.
Bruce
Yes, my strawberries are vertical. When I get set up I will probably use the dutch buckets and NFT for my produce.
Bruce
Sounds like you know what you are doing. You live in a cold climate or use a greenhouse?
Cheers Kev
Currently, I live in cold climate. We are getting set to move to Fl, and that will solve my freezing problem. I have studied a bunch, but still have not got my first tank set up yet.
Bruce
Still using hydroponics?
I have a very good ebook on Aquaponics let me know if you want it.
Cheers Kev
Thanks for sharing with us... I guess the primary difference between aquaponics and hydroponics is the addition of fish to the cycle. Really great info.
Yes, it is but it goes way deeper than just the fish. Hydroponics growing requires fertilisers whereas Aquaponics the plants are fertilised naturally through the fish waste. It is an ecosystem.
Thanks for the comment
Cheers kev
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This is really quite fascinating, Kev. I can see how it can become something which is more than just a hobby.
It is a very satisfying way to grow food. A bit of work to start but when you do it right it is easy and the benefits are enormous. Thanks for your comment.
Cheers Kev