HomeWhy Aquaponics?
Page 1 of 1
Why Aquaponics?
by Admin Thu Mar 01, 2012 9:54 pm
It’s the most sustainable and productive farming system available!
Aquaponics produces both fish and organic vegetables, in a dynamic, natural, pond-type ecosystem that can either feed you and your family or also produce two streams of income
The fish provide nutrients for the bacteria, the bacteria provide food for the plants and the plants clean the water for the fish.
Almost anyone can learn to be an Aquaponic gardener and produce lots of food.
Aquaponics integrates into Permaculture easily and integrates as a balanced self sustaining system.
FEATURES & BENEFITS
They are closed-loop systems, producing aromatic plants, vegetables and fruits, and low-fat, high-protein fish. Plants are given all the nutrients they can use and food grown aquaponiclly tastes better than conventionally or hydroponically grown food.
Systems can be small to large in size with the larger systems being easier to keep in balance. Aquaponics systems produce most all of its own system’s needs.
Green
This is the only food production system in the world that doesn’t require direct oil inputs.
Aquaponics energy use is from 70% to 90% less than a conventional or even an organic farm.
Nature is an efficient recycler. What is waste for one part of nature is a treasure to another and there are almost no waste products
Organic
Another huge benefit of aquaponics growing is that plants and fish grow 100% organicly.
If any chemical pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers are used, it would hurt the bacteria or the fish could die, effectively killing your system! Even most approved “organic” pesticides could kill the fish. We cannot spray the plants because the fish are too sensitive to the chemicals.
Water
Why don’t fish in nature need an aquarium filter? It is because the fish waste is converted by naturally occurring bacteria that produce food for the plants. The waterways in nature are cleaning themselves. There is no waste or trash in nature, everything is recycled. Man invented trash and waste!
Aquaponics can use 95 % to 98% less water than conventional farming and can use even less if you collect and add rain water.
Faster
Production is up to ten times more vegetables and crops in the same space, time, and with about one-half of the work quicker than by in-ground methods! Vegetables usually grow two times faster, and at three to four times the density, without ever depleting the nutrients.
This way of growing food means does not require farm land or even soil at all, enabling the use of sites thought of as “undesirable”.
Weeding
No weeding required because the plants are “planted” in raised grow-beds in media such as gravel or clay beads, not soil, thus, there is little labor required. Seeding and harvest can be done sitting in the shade or standing at waist level work tables.
Insects
Many bugs are eliminated due to the raised beds and a green house removes almost all others. We find that more bees, hummingbirds, toads, and other beneficial creatures are attracted because of the bounty and health of the plants
Chemicals
There is no need for, fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, fish antibiotics or hormones as the system naturally balances itself.
Temperature
Aquaponic Systems can be used in cold or hot weather. The volume of water in the system helps keep the system temperatures more stable which benefits the plants. Growing indoors with grow lights or in a greenhouse will let you grow year around.
ROI
Most systems pay for themselves in about three years financially and pay for themselves emotionally in the first few month of spring.
An Aquaponics System is scalable for family, community, organizational or institutional use…even commercial growing.
Maintenance
Most systems require a few minutes per day after they are setup and running.
The only inputs to maintain an aquaponic system are electricity, fish food, seeds, potting soil, and the little water that has evaporated or transpiration (moisture lost from the plants keeping themselves cool).
Power
Power requirements can be low if planned well. Heaters and coolers and even green houses are luxuries you don’t have to have. All energy used is electrical, so alternate energy systems can be used to power an aquaponics system and they can be automated.
Burying fish tanks and sumps in the ground can temper and moderate temperature and the need for more expensive power hungry temperature control systems.
Summary
Aquaponics is a fun interesting, addictive, stress reducing, productive, sustainable, environmentally friendly way of growing. The systems produces vegetables, fruit, berries, algae, water plants, fish, prawns, snails, worms, fertilizer, and smiles.
Aquaponics is fun for the kid in all of us!
Bob Jordan
http://aquaponicfun.com
Aquaponics produces both fish and organic vegetables, in a dynamic, natural, pond-type ecosystem that can either feed you and your family or also produce two streams of income
The fish provide nutrients for the bacteria, the bacteria provide food for the plants and the plants clean the water for the fish.
Almost anyone can learn to be an Aquaponic gardener and produce lots of food.
Aquaponics integrates into Permaculture easily and integrates as a balanced self sustaining system.
FEATURES & BENEFITS
They are closed-loop systems, producing aromatic plants, vegetables and fruits, and low-fat, high-protein fish. Plants are given all the nutrients they can use and food grown aquaponiclly tastes better than conventionally or hydroponically grown food.
Systems can be small to large in size with the larger systems being easier to keep in balance. Aquaponics systems produce most all of its own system’s needs.
Green
This is the only food production system in the world that doesn’t require direct oil inputs.
Aquaponics energy use is from 70% to 90% less than a conventional or even an organic farm.
Nature is an efficient recycler. What is waste for one part of nature is a treasure to another and there are almost no waste products
Organic
Another huge benefit of aquaponics growing is that plants and fish grow 100% organicly.
If any chemical pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers are used, it would hurt the bacteria or the fish could die, effectively killing your system! Even most approved “organic” pesticides could kill the fish. We cannot spray the plants because the fish are too sensitive to the chemicals.
Water
Why don’t fish in nature need an aquarium filter? It is because the fish waste is converted by naturally occurring bacteria that produce food for the plants. The waterways in nature are cleaning themselves. There is no waste or trash in nature, everything is recycled. Man invented trash and waste!
Aquaponics can use 95 % to 98% less water than conventional farming and can use even less if you collect and add rain water.
Faster
Production is up to ten times more vegetables and crops in the same space, time, and with about one-half of the work quicker than by in-ground methods! Vegetables usually grow two times faster, and at three to four times the density, without ever depleting the nutrients.
This way of growing food means does not require farm land or even soil at all, enabling the use of sites thought of as “undesirable”.
Weeding
No weeding required because the plants are “planted” in raised grow-beds in media such as gravel or clay beads, not soil, thus, there is little labor required. Seeding and harvest can be done sitting in the shade or standing at waist level work tables.
Insects
Many bugs are eliminated due to the raised beds and a green house removes almost all others. We find that more bees, hummingbirds, toads, and other beneficial creatures are attracted because of the bounty and health of the plants
Chemicals
There is no need for, fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, fish antibiotics or hormones as the system naturally balances itself.
Temperature
Aquaponic Systems can be used in cold or hot weather. The volume of water in the system helps keep the system temperatures more stable which benefits the plants. Growing indoors with grow lights or in a greenhouse will let you grow year around.
ROI
Most systems pay for themselves in about three years financially and pay for themselves emotionally in the first few month of spring.
An Aquaponics System is scalable for family, community, organizational or institutional use…even commercial growing.
Maintenance
Most systems require a few minutes per day after they are setup and running.
The only inputs to maintain an aquaponic system are electricity, fish food, seeds, potting soil, and the little water that has evaporated or transpiration (moisture lost from the plants keeping themselves cool).
Power
Power requirements can be low if planned well. Heaters and coolers and even green houses are luxuries you don’t have to have. All energy used is electrical, so alternate energy systems can be used to power an aquaponics system and they can be automated.
Burying fish tanks and sumps in the ground can temper and moderate temperature and the need for more expensive power hungry temperature control systems.
Summary
Aquaponics is a fun interesting, addictive, stress reducing, productive, sustainable, environmentally friendly way of growing. The systems produces vegetables, fruit, berries, algae, water plants, fish, prawns, snails, worms, fertilizer, and smiles.
Aquaponics is fun for the kid in all of us!
Bob Jordan
http://aquaponicfun.com
Admin- Admin
- Posts : 9
Join date : 2012-03-01 -
Page 1 of 1
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum|
|
|