The basics of Aquaponics

22 Pages·2015·1.05 MB·English

by  Ragnar Ingi Danner

The basics of
Aquaponics
Biological function and selection of species
Ragnar Ingi Danner
The system as an Ecosystem
 Based on the cooperation of different organisms
 Small – Bacteria
 Large – fish and plants
How does this Cooperation work?
 Fish produce waste
 Fish waste fouls the water
 Plants use the waste
 Plants clean the water
 Simple, right?
But this isn‘t that simple
 Bacteria!
 The bacteria are the heart of the system
 Nitrification
 Ammonia/ammonium (NH , NH +)
3 4
 Nitrite (NO )
2
 Nitrite (NO )
3
The Nitrogen cycle
45 8
) )
l/ 40 7 l/
g g
m 35 6 m
( 30 (
5
n n
25
o o NO3
4
i i
t 20 t
a a
3 NO2
r 15 r
t t
n 2 n
10 NHtotal
e e
c 5 1 c
n n
o 0 0 o
C C
6 6 6 6 7 7 7 7
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
. . . . . . . .
7 4 1 8 5 2 9 6
0 1 2 2 0 1 1 2
Date
Now let‘s talk about something fun
 To the horticulturist the fish are the main source of fertilizer
 To the aquaculturist the plants are a tool for minimizing water changes
 And to the backyard farmer the system means cheaper food
 But what can this system produce?
Tilapia (Oreochromis spp.)
 Tilapia is one of the most commonly farmed fish in the world
 Tolerant of a wide range of water parameters
 Omnivore!
 Breeds fast
Other kinds of fish
 Goldfish
 Catfish
 Silver perch
 Rainbow trout
Plant species
 Leafy greens have proved a success
 Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
 Mint (Mentha spp.)
 Lettuce (Latuca Sativa)
 And recently Pak-choi (Brassica campestris var. Chinensis)
Basil and mint from last summer