Aquaponics is essentially raising plants with fish waste. The word Aquaponics is a combination of the words Aquaculture (raising fish) and the word Hydroponics (raising plants without soil).
Aquaponics is superior to Hydroponics since the water does not need to be changed out. Hydroponics requires flushing the solution the plants are raised in on a regular basis. The problem with this is that the wasted water can be bad for the environment because of the strength of the chemicals used in the systems.
In Aquaponics the water just gets more nutrients and the fish can be harvested to eat. That way you can control your food. You get all the veggies with an excellent source of protein.
Aquaponics is also superior to Aquaculture because there is no need for expensive filtering equipment to get rid of all the fish waste. The plants do the filtering. In fact the media beds are very efficient filters that have a by product of fresh vegetables. Now that is a great trade off!
Fish create some of the best fertilizer too. Since fish are cold blooded animals, they do not carry harmful bacteria that are so prevalent in manure.
A system with two grow beds can produce enough veggies for a family of four. You can even grow herbs right inside your kitchen with small system.
Whether you plan on building your own system (diy aquaponics) or you are looking for something already produced, this page has lots of resources.
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