Aquaponics Design, Installation and Maintenance

The age of Aquaponics is here! Many people have discovered the joy of keeping fish at home and it’s never been easier to install an aquarium. If you want to try something new and even more exciting, however, you might want to consider the amazing world of aquaponics.

What is Aquaponics?

It essentially creates a symbiotic relationship between plants and fish. The term comes from the hybridisation of aquaculture where fish are kept in an enclosed environment and hydroponics the ability to grow plants without soil.

It sounds intriguing and it is. Aquaponics is often developed on a commercial scale with vast aquariums topped by growing plants that benefit from the nutrient-rich water below. But it’s also fast becoming a great way for homeowners to grow their own veg through smaller, indoor use.

Aquaponics works relatively simply and naturally. You have water in which your fish are swimming about. They produce waste the water is in some cases pumped up to the grow beds and a mix of worms and microbes turn this into vital nutrients that the plants then feed on. It operates in a cycle and it is relatively inexpensive to set up a system in your home.

Aquaponics Benefits

As we all become more conscious of our impact on the environment, aquaponics offers several benefits:

• The system is self-sustaining and can be set up practically anywhere.
• Plants tend to grow quickly because they have nutrients being fed to them 24/7.
• There is no soil involved which means you don’t need to worry about pests like slugs and snails eating your crop.
• You can grow your food without having to use harmful chemicals or pesticides.
• Aquaponics is the perfect way to grow microgreens and give your health a boost.

Setting Up Aquaponics Indoors

Aquaponic systems need three core ingredients: Fish, plants and bacteria each of which. There are a few different setups that you can use indoors:

• Flood and Drain: This has a bed of gravel, clay pebbles or lava rock in which the plants are seeded. The water from the fish tank is either pumped or flows via gravity over the surface to feed your crop.
• Raft: Here the growing medium floats on top of a water tank. The filtered nutrients from the fish tank then pass through and feed your crop.
• Nutrient Film Technique: The water flows through pipes that have holes drilled into them through which you grow your plants.

The great news is that you can adapt amazing aquaponic systems that are ideal for the home. They are relatively easy to set up and maintain and can be tailored to any space.

Aquaponics and Microgreens: The Perfect Combination?

You can grow a wide variety of plants using aquaponics. Some of the most popular choices are lettuce and chives. In commercial outlets, they’re also starting to grow cucumbers, tomatoes and strawberries, to name just a few crops, with great success.

Microgreens are essentially the seedlings of the veg that we all love to eat. They are packed with a big nutritional punch, can be used in things like salads and often have 40 times the vitamins and minerals that a fully grown plant may have. Microgreens also have intense flavours and are quick and easy to grow using aquaponics.

Popular microgreens include broccoli and kale, parsley and beet. The big benefit is that they are ideal for growing in a confined space indoors, all year round and you can obtain a crop very quickly.

Who Can Help Install My Aquaponics Setup?

If you are thinking of developing an indoor aquaponics system that works for your indoor environment, the team at Specialist Aquatic Solutions is here to help.