![]() ![]() cultivated plants, usually vegetables, whose roots absorb nitrates and other minerals essential to healthy growth.fish, whose waste contains high levels of ammonia. ![]() That philosophy is the very basis of permaculture.Īn aquaponic farm is essentially an artificial ecosystem in which three key players interact: Aquaponics takes the principles of a circular economy – in which the waste produced by one system becomes a resource utilised by another system – and applies them to food production. The same water that serves as a habitat for the fish also constitutes a nutrient-rich source of nourishment for the plants. And that's aquaponics cycling in a nutshell: a closed-loop system that cycles water from fish tank to plant bed and back again. Once all toxic nitrates have been removed from the water, it can be safely recirculated into the fish tank. This process creates a nourishing base from which the plants will absorb nitrates and other minerals present in fish waste. Bacteria colonising the substrate convert ammonia from the fish waste first into nitrites and then into nitrates. And therein lies the key to aquaponics: this impure yet nutrient-rich water gets pumped out of the fish tank and into another nearby tank, from which it is dispersed over the substrate of a grow tray. Though toxic to fish if left unfiltered, this organic matter is rich in essential plant nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, iron and calcium. ![]() Aquaponics: how it works A circular economy between fish and plantsįarmed fish raised in a pond or tank eliminate their waste directly into the water. ![]()
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