Aquaponics is an agriculture technology which combines of aquaculture technique (fish farming activities) with hydroponics activities (grow plants without soil) in a circulation of water. It is a cultivation of fish and plants together in a constructed, recirculating ecosystem utilizing natural bacterial cycles to convert fish waste to plant nutrition. This is an environmentally friendly, natural food-growing method that harnesses the best attributes of aquaculture and hydroponics without the need to discard any water or filtrate or add chemical fertilizers. AQUAPONICS DEFINITION
A q u a c u l t u r e - R a i s i n g f i s h i n a c o n t r o l l e d e n v i r o n m e n t A Q U A P o n i c s - i s l a t i n " t o w o r k " , g r o w i n g i n s o i l - l e s s m e d i a P O N I C S
Important elements in aquaponics are : ☁Fish ☁Plants ☁Bacteria And the most important thing all the three elements forming a relationship named as mutualism symbiosis (ecological interaction between same or different species that lives together). ELEMENTS OF AQUAPONICS
IMPORTANT ELEMENTS IN AQUAPONICS Fish produce food leftovers containing ammonia and fish waste that transform into nurients for the plants FISH Bacteria will filter and change ammonia into nitrates and substance functioning as fertilizer to the plants BACTERIA The plants will produce oxygen and the roots of plants filter the water to maintain the fish health PLANTS
The main purpose of the aquaponics system is to maintain the quality of water and reduce the ammonia level so that it can be beneficial to other living organisms. Other than that, aquaponics provides two types of human food simultaneously which are plants and fish and this technique allows for space savings. THE PURPOSE OF AQUAPONICS
THE PURPOSE OF AQUAPONICS Maintain water quality Reduce ammonia level Space efficiency Produce two food simultaneously
Benefits of aquaponics growing Produce is free of pesticides and herbicides. Easy to handle Efficient, sustainable and highly productive. Savewater - little usage ofwater and recirculate it
Aquaponics cycle system is a water flow system from the fish pond to planting media and water is cycle back to the fish pond The plants will absorb water from the fish pond that is rich with organic substance while water from the fish pond will become clear water impact from the complete cycle system AQUAPONIC CYCLE SYSTEM source: https://agclassroom.org/matrix/lesson/632/
Fish produce ammonia and nitrates which makes the pond rich with nutrients. This substance allow plants to grow healthily Mud and soil accumulated from the pond base is also suitable to fertilize the growing plants AQUAPONIC CYCLE PROCESS source:https://www.howtoaquaponic.com/diy/cycling/
Plants use nitrate as a nutrient. The flowing water is filtered by the plant media and plant roots The filtered water will be clean again for fish use. In this process just a little Awater pump water which is wasted draws water from the fish tank to the plant container It produces ammonia from the food it eats. High levels of ammonia will be toxic to fish Wave pump air Electrical source water pump Bacteria break down ammonia to become nitrites and nitrates
w,om pump ,i;ll!dll'Tlfflt tan fi15h1ank Tank-based aquaponics Cyclic aquaponics TWO TYPE OF AQUAPONICS:
fishtank small plastic vase AirStone pump Air tube electric source sponge crop/plant 10/75 Tank-based aquaponics using a tank or container for both fish and plants. Fish kept in the tank and plants grow on the surface of the tank or container with root submerged into the water Tank-based aquaponics
It needs two different tanks – one for the fish and one for the growing plants This way has an advantage because it supply oxygen directly to the root of plants which ensure of growing healthy plants Suitable growing media use in this type of aquaponics are hydroton, gravel and other suitable medium CYCLIC AQUAPONICS
THE DESIGN OF AQUAPONICS SYSTEM The design of aquaponics consist of components arrangement and aquaculture substance together with hydroponics system There are few types of hydroponics model that is suitable to adapt in producing aquaponics system
10/75 AQUAPONICS MODEL a. RAFT SYSTEM b. EBB FLOW SYSTEM c. NUTRIENT FILM TECHNIQUE (NFT) SYSTEM
In a raft system, plants directly grow on the surface of water with the roots of plants fully submerged inside the water through a stereo foam, sponge and or any suitable materials. The advantage of this system is the plant roots directly absorbs nutrients from the water and growing healthily and faster than the other method
EBB & FLOW SYSTEM Commonly referred to as a flood and drain system The most effective way to move water in and out of the grow beds is the bell siphon method because the bell siphon controls the flood and drain cycle automatically
Almost the same technique to Raft System, plants directly grow on the surface of water with the roots of plants touch the water NFT does not require a flood period because the water in NFT flows consistently from the fish tank NFT SYSTEM (NEAR FILM TECHNIQUE)
Plants growing Dissolved Oxygen/ Water replacement/ Conductivity Increasing plant mass Fish (Ratio of food changing, growing rate) Features Raft System EBB & Flow System NFT System Almost same Almost same Almost same Almost same Almost same Almost same 2 3 2 2 3 1 3=Very Good, 2=Good, 1=Moderate, Study by Wilson A. Lennard dan Brian V. Leonard COMPARISON BETWEEN AQUAPONICS MODEL
THE ADVANTAGES OF AQUAPONICS MODEL Aquaponic System Advantages Disadvantages Raft Plant roots hang down in the nutrient-rich, oxygenated water, where they absorb oxygen and nutrients to grow rapidly Increase Productivity Roots are susceptible to microbial attacks Ebb & Flow Seeds growing directly on the growing media Need electrical supply consistently Bell siphon maintenance NFT Use little quantity of water Use smaller pump Need extra filter as growing media do not filtering Cannot grow seeds directly