The Aztecs already used agricultural systems in which plants were raised in lakes rich in fish in order to use the nutrient-rich water. The modern approach combines aquaculture, the rearing of fish and sea creatures, with the cultivation of crops without the use of soil, the so called hydroponics.
But how is an aquaponic facility actually structured?
The main components are the fish tanks, the solidfilter, the biofilter and hydroponics which are connected to each other via pipes and pumps.
The young fish are placed in the fish tank and fed until they have reached their slaughter weight after 4-6 months. The excrement and waste that the fish release into the water is pumped into the solids filter.
The suspended particles settle there and can be used as fertilizer. The contaminated water continues to flow into the biofilter, where bacteria convert the ammonium, using oxygen from the air, to nitrite and finally to nitrate.
The water enriched with this now flows into the hydroponic system, where the plants extract the nutrients from it and thus clean it. The water then flows back into the fish tank and the cycle is closed.
The main advantages of an aquaponic system are
- the low consumption of fresh water due to the closed circulatory system
- the low workload due to the elimination of weed control
- the elimination of pest control measures due to the protected cultivation area
- the saving of additional fertilizers
- the small space requirement
- and the rapid growth of plants and fish due to the positive symbiotic interactions
