The growth in the world’s population has been at an alarming rate. The figure of 6 billion is staggering. The pressure on the land has been increasing since the area is the same while the population has been growing or so was the case till recently.
The latest advancement in technology has led to the latest trend in sustainable food production by way of aquaponics. The best of aquaculture are combined with hydroponics.
The utilization of the distinctive processes is as mentioned:
The cultivation of plants in water is known as Hydroponics. The method is highly utilized in countries where the number of mouths to feed is high and the size of farm land is low. The nutrients are directly received by the plants via the water and there is no soil used anywhere.
Similarly, the raising of aquatic fauna such as prawns or fish in a water tank is known as Aquaculture. The general population is then fed by this fish.
Symbiotic relationship between both of these systems leads to aquaponics. The water used in aquaculture is made toxic free by the plants growing in hydroponics. The commercial application of this is immense even though the science is still in its infancy. Commercial Aquaponics does hold quite a few interesting avenues.
The small model as well as the commercial model of the design share some fundamental similarities.
The following aquaponics supplies are included in the basic setup:
A Rearing Tank: The Aquaponics Fish are raised and fed here.
A Solids Removal Unit: This unit is responsible for the effective removal of uneaten food, fine particles and any such particle.
The Biofilter: Nitrification bacteria growing in this stage provide the plants of hydroponics with all the nutrients they need.
Hydroponics Setup: This is the second core setup where the plants grow by only immersing their roots in nutrient rich water.
The Sump: The water’s recycling occurs here and it gets sent back to the aquaculture unit.
There is minimum wastage of water in the design because it promotes reutilization of the very same water after it has been oxygenated. Because of the low running costs coupled with minimal wastage, aquaponics system is capable of growing food in the form of both plants and fish.
The commercial application of the system is extremely stable and sustainable because of the stable ecosystem developed between the plants and fish which promotes the growth of both. Among the inputs are water, which is readily recycled. The electricity used for pumping the water and the feed for the fish are the other inputs.
While the food produced in the form of plants is readily available for harvesting directly, the fish needs to be replaced with eggs to maintain the stable ecosystem.
Here is a short but concise video that explains what is an aquaponics system.
