Aquaponic Detail
Parts of an Aquaponic system
A Commercial Aquaponics System
An electric pump moves nutrient-rich water from the fish tank through a solids filter to remove particles the plants above cannot absorb. The water then provides nutrients for the plants and is cleansed before returning to the fish tank below.
Aquaponics consists of two main parts, with the aquaculture part for raising aquatic animals and the hydroponics part for growing plants. Aquatic effluents, resulting from uneaten feed or raising animals like fish, accumulate in water due to the closed-system re-circulation of most aquaculture systems. The effluent-rich water becomes toxic to the aquatic animal in high concentrations but this has nutrients essential for plant growth. Although consisting primarily of these two parts, aquaponics systems are usually grouped into several components or subsystems responsible for the effective removal of solid wastes, for adding bases to neutralize acids, or for maintaining water oxygenation
Typical components include:
Rearing tank: the tanks for raising and feeding the fish;
Settling basin: a unit for catching uneaten food and detached biofilms, and for settling out fine particulates;
Biofilter: a place where the nitrification bacteria can grow and convert ammonia into nitrates, which are usable by the plants;
Hydroponics subsystem: the part of the system where plants are grown by absorbing excess nutrients from the water;
Sump: the lowest point in the system where the water flows to and from which it is pumped back to the rearing tanks.
Depending on the sophistication and cost of the aquaponics system, the units for solids removal, bio-filtration, and/or the hydroponics subsystem may be combined into one unit or subsystem,[14] which prevents the water from flowing directly from the aquaculture part of the system to the hydroponics part.
Live Components
An aquaponic system depends on different live components to work successfully. The three main live components e plants, fish (or other aquatic creatures) and bacteria. Some systems also include other components like worms.
Plants
A Deep Water Culture hydroponics system where the plant grows directly into the effluent-rich water without a soil medium. Plants can be spaced closer together because the roots do not need to expand outwards to support the weight of the plant.
Plants placed into a nutrient-rich water channel in a Nutrient film technique (NFT) system
Many plants are suitable for aquaponic systems, through which ones work for a specific system depends on the maturity and stocking density of the fish. These factors influence the concentration of nutrients from the fish effluent, and how much of those nutrients are made available to the plant roots via bacteria.
Green leaf vegetables with low to medium nutrient requirements are well adapted to aquaponic systems, including Chinese cabbage, lettuce, basil, spinach, chives, herbs, and watercress.
Other plants, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers, have higher nutrient requirements and will only do well in mature aquaponic systems that have high stocking densities of fish.
Plants that are common in salads have some of the greatest success in aquaponics, including cucumbers, shallots, tomatoes, lettuce, chiles, capsicum, red salad onions, and snow peas
Some profitable plants for aquaponic systems include Chinese cabbage, lettuce, basil, roses, tomatoes, okra, cantaloupe, and bell peppers.
Other species of vegetables that grow well in an aquaponic system include watercress, basil, coriander, parsley, lemongrass, sage, beans, peas, kohlrabi, taro, radishes, strawberries, melons, onions, turnips, parsnips, sweet potato, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, and eggplant as well as the choys that are used for stir-fries
Fruiting plants like melons or tomatoes and plants with higher nutrient needs need higher stocking densities of fish and more mature tanks to provide enough nutrients.
Fish (or other aquatic creatures)
Filtered water from the hydroponics system drains into a catfish tank for re-circulation.
Aquaculture
Freshwater fish are the most common aquatic animal raised using aquaponics, although freshwater crayfish and prawns are also sometimes used.[18] There is a branch of aquaponics using saltwater fish, called saltwater aquaponics. There are many species of warm-water and cold-water fish that adapt well to aquaculture systems.
In practice, tilapia are the most popular fish for home and commercial projects that are intended to raise edible fish because it is a warm-water fish species that can tolerate crowding and changing water conditions. barramundi, silver perch, eel-tailed catfish or tandanus catfish, jade perch and Murray cod are also used. For temperate climates when there isn’t the ability or wish to support water temperature, bluegill and catfish are suitable fish species for home systems.
Koi and goldfish may also be used if the fish in the system need not be edible.
Other suitable fish include channel catfish, rainbow trout, perch, common carp, Arctic char, large-mouth bass, and striped bass.[16]
Bacteria
Further information: Nitrogen Cycle
Nitrification, the aerobic conversion of ammonia into nitrates, is one of the most important functions in an aquaponics system as it reduces the toxicity of the water for fish, and allows the resulting nitrate compounds to be removed by the plants for nourishment. Ammonia is steadily released into the water through the excreta and gills of fish as a product of their metabolism but must be filtered out of the water since higher concentrations of ammonia (commonly between 0.5 and 1 ppm) a kill fish. Although plants can absorb ammonia from the water to some degree, nitrates are assimilated more easily, thereby efficiently reducing the toxicity of the water for fish. Ammonia can be converted into other nitrogenous compounds through combined healthy populations of:
Nitrosomonas: bacteria that convert ammonia into nitrites, and
nitrobacteria: bacteria that convert nitrites into nitrates.
Hydroponic Subsystem
Hydroponics
Plants are grown as in hydroponics systems, with their roots immersed in the nutrient-rich effluent water. This enables them to filter out the ammonia that is toxic to the aquatic animals, or its metabolites. After the water has passed through the hydroponic subsystem, it is cleaned and oxygenated and can return to the aquaculture vessels. This cycle is continuous. Common aquaponic applications of hydroponic systems include:
Deep-water raft aquaponics: styrofoam rafts floating in a relatively deep aquaculture basin in troughs.
Recirculating aquaponics: solid media such as gravel or clay beads, held in a container that is flooded with water from the aquaculture. This type of aquaponics is also known as closed-loop aquaponics.
Reciprocating aquaponics: solid media in a ]container that is alternately flooded and drained utilizing different types of siphon drains. This type of aquaponics is also known as flood-and-drain aquaponics or ebb-and-flow aquaponics.
Other systems use towers that are trickle-fed from the top, nutrient film technique channels, horizontal PVC pipes with holes for the pots, plastic barrels cut in half with gravel or rafts in them. Each approach has its own benefits.
Since plants at different growth stages require different amounts of minerals and nutrients, plant harvesting is staggered with seedlings growing at the same time as mature plants. This ensures stable nutrient content in the water because of the continuous symbiotic cleansing of toxins from the water.
Bio-filter
In an aquaponics system, the bacteria responsible for the conversion of ammonia to usable nitrates for plants form a bio-film on all solid surfaces throughout the system that is in constant contact with the water. The submerged roots of the vegetables combined have a large surface area where many bacteria can accumulate. Together with the concentrations of ammonia and nitrites in the water, the surface area determines the speed with which nitrification takes place. Care for these bacteria colonies is important as to regulate the full assimilation of ammonia and nitrite.
This is why most aquaponics systems include a bio-filtering unit, which helps facilitate the growth of these microorganisms. Typically, after a system has stabilized ammonia levels range from 0.25 to 2.0 ppm; nitrite levels range from 0.25 to 1 ppm, and nitrate levels range from 2 to 150 ppm. During system startup, spikes may occur in the levels of ammonia (up to 6.0 ppm) and nitrite (up to 15 ppm), with nitrate levels peaking later in the startup phase. Since the nitrification process acidifies the water, non-sodium bases such as potassium hydroxide or calcium hydroxide can be added for neutralizing the water’s pH if insufficient quantities are naturally present in the water to provide a buffer against acidification. In addition, selected minerals or nutrients such as iron can be added in addition to the fish waste that serves as the main source of nutrients to plants.
A good way to deal with solids buildup in aquaponics is by using worms, which liquefy the solid organic matter so that it can be utilized by the plants and/or other animals in the system.
Operation
The five main inputs to the system are water, oxygen, light, feed given to the aquatic animals, and electricity to pump, filter, and oxygenate the water. Spawn or fry may be added to replace grown fish that are taken out from the system to retain a stable system outputs, an aquaponics system may continually yield plants such as vegetables grown in hydroponics, and edible aquatic species raised in an aquaculture.
Typical build ratios are .5 to 1 square foot of grow space for every 1 U.S. gal (3.8 L) of aquaculture water in the system. 1 U.S. gal (3.8 L) of water can support between .5 lb (0.23 kg) and 1 lb (0.45 kg) of fish stock depending on aeration and filtration.
Ten primary guiding principles for creating successful aquaponics systems were issued by Dr. James Rakocy, the director of the aquaponics research team at the University of the Virgin Islands, based on extensive research done as part of the Agricultural Experiment Station aquaculture program.
Use a feeding rate ratio for design calculations Keep feed input relatively constant
Supplement with calcium, potassium, and iron
Provide good aeration
Remove solids
Be careful with aggregates
Oversize pipes
Use biological pest control
Provide adequate biofiltration
Control pH
Feed Source
As in most aquaculture based systems, stock feed often consists of fish meal derived from lower-value species. Ongoing depletion of wild fish stocks makes this practice unsustainable. Organic fish feeds may prove a viable alternative that relieves this concern. Other alternatives include growing duckweed with an aquaponics system that feeds the same fish grown in the system, excess worms grown from vermiculture composting, using prepared kitchen scraps, as well as growing black soldier fly larvae to feed to the fish using composting grub growers.
Water usage
Aquaponic systems do not typically discharge or exchange water under normal operation, but instead, recirculate and reuse water very effectively. The system relies on the relationship between the animals and the plants to support a stable aquatic environment that experiences a minimum of fluctuation in ambient nutrient and oxygen levels.
Water is added only to replace water loss from absorption and transpiration by plants, evaporation into the air from surface water, overflow from the system from rainfall, and removal of biomass such as settled solid wastes from the system. As a result, aquaponics uses approximately 2% of the water that a conventionally irrigated farm requires for the same vegetable production. This allows for the aquaponic production of both crops and fish in areas where water or fertile land is scarce. Aquaponic systems can also be used to replicate controlled wetland conditions. Constructed wetlands can be useful for biofiltration and treatment of typical household sewage. The nutrient-filled overflow water can be accumulated in catchment tanks and reused to accelerate the growth of crops planted in soil, or it can be pumped back into the aquaponic system to top up the water level.
Energy Usage
Aquaponic installations rely in varying degrees on man-made energy, technological solutions, and environmental control to meet re-circulation and water/ambient temperatures. However, if a system is designed with energy conservation in mind, using alternative energy and a reduced number of pumps by letting the water flow downwards as much as possible, it can be highly energy efficient. While careful design can minimize the risk, aquaponics systems can have multiple ‘single points of failure’ where problems such as an electrical failure or a pipe blockage can lead to a complete loss of fish stock.
Current Examples
Vegetable production part of the low-cost Backyard Aquaponics System developed at Bangladesh Agricultural University
The Caribbean island of Barbados created an initiative to start aquaponics systems at home, with revenue generated by selling produce to tourists in an effort to cut growing dependence on imported food.
Dakota College at Bottineau in Bottineau, North Dakota has an aquaponics program that gives students the ability to get a certificate or an AAS degree in aquaponics.
With more than a third of Palestinian agricultural lands in the Gaza Strip turned into a buffer zone by Israel, an aquaponic gardening system is developed for use on rooftops in Gaza City.
(Source Wikipedia)
