Basic Tips On DIY Aquaponics

Thursday, October 25, 2012

By Samuel R. Stevens


Aquaculture and hydroponics are the two most popular food production systems today. The later is the cultivation of vegetables and fruits with water as the propagation media. Aquaculture on the other hand is raising of aquatic animals like crayfish, snails, prawns and other fish. Some people have gone a step further and combined the two. In this case, the environment is symbiotic - there is no accumulation of waste products as it is used by the other group. There are a number of DIY aquaponics you might find useful.

There are several species of fish which are preferred in hydroponics. Some are reared for human consumption whereas others as pets. These include the tandanus and eel-tailed catfish, Murray cod, jade perch, barramudi, silver perch and goldfish. Plants which thrive well here are lettuce, melons, onions, beans, turnips, sweet potato, Chinese cabbage, strawberries and radishes.

You will need a number of items to successfully set up the system. Your list should include a pond bin for the fish. This should have a capacity of about 200 - 300 liters. Other items to be included are a grow tub, a grow bed, extension cable (waterproof), a surge protector, air pump, wire gauze to keep away prey, a hose pipe, a pH testing kit and the finger-lings to be introduced into the system.

The first step recommended is digging up a hole in which your fish tank will be placed. It has to be partially submerged in water so as to maintain the optimal temperatures for the fish. The spot identified should be shaded away from the sun in order to reduce loss of water by evaporation.

Place the grow tub which has small holes drilled underneath it diagonally over the fish tank. This makes it easy for you to pump water and control its circulation between the two tanks. The tiny holes in the grow-tub allows penetration of water back to the hydroponic system. The pond pump should be connected to an automated surge protector.

After chlorinating the water and leaving it for an hour, introduce fish. In the grow tub, add clay or gravel which is the propagation media. Other than transplanting seedlings, you can soar seeds, they will germinate. Your system is ready.

Maintaining an aquaponics system is simple. All you have to do is make sure the water levels do not dwindle. Get rid of biomass waste such as feces from insects and birds. Supply the plants with supplements. For more details on this topic, type in the keywords DIY aquaponics in your web browser. Go through the results displayed.




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