aquaponic organic

There are three important components that you need to setup a good aquaponics system: the fish, plants and bacteria. The fish is needed for the organic vegetables to survive; the plants prevent the water from becoming toxic with ammonia, nitrates and other type of wastes and the bacteria ensures that the plants absorb the essential nitrogen from the water.

Choosing the Fish The most exciting part of the process is when you have to choose the fish for your aquaponic system. First, you have to decide if you want the fish for food or display purpose. Whether you are getting an outdoor or indoor system, you will have a wide range of fish to choose from.

If you are living in an area with climate changes and you need aquaponics fish for food, its best to choose one that can survive in different seasons. Bass or trout are popular choices for climate with cooler waters. Koi or goldfish are hardy fish which can survive in colder climates and are easy to care for. If you are not interested in these options, the tilapia fish is also a good choice for any aquaponics system, regardless of the size. Bear in mind that most of the well-known edible freshwater fish are ideal for aquaponics systems.

When deciding on the number of fish to put in the holding tank, this will depend on the filtration system; the available space and the amount of vegetation that the system can support.

Let's take a closer look at these elements.

To get the vegetation right, you need to consider certain things like the number of fish inside the tank; the amount of food added daily as well as the maturation, size and weight of the fish.

If you have a simple setup, like raised growing beds, for the aquaponics fish system with one square meter of vegetation, this will need sixty grams minimum of fish food daily. You would need one hundred grams at the very least if you have demanding plants such as squash.

Note that the plants are totally dependent on the wastes from the fish as well as the excess remains from the fish feed. A short supply of fish waste can stop the vegetables from growing since the water would have minimal levels of usable nitrates and organic matter. On the other hand, an excessive amount of food could end up poisoning or killing the fish. It is very important to find the right balance for the fish and the aquaponic vegetation to survive.

Hopefully, the information above will help you to setup a good aquaponics fish system at home. In the end, you can enjoy the benefits of a natural gardening method.