Aquaponics is the combination of aquaculture and hydroponics. In these semi-closed systems, water flows between an aquaculture fish tank and a plant growing bed. The fish waste in the water is used to supply nutrients to the plants. The plants and micro-organisms clean the water that is returned to the fish tank. This provides a mutually beneficial environment for both the fish and the plants, and results in two crops (the fish and the plants).
The plants grow in a plant bed. These aquaponic hydroponic systems do best growing vegetative crops like lettuce, basil, and other herbs.
The greenhouse aquaponics system is popular in the educational market since it can be used to show the cycle of life and mutually beneficial relationships. In the course of a school year, the fish growth rates can be calculated by your students. There are ample opportunities for classes to do scientific testing of the water quality and qualitative fish data analysis of the system.
If you are thinking about trying to commercially grow fish, our small aquaculture and greenhouse aquaponics system could be a great first step. These systems are small scale models of full-size systems. The knowledge you gain in running a small system can be directly transferred to full-sized aquaculture systems. Acutro is a proud aquaponic supplier.
The major challenge is maintaining the pH and nutrient level in the water in a favorable manner for both fish and the plants. We solve this challenge by automating the entire system which is capable of constantly monitoring and maintaining optimal conditions.
