Aquaponics, Hydroponics Consulting, information, equipment, design, construction

Over the years we have gathered information about aquaponics from researchers, hands-on growing, hobbyists, aquaculturists, commercial hydroponic growers and manufacturers of greenhouses. We put that knowledge together with properly manufactured components and come up with practical, commercially viable, food producing machines. When that food producing machine uses fish waste to provide the nutrients for the plants, it is generally called aquaponics. When an aquaponic system is used to provide nutrition, in the form of fish and vegetables, to people who live nearby, we call it Village Aquaponics. We believe Village Aquaponics can be a viable means of providing protein and vegetables to people in developed as well as developing nations.

What is Village Aquaponics?

Aquaponics is the combination of hydroponics and recirculating aquaculture. The reference Village Aquaponics refers to an aquaponic system specifically set up for the purpose of providing a protein crop (the fish) and a vegetable, herb or fruit crop (the plants) to people in a specific region surrounding the operation. Commercial transportation of the food produced in a Village Aquaponic system should not be necessary. Those living near the system should be close enough to pick up the fish and vegetables themselves. The accessible radius could vary depending on where the system is located. In a remote village the access may be by foot trails limiting the area the system can serve. In downtown Singapore, a rooftop system may service a population located very nearby. This could be the case in many of the world’s larger cities where hundreds of these systems can collectively provide a great deal of food that doesn’t have to be commercially transported into the city from great distances. In the United States and many other nations where public and private transportation is available on an established network of roads, small commercial aquaponics systems of a ½ acre or less can be very profitable. The term village can refer to a small remote community in a developing country or it can refer to an aquaponic system that is providing fresh fish and produce for the guests of a 5-star beach resort on an island that has limited agricultural resources.

How Does it Work?

In aquaponics, the nutrient-rich waste-water from recirculating aquaculture provides a food source for the growing plants and the plants provide a natural filter for the water the fish live in. This creates an ecosystem where both plants and fish can thrive. Aquaponics is the ideal answer to a fish farmer’s problem of disposing of nutrient rich water and a hydroponic grower's need for nutrient rich water.

The key to a successful aquaponic system is a healthy colony of beneficial bacteria. These bacteria convert fish waste into nitrate and other elements which are used by plants as they grow. Without the bacteria, ammonia and nitrite levels, which are toxic to fish and plants, would quickly rise.

Aquaponics can be used to produce large quantities of food in very small spaces in an environmentally friendly way.

In a developed country with a steady supply of electricity, a Village Aquaponic system can use high-tech components that maximize production. In a country where electrical power isn’t as dependable, lower-tech systems can be used. The basic components (the fish tank and hydroponic grow bed) can be made from a range of materials, from manufactured tanks to cement block with liners.

The bio-filter, which provides habitat for the beneficial bacteria, can be the water in the system, the growing medium, the inside walls of the tanks and/or float boards and even the plant roots.

A water pump is used to circulate the water throughout the aquaponic system. In some designs, water constantly circulates. In others, the water flows periodically. In small systems, the pump is usually located in the fish tank. In larger systems, the pump is located in a separate holding container or return tank. The water pump can be run on alternative power or a design that does not use electricity. An aquaponic float valve has been developed in the US by Travis Hughley that can use any power source. An aquaponic system in Haiti is pumped manually several times a day.

Aeration is required in aquaponic systems with a densely stocked fish tank. An air compressor or blower is used to keep the dissolved oxygen levels high enough for both the fish and the plants. This air is channeled through tubing to air stones, which break the stream of bubbles into micro-bubbles, providing maximum aeration to the water. In a low-tech, low-stocking density system, additional aeration comes from the movement of the water, splashing and air exchange.

In most high-density stocking systems, a clarifier or solids-filter is used to separate the solid waste from the water stream. A clarifier isn’t required in a low-tech system.

Can Aquaponics Replace Hydroponics?

We believe it can and we believe it will. Yes, of course, many will ask, why? Hydroponics can produce so much in a very small space using a fraction of the water, machinery and labor that field produce needs. Also, hydroponics, when done in a screened clear poly-roofed greenhouse, can be herbicide and pesticide free and not pollute the soil and ground water. In a hot climate, screened walls and a clear rain cover work well and in a cold climate clear walls, heaters and clear poly roofs on a greenhouse frame make production possible year-round. Well, all these advantages of hydroponics that makes it an option for feeding tomorrow’s world also apply to Village Aquaponics.

There are two clear advantages that aquaponics has over hydroponics: 1. the nutrient source comes from fish waste and is, therefore, organic and 2. aquaponics provides something that hydroponics does not, a protein crop. Now, it is true that they both need an input, fish food in aquaponics and fertilizer in hydroponics. It is easier to provide fish food than to provide the myriad of chemical fertilizers that hydroponics needs. I do recognize the contribution hydroponics has made to the world’s food supply and I think it will continue to be an important source of food in the future. I also think improvements will be made in nutrient sources for hydroponics in the near future, making it less dependent on the manufacture of chemical fertilizers.

Improvements in the manufacture of fish food have resulted in the availability of fish food that is plant-based and has no fish meal or animal by-products in it. Also, I see that many countries throughout the world have a well developed aquaculture industry already in place. This well established industry provides the perfect skilled labor force to manage the aquaculture portion of an aquaponic greenhouse operation. A network to distribute fish food is already in place so the start up of an aquaponic system can be easier in many cases than starting a hydroponic operation.

Examples of Village Aquaponics

Luke’s Mission – an aquaponics project in Haiti established to provide food for villagers. This system was developed and setup by mission workers and is now run by Haitian farmers.
Growing Power – is an urban greenhouse project in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that utilizes aquaponics and vermiculture to provide food and education to inner city neighborhoods. A food co-op distributes food to residents. This project has now been expanded into Chicago.
New Horizons Outreach program in Jamaica will be using aquaponics and organic gardening to provide food for residents and teach job skills.
Re-Vision Urban Farm – is an innovative shelter for women that uses aquaponics and gardening to grow food and help teach life skills and encourage individual responsibility.

Is Aquaponics Commercially Viable?

There are very few commercial aquaponic operations compared to the number of commercial hydroponic operations. This is true. But we believe the research that has been extensively done is making aquaponics a viable method of agriculture and research will continue which will refine it even more. We are not starting from ground zero. Aquaponics is so similar to hydroponics that much of the knowledge gained over the past decades is transferable to aquaponics. Another revenue stream that aquaponics can generate is from giving tours of this unique food growing system. While the clickity-clack of dosing devices used in hydroponics can put you to sleep, the activity of the fish in an aquaponics system seems to really draw a crowd.

We have been involved with agri-tourism in both hydroponic and aquaponic greenhouses and can assure you that an aquaponic growing system fascinates people far more than a hydroponic greenhouse tour. The aquaponic system lends itself well to educational groups as it is a complete living system that demonstrates many science related subjects. Educators can develop an entire semester’s curriculum around a visit to an aquaponic greenhouse.

The work that Dr. James Rakocy and associates has done at the Agricultural Experiment Station located at the University of the Virgin Islands, St. Croix, USVI, over the past 25 years or so has proven aquaponics works well. The application of this knowledge at the Crop Diversification Center in Alberta, Canada has had impressive results. Not only are leafy vegetable crops being grown, but high nutrient demanding vegetables and fruit crops are doing as well as they do in hydroponics, sometimes better. Valuable information also comes from the many aquaponic growers who contribute to the process by trial and error. These days the errors are fewer and the trials more successful as innovative new growers take advantage of the knowledge developed by others. The Aquaponics Journal has become the voice of aquaponics and is a major contributor of information to the aquaponics industry.

The Future of Village Aquaponics?

The aquaponics industry will develop rapidly for both salt and fresh water fish and crops. Many different organizations, both private and public, are taking up this technological quest with a passion dictated by their own particular needs. The resulting improvements will have a far reaching, world-wide effect on the aquaponics industry. It has been said that visionary thinking is the dreams of fools. To that, we say, let the fools sleep soundly, for we are going to need the results of their dreams if we are to meet tomorrow’s demand for food world-wide.

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