What is Aquaponics?

* Sustainable food
production system that
combines aquaculture
with hydroponics in a
closed loop system that
recirculates water and
nutrients in order to
grow aquatic life and
terrestrial life.
Aquaculture
Method of farming of aquatic life



Hydroponics

Method of growing plants using
minerals nutrients in water without soil

So how aquaponics work?
Many types of plants and aquatic animals may
be grown in aquaponics system, the most
common fish grown in North America is
Tilapia.

Similarly many plants can be grown in
aquaponics system, provided they dont have a
large root.
*The design of aquaponic systems is basically
recirculating systems in general, with the addition of a
hydroponic component, and the possible elimination of
a separate biofilter and devices for fine and dissolved
solid removals.

The essential elements of an aquaponic system consist
of a sh rearing tank, a settleable and suspended solids
removal component, a biolter, a hydroponic
component and a sump

Optimum arrangement of aquaponic system
components.






History of Aquaponics
Aquaponics begins to appear in the research
titles in the late 1990s.
Between 1970s anf 80s Aquaponics was
known in the scientific world under different
concepts: hydroponic aquaculture pond,
hydroponic solar pond, integrated
agriculture, integrated Aqua-Vegiculture
system (IAVS).
One of the first systems to utilize Aquaponics
systems was called Chinimpas (Floating
Gardens).
Developed by the Aztects (Mexico), these
floating islands were planted with crops which
were watered with lake water and fertilized by
lake sediments.

*Another integrated fish-agriculture system was
called Vuon ao Choung (VAC) employed in
Vietnam was promoted in the early 80s.
Fish were grown in rice paddies.

Similar integrated systems of aquaculture and
agriculture where fish are grown in rice
paddies had been employed in Malaysia, North
Korea and Philippines since the 1930s.


Mina Padi (Indonesia)
Aquoponics in The US

The New Alchemy institute, MA. was the first
institution to develop an integrated fish and vegetable
system (1971-1991).

Goal was to help people live lightly on land and
reducing levels of energy consumption by creating
low energy input food productions systems.




Aquaponics research at the University of the
Virgin Islands (UVI)
Focused on the culture of tilapia in outdoor tanks
equipped with raft hydroponics

Hydroponic subsystems
Gravel hydroponics
Nutrient film technique
Research in the North Carolina State University
Research has been conducted since 1980s to present
Their aquaponics system is called Integrated Aqua-
Vegiculture systems (IAVS), developed by McMurry
and Sanders in the 80s.
The system includes fish tanks sunk into the ground
connected to a ground level trickle irrigated
hydroponics systems with a sand growing media.