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Our Science 10-4 class began the 2020 semester building various hydroponic systems. Hydroponics grows plants in a soilless environment, providing the nutrients that the plants need in a solution. We expanded in 2021 and challenged ourselves with aquaponics.
Aquaponics can be used to grow both fish (for sale or food) and produce. Aquaponics is different than hydroponics in that the nutrients are coming from the fish waste. Aquaponics can use any of the system types familiar to hydroponics (DWC, NFT, etc).
Where we started...
Where we started...
...where we are now.
...where we are now.
Our Aquaponics system monitors pH, EC and Temperature.
pH is important for both fish health as well as the growth of plants in the system. Different breeds of fish are tolerable of different pH's and plants in general prefer a slightly acidic pH.
Temperature is most important for fish health and less important for the plants. Our tank contains Nile Tilapia. They prefer warmer water.
EC is a measure that growers use to identify the amount of dissolved solids in a system (this is what the plants want).
An important part of any aquaponics system is beneficial microbes. These microbes are essential in converting toxic ammonia into less toxic nitrite and then nitrate. The nitrate is eventually the product that the plants use to get the nitrogen that they need.
To follow along with what we are doing check out Awkward Aquaponics on Youtube.
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