• Design

    Step by step DIY aquaponics system Video course.

  • Fish

    Aquaponics fish Guide, Find out what is the Best Aquaponics Fish.

  • Plants

    Aquaponics farming Guide, learn more about your aquaponics plant choice.

  • Store

    Aquaponics shop all brands in one place with the best prices!


Aquaponics Systems

Aquaponics Systems


Interesting in Fresh Organic vegetables, fruits and healthy fishes at your house?

You are in the right place, welcome to the Aquaponics Systems website.










Why is aquaponics a great and easy solution for a healthier and natural life?

  • Aquaponics system give you the opportunity to consume fresh and organic fishes and vegetables
  • Your system can give you up to 50 kg of fishes and hundreds of kg of vegetables in 6 months time!
  • It is an easy job to build up your own aquaponics system
  • Your system does not need big space for its establishment
  • Aquaponics system is a real money saver in both its building and its maintenance i.e. you will need to spend only the 1/10 of water comparing with the classic farming
  • You can find aquaponic systems enthusiasts around your own area and around the world. They will be a great help for you when you will decide to take your first steps
  • Αquaponics systems are easy expandable systems. You can adjust them any time you feel like it for example you can add to them more elements to succeed bigger harvest



Aquaponics systems the Idea

The Idea of aquaponics systems came from combination of Aquaculture and Hydroponic Systems. It came as the best solve for the negative sides for both Hydroponics and Aquaculture:

Aquaculture negatives

Aquaculture re-circulating process is about getting the excess nutrients out of the system, this is happening daily in general, by getting percentage of the water out. Then we have water rich in nutrients that need to be disposed and clean fresh water has to replace it.





Hydroponics negatives

To feed the plants the hydroponic system needs all the time expensive nutrients and also on a regular basis a waste disposal issue appears by flushing the systems.








The negative aspects do not exist any more!

Aquaponic Systems came as the magical solve for the down sides of both aquaculture and hydroponics in the best way, thinking about re-circulating both systems together we will find that the negative aspects of aquaculture “getting the excess nutrients out of the system” is the best solve for the negative aspect of hydroponics “the hydroponic system is in need all the time for expensive nutrients” and no more waste water cause of the periodic flushing of the systems that means no more lost money. And by the magical touch of aquaponic, we will have fresh fish, vegetables and fruits all the time in the in the cheapest and cleanest way.





 

Aquaponics Systems Design

Aquaponics Systems Stages

  • First stage:

    We feed the fishes normally and then the fishes extract ammonia into the water
  • Second stage:

    The pump is lifting the water from the fish tank up to the grow-bed
  • Third stage:

    The water is dripping down through the porous media bed / filter, passing through the roots of the plants before discharging back into the tank
  • Fourth Stage:

    The plants roots absorb the water and nutrients that they need to grow, cleaning the water by this way from the nutrients, returning back to the tank fresh and clean water that fish need

 

Aquaponics System Nitrogen cycle

Ok, let’s have close look at the roots of the aquaponics plants, are they making use from the fish tank water as it is, or are there hidden secrets behind the aquaponics system success? The answer is no, there are hidden soldiers working unceasing at the backstage for the success of the system so; let me introduce you now the grow-bed bacteria. I know most of us when we hear “Bacteria” (or “Germs” according to the disinfectant commercials) are meant to be bad, aren’t we? No, as every thing else has its good and bad sides, this kind of bacteria is useful and we can call it the main soldier in aquaponics system.
  1. Ammonia to nitrite:

    Normally the fish are excreting ammonia and it’s harmful for the fish (big damage to tissues of the kidney and gills, decreased resistance to disease and Weak growth or even death). Decomposing food also creates ammonia. Luckily there on the surface of the grow-bed media there are Nitrosomonas bacteria, which eat the ammonia and get out nitrite (this nitrite has so much less bad effect on the fish than the ammonia, but still the case has some negative aspect that It stops the fish from taking up oxygen).
  2. Nitrite to nitrate:

    Luckily there are other good bacteria “Nitro-bacteria”, which eat the nitrite and get out nitrate.
  3. Plants and nitrate:

    Nitrate happens to be the best food for the plants, which make them grow so fast, so the plants roots absorb the nitrate and water to grow up faster than in any other system.
  4. Fish and fresh water:

    After plants have absorbed all the nitrates, the water is returning fresh again, (free of ammonia or even nitrite) back to the fish tank. This is what we call “Aquaponics System Nitrogen cycle” which is the real technique, made by the Aquaponics, a real technique for the most efficient System that is producing Fresh fish and Organic (vegetables / fruits) to every house, and can be turned easily to your home business as well.

 

Aquaponics System Grow-bed Media

If you are experienced with hydroponics you are OK. There is no difference than the normal way of growing plants in Aquaponics System the grow-beds can be filled with media such as expanded clay pebbles, gravel, vermiculite, perlite and many other ways can be used as media to grow the plants, even it can be floating foam rafts that sit on the water surface.

Aquaponics Systems Fish

High density of fish can be grown up in an aquaponics system fish tank. Many kinds of fish can be breeding in Aquaponics systems such as Tilapia, White bass, Crappies, Trout and many other species. Generally we can say it is a so productive fish growing system. Choosing the fish you will be growing depends on many factors, in our Aquaponics Fish help guide, you will find all the necessary data.

Aquaponics Systems Plants

A common question that the beginners are always asking: Which plants they can cultivate in an aquaponics system? Ok we can say that all the vegetables and herbs can be done in the aquaponic farming with no exception, many kinds of fruits too, but choosing the vegetables or fruits that you will be growing in your aquaponics system it will be described later in aquaponics gardening area.


Aquaponics Systems forms

Aquaponics systems differ in form from one system to the other, they can be as simple or as complex according to your desires, let’s have a look

Home Aquaponics

Small fish tank, little number of fishes and nice amount of vegetables.
















Backyard Aquaponics

At the backyard of your house you can build bigger aquaponics system, like the one made from one IBC (Intermediate Bulk Container). We cut the upper part and put it up side down to make it grow bed and we use the down part as fish tank. There are so many other forms, that can be used in the backyard of your house and we will discuss it later.






Commercial aquaponics

In this case we are talking about huge aquaponics systems with huge sizes of grow-beds, huge amount of growing fishes and great aquaponic food production. We will be discussing every system alone with lots of details inside our site.