In finding better ways to maximize the use of arable land in combination with a growing population, an impetus for developing new approaches for growing food efficiently in controlled environments have continuously been found to be successful. Aquaponics is a controlled environment where fish are raised and as a result create a soilless medium for growing food. With the fish in the environment doing the heavy lifting, the reason why this system becomes self-sustaining is because detritus, the waste that fish produce, the very waste known as detritus the fish produce, provides the nutrients needed to help fertilize the plants and help them grow. In other words, the environment is able to stay intact as the water circulates through the system, mimicking a natural ecosystem.
Soil access, specifically fertile/useful soil is difficult to get ahold of in urban areas as it is difficult to contend with things like concrete, asphalt, and rock. Even with access to nutrient deficient soil, it not only slows down the rate of growth of the crops, but heightens the maintenance the system -particularly the plants- need. Along with that, the soil also loses some of its fertility after every harvest, becoming “too hot,” and enabling the ability to use the soil again in the future. Aquaponics on the other hand, is a cyclical environment that gives back what it takes out. In an aquaponics environment, plants also do not require energy to feed their “attack roots,” which keep out pests. Instead, with an absence of parasites, the energy that would go into growing this root can be redirected to plant nutrition.
For someone who isn’t looking to invest too much time in the garden, issues not only with sustaining the system but dealing with disease and pests can be a real hassle and time consumer. With aquaponics, once the fish to crop ratio becomes balanced (often happens in a month or so depending on the size of your natural ecosystem), the system requires little to no physical labor. At most, some rare tasks would require; topping off the water when it begins to evaporate, weekly check ins on pH levels and detritus levels, or any pattern that suggests that the plants have slowed their growth down or that the fish looked stressed.
A common food concern arises from how “processed” our food is. This is because many large- scale industrial farms include agrochemicals or GMOs into their crops to improve production levels. Aquaponics is a “clean” way of sustaining an ecosystem that provides both plant and animal options that include no harmful petrochemicals, pesticides or herbicides giving the crops that “organic” label status. For many people, their ecological footprint is dominated by their food consumption, since aquaponics relies on the recycling of nutrient-rich water continuously, it uses a tenth of the water of soil-based gardening and even less water than hydroponics or recirculating aquaculture.
Aquaponic systems are scalable. This means that they can fit most sizes and budgets, from small countertop herb systems to backyard gardens, to full-scale farms, aquaponics can do it all. One of the more successful aquaponic systems in the Bay Area is located in Half Moon Bay. The Ouroboros farm owns an aquaponics system that homes 3,000 fish. Although the process timeline was extended to that size, the produce at Ouroboros grows a third faster than if the crops were grown in soil. After gathering data over the last couple of harvests, There was a report stating that Ouroboros was using 90% less water than traditional soil farming. 60,000 gallons of water might seem like a large number, but with the amount of fish at work and a head of lettuce only needing a gallon of water to grow in the span of 6 weeks, turns out to be significantly less water and time than if it were growing on soil.
Even with its appeal, aquaponic systems do come with a few cons. Although the cost in starting the system may not always be the most exciting part of the project, it does eventually become a self-sustaining business at a commercial level. With lower production levels in a at a residential system, it would take more time to pay off its cost. With lettuce being one of the more promising crops, there can also be a limitation in the system since only a certain amount of crops can be harvested due to the structure of how each has to be grown. In terms of species of fish, mixing species of fish isn’t recommended since some can be more productive than others. Regardless of what you are growing and what fish you choose to put to work, there needs to be a comfortable plant to fish ratio so that there’s a balanced nutrient load. Hence why occasionally checking pH levels, detritus levels, and fish behavior is so important.
Beyond saving money on buying produce, when creating your own aquaponics system you are not only able to consume high quality food, but reduce your carbon footprint. With a variety of different crops successfully being harvested from the system and fish naturally reproducing, the system will give you back many times more than what you invest in it.