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What is Aquaponics?
Aquaponics combines aquaculture (raising of fish and other aquatic animals) and hydroponics (growing plants without soil). In this growing method, plants are grown in the grow bed, and fish are placed in the fish tank. Aquaponics relies on the food introduced for fish, which works as the system’s input. As fish eat this food and process it, they transform it into urine and fecal matter, both rich in ammonia, which is in sufficient quantities of nutrients for plants and can be toxic to fish. The water from the fish tank that contains fish waste is fed to the grow bed, where billions of naturally occurring beneficial bacteria break the ammonia down into nitrites and then into nitrates. Plants absorb these nitrates and other nutrients to help them grow. The plant’s roots clean and filter the water in before it flows back into the fish tank for the fish to live. The fresh, clean, and oxygenated water recirculates back to the fish tank, where the cycle will begin again.

Benefits of Aquaponics
1. Year-Round Gardening: Through indoor aquaponics systems or the use of greenhouses, an aquaponics grower can grow food all year round.
2. Low Water Usage: Although the name implies ‘water,’ aquaponics uses approximately 90% less water than conventional agriculture.
3. Minimal Weeding: There is no soil involved in aquaponics, so there are very few weeds that will pop up in your garden, giving you more time to enjoy your garden
4. Growth: Plants grow faster in an aquaponic system than plants grown in soil because they access 100% natural nutrients 24 hours a day.
5. Two Sources of Income: Aquaponics offers two streams of income, both fish and vegetables.
6. Small Footprint: Aquaponics farming does not require farmland with fertile soil. Aquaponics can be done successfully on any land, cement, gravel, rocky surfaces, or even drought lands, which are difficult to use in conventional farms.
7. Food Security: Food security and food independence are increasingly becoming
important. Aquaponics is another means of living a more self-sufficient lifestyle.
8. Healthy Food: In an aquaponics system, fish and plants grow without fertilizers and chemicals. So, your harvests are fresh and organic.
9. Fresh Produce: Having your own aquaponics garden at home allows growers to harvest fresh vegetables.
10. Self-Sufficient Way of Living: Growing your own food is the start of living a self-sufficient lifestyle. Aquaponics systems can contribute to the environment by enabling its user to grow food indoors year-round with minimal resources used and also providing the stress-relieving benefits of having a pet, gardening, and connecting with nature. With the EcoGarden, we’ve made aquaponics into an easy and low-maintenance activity that anyone can learn and enjoy.

We hope you’ll give it a try!