Aquaponics - Frequently Asked Questions

One of the significant benefits of aquaponic growing is the minimal water wasted compared to traditional farming. Even though the name implies water, aquaponics uses approximately 90% less water than conventional farming.

In aquaponics, the water is recycled, cleaned, refreshed via the seedling bed and used again. The big reason for this is that there is no soil to absorb water, and aquaponics continuously uses the same recycled water. This means there is no extra water involved unless the water becomes significantly stagnated. The only water lost in aquaponics is through evaporation, which is minimal and will require you to replenish the water from time to time.

How is Aquaponics 100% Natural?

Aquaponics is a sustainable and natural method of growing plants and aquatic animals. It promotes a symbiotic relationship between plants and marine animals, allowing backyard growers and hobby farmers to cultivate nutritious and organic crops and raise edible fish. 

It is sustainable because it saves water, does not need an ample space of land to operate, and has a minimal footprint that can affect the environment. It is also a natural way of growing because it mimics and replicates nature, where the plants reuse leftovers from the animals. And since it mimics nature, there is no waste. Any solid collected from the fish is absorbed by the plant's roots for their growth. Any excess solid waste can be added to the compost or applied to your garden soil as natural fertilisers. 

How is Aquaponics Gardening Organic?

Your aquaponics system directly reflects what you put into your system. As the system is a self-contained recirculating system, you do not need to add harmful pesticides and chemicals. Any chemical additions may harm or kill the fish in your system. Keeping your fish healthy and natural is essential to keeping your plants and the whole system healthy. You should be attempting to replicate nature at all times. 

Aquaponics systems can be classified as an organic way of growing food because it enables you to produce food sustainably. Here are some reasons why aquaponics gardening is considered organic: 

• Aquaponics Do Not Use Synthetic Fertilizers

 One benefit of having an aquaponics system is that there is no need for synthetic fertilizers to grow vegetables, seedlings or produce. Aquaponics use fish waste as the primary source of nutrients for the plants.

• Chemical-Free Pest Control

An aquaponics system is not totally free from pests. You might have to deal with bugs that will feast on the crops from time to time. In dealing with these occasional pests, many aquaponics growers apply natural pest-control methods, like hand removal, companion planting, bug netting, and the use of beneficial insects. This is because the chemicals often used by many gardeners to remove the pests may harm or kill the fish in the system. 

• No Antibiotics or Growth Hormones

Many aquaponics growers are into aquaponics because they want to grow healthy organic crops. This includes making sure that the fish are not given growth hormones and feeding them with a natural fish meal and/or fish oil diet. Some growers will experiment with alternatives such as worms, insects, and leftover vegetables to feed their fish.

The nutritional value of vegetables grown in aquaponics is higher than vegetables grown on the ground. The great thing about having your aquaponics farm/system is controlling what goes into your plants. You don't have to trust the farms telling you that the plants they grow are organic. You can be confident your plants are organic because you know what went into growing them.