Aquaponics Frequently Asked Questions

What are the benefits of growing aquaponically?
There are plenty!

• Aquaponics Gardening enables home fish farming. You can now feel good about eating fish again.
• Aquaponics Gardening uses 90% less water than soil-based gardening.
• Aquaponics ning is twice as productive on a square foot basis as soil-based gardening.
• Aquaponics Gardening is free from weeds, watering and fertilizing concerns, and because it is done at a waist high level there is no back strain.
• Aquaponics Gardening is necessarily organic. Natural fish waste provides all the food the plants need. Pesticides would be harmful to the fish. Hormones, antibiotics, and other fish additives would be harmful to the plants. And the result is every bit as flavorful as soil-based organic produce.
• Aquaponics Gardening consumes no energy to transport out-of -season produce to distant markets across the globe because you will be able to select your own produce from the garden right in your own home.

Is aquaponics organic?
Absolutely! In fact, it doesn’t work unless it is organic. Think about it. If you were to add chemicals, antibiotics, or other artificial additives to your aquaponic fish tank it would harm your plants. If you use pesticides or growth stimulants to your plants, it will harm your fish. Your plants are being grown with “composted” animal waste. Aquaponics works as well as it does because of how well it mimics nature. The closer you are to pure nature, the better your system will work.

What fish can I raise in an aquaponics system?
In aquaponics you can grow any fresh water fish that appeals to you. Considerations are that you want to be sure the environment your aquaponics fish are happiest in is one that your aquaponics system can naturally provide. Trout, for example, like water temperatures below 60 degrees. Can your environment consistently provide this? Also be sure that if you are mixing fish species that they have similar living requirements. Do they all prefer the same water temperature, eat the same food, and have the same oxygen requirements? Don’t mix carnivorous fish with herbivores, or you will find that you are just providing an expensive meal for your carnivores. We have found that tilapia; other cichlids such as oscars, pacu, goldfish, and koi all co-exist well together in an aquaponics system. See the post titled “Fish: To Eat or Not to Eat” in our blog for more detailed information.

How many fish can I grow in an aquaponics system?
A good rule of thumb is to stock about 1 lb of fish per 5 -10 gallons of water, or 1-2 fish per 10 gallons of water. Never stock more than 1 pound of fish for every three gallons of water.

Does an aquaponics system have an odor?
No, there is absolutely no odor at all.

What plants can I grow in aquaponics?
We have yet to see a plant that doesn’t grow well in aquaponics, except for perhaps acid loving plants like blueberries. We know of people growing papayas, strawberries, heirloom tomatoes, and cantaloupe. Experiment and let us know what works for you!

Can I plant in my system right away?
Yes, it is imperative that you do in order to start providing filtration for the fish in your aquaponics systems.

How many plants can I grow?
That depends on the type of plant you are growing, but in general you can plant about twice as densely in aquaponics as you can in a traditional soil-based garden. This is because the plants are getting exactly what they need at the root zone (food, water, oxygen) so the plant doesn’t need to send it’s roots out searching for these things. The result of this is extremely compact, healthy roots and less competition for nutrients and water below “ground”.

• Information courtesy of the Aquaponic Source.