Tuesday, 6 September 2011

Produce Organic Food With Aquaculture Farming

Are you looking for information regarding the method to produce organic food with aquaculture farming ? Read on this article as it will tells you about aquaculture farming, the new revolution in organic food production.

Tilapia growing vegetables? How could this be? Does this mean that tilapia are putting on their straw hats and overalls, driving tractors, planting seeds and pulling weeds? As fun as that sounds, it is actually something quite different. It is a process called aquaponics and it is revolutionizing the way many people are growing food.


Tilapia are well known for their food value and for being a "non fishy" fish. This fish is not only gaining in popularity as a seafood dish, what many people don't know is that tilapia are also being used for growing vegetables.

Aquaponics is a hybridization of aquaculture and hydroponics. Aquaculture is a term used for farming fish. Hydroponics is a way to grow plants in water instead of using soil. Both of these methods have been used for a long time and both can be very productive.

Aquaponics combines the two and creates a symbiotic relationship between the fish and the plants. The fish produce nutrients for the plants, and the plants clean the water for the fish. This eliminates the need to add fertilizer to the hydroponic system. The fish wastes are converted by bacteria into nutrients that the plants can use. The plants remove these wastes from the water, which provides clean water for the fish.

This creates a system where there is no need to add fertilizer, which can otherwise be expensive, a constant chore, and does not fit well with organic gardening. A major problem with aquaculture is keeping the water clean. The buildup of fish wastes need to be flushed from the system, usually by constantly replacing water. This not only uses a lot of water, it also creates a lot of polluted water to dispose of into the environment.



Aquaponics eliminates these problems while retaining all the advantages of both hydroponics and aquaculture. It can produce vegetables with one tenth the water as traditional gardening, in much less space, all without chemical fertilizers.

Many types of fish are used with this type of system including trout and catfish, but tilapia are the probably the most common. These fish are very hardy, will eat just about any type of food, and are very productive.

This type of system can be done on a large commercial scale, but may be becoming more common as a small back yard hobby scale. This is a great hobby that can be kept very simple and inexpensive or can be quite complex, depending how deep into it you want to get.



Tips To Growing Lettuce Indoors With Aquaponics At Your Home

Thinking about growing lettuce indoors with aquaponics system at your home ? Well this article is perfectly for you.Many people are starting to learn that they can grow vegetables indoors. If people are growing indoor plants anyway, why not grow plants that produce vegetables? Not only is this a feasible way to grow food, it can also be easier than growing vegetables outside.

Since farming was invented thousands of years ago, the way people knew how to grow food was to strip the natural habitat off the land and start working the soil grow crops. This method is still being used today. Do we use this method because it is the best way to grow food? Maybe, but maybe it is because that is the way we know how, more like a habit.

Technology has created new ways to grow plants. One of them is becoming very popular and works wonderfully for growing vegetables indoors. This method is called aquaponics, and it is one of the easiest ways available for growing fresh organic vegetables. Now you will learn how to growing lettuce indoors with aquaponics system at your home.

Aquaponics is a way of using fish to help you grow your plants. Fish are very easy and can be enjoyable to raise. This is why aquariums are so popular in homes. One of the challenges with growing fish is keeping the water clean. Waste materials from the fish accumulate in the water and can eventually become toxic to fish. This is why aquariums have filters constantly running to keep the water clean. But it turns out, the fish wastes are just what the plants need for nutrients, and plants are excellent at filtering these materials out of the water.

With aquaponics, the nutrient rich fish water is circulated into the beds where the plants are growing. Or in some cases the plants are grown with their roots directly in the tank. The plants absorb the nutrients from the water, which returns to the fish tank cleaned. With this method, there is no need to water or fertilize your plants since they have all the water and nutrients they need. And no need to filter and condition the water for the fish since the plants do it for you.

This kind of system mostly takes care of itself. There is no need for digging or working the soil, since it does not use soil. No need for fertile land and very little water is used since the water is recirculated and nothing goes to waste. It's all organic with no chemical fertilizer to buy or add.

This type of system can grow all the vegetables you need, not only growing lettuce indoors with aquaponics system. It only takes a small space to grow a lot of food. Since this system gives plants constant supply of all the water and nutrients they need, they can produce spectacular results. Plus you get fish. You can grow tilapia or other food fish to eat, you can raise and sell fish for stocking ponds, aquariums or other aquaponics systems. Or just keep them as someone would with an aquarium.

Learn how to grow all the fresh vegetables and fish you can handle with this aquaponics guide. Learn how to set up a simple low cost aquaponics system and how to put it to work producing fresh organic food for you. More information visit Aquaponics4U.

Start Your Aquaponics Gardening System At Your Home

Aquaponics gardening is a get through in the industry of commercial food production. It has now become a increasing industry that several have opted to invest in. it can be described as a min-ecosystem that holds several life-forms like fish and farmed vegetables such as cucumbers. In commercial systems, they use chemicals to uphold their aquaponics gardening while some go organic, particularly those set up at home.

It is imprinting its name in the field of food-making, it has also complete its method in the scene of home farming. As a matter of fact, you can put up your own home aquaponics gardening structure at the comfort of your home - whether in your veranda, rooftop or court - and even provide ample food for you and your full family!



How much does it cost?
Setting up a big-scale commercial-type home aquaponics gardening system is quite grand. But if you are rooting for a mini system in your home which you can enjoy at the least possible cost, you can talk to backyard gardeners for a cheaper set up which makes use of recycled materials and household items. You can even decide to use only a single air pump as a source of energy to reduce the cost of your system.

How to get started?
You do not need to be unreasonably comfortable with your home aquaponics gardening. For starters, all you need are the following essentials:

1. Energy pump. 
A single but capable energy pump is satisfactory enough to transfer water from the fish tank to the grow bed and back to the fish.

2. A Fish Tank and Grow Bed. 
Your grow bed should have the necessary rudiments for your plants to grow in. Make sure to clean it thoroughly to avert jamming the system or shelter ammonia. A common grow bed is a red scoria.

3. Tubing. 
This is compulsory to distribute water from and to the plants ad fish. You need to pick a water pump system that will fit the nutritional requirements of the fish and plants you intend to cultivate. There are two ways to provide water to your home aquaponics gardening system :

a. A water system of ebb and flow - This provides more oxygen in the aquaponics gardening system. Considering that there is no continuous flow and pumping of water, it practically saves energy.

b. Steady flow of water - This system improves ammonia levels to enhance growth and nitration. However, a downside of this system involves not enough supply of oxygen at the root zone thus, the need for further ventilation to amplify oxygen supply. Furthermore, you need to filter out the solid waste of fish and feeds not taken out by gravel.

4. Heater. 
You will also need an aquatic heater regulated by a thermostat to keep track of the water temperature that will suit the temperature needs of the plants and fish you are cultivating. For a minimum, maintain at least 21-30 degrees Celsius or 70-86 degrees Fahrenheit.

5. Gravel or Clay. 
This is needed for your grow bed. This will help in filtering and shielding water, and giving support and promoting growth for the plants.

6. Test Kits. 
This is essential to monitor the pH level of the water. You should ideally retain a 6.7-6.9 pH level of your water system.

Home aquaponics gardening system cultivate plants and fish in the most environment-friendly mode. It creates a mini-ecosystem where life-forms support and are supported by each other. Also, it attaches a therapeutic ambiance in your home where you can bask in its natural beauty. Above it all, you can have a source of food for you and your family in the comfort of your own yard! Having said all these, you might want to reconsider having one in your own home now.

Complete guide, instruction & step-by-step how to build your own aquaponics system at Aquaponics4U.com