#Aquaponics

[heartnosekid]

berawaldariember on ig

[dinchenix]

A collection of hydroponics and solar powered machines I did over the years🌻

There is something about machines that work together with nature, instead against it, that keeps facinating me. I hope to explore this more in the future!

[verseflex]

flowering tomato vine cutting! (@divaladiva was trimming)

[brianrwa]

It's my 13 year anniversary on Tumblr 🥳

Well…I’m enjoying the ride.

[unimother]

This video demonstrates a completely low-maintenance aquaponics system featuring goldfish and guppies in a self-sustaining, eco-friendly setup.

Aquaponics is a symbiotic system that combines aquaculture (raising fish) with hydroponics (growing plants in water).

Designed for those who want a hands-off approach, this system requires no water changes, no maintenance, and only feeding the fish.

A walkthrough of the design:

Fish Tank: A large, stable tank housing goldfish and guppies, with an established natural ecosystem.

-Grow Bed: Overflowing with healthy leafy greens, herbs, and small vegetables.

-Water Flow: Automated circulation keeps the system oxygenated and nutrient-rich.

-Closed-loop system, where the water continuously recycles, eliminating the need for manual water changes.

Plants grow by absorbing fish waste nutrients, with lush greenery thriving in the system.

Footage of successful growth with no added fertilizers or chemicals.

This video is ideal for anyone interested in low-maintenance gardening and aquaponics, demonstrating how simplicity can lead to sustainability!

[bumblebeeappletree]

There are so many barriers in place when it comes to growing food in cities, but education and lack of access to space are the hardest to overcome. Yemi Amu has dedicated her life as a farmer to solving this problem, by starting the only Aquaponics farm in NYC. Oko Farms in Brooklyn is both a working farm which provides fresh food to surrounding neighborhoods, while also actively engaging the public in education on how to grow food for yourself in urban environments.

[davidstortebeker]

Closing Loops in Soilless Gardening - Hydroponics and Aquaponics

What is the future of food production going to look like? Is the projected 10 billion people in 25 years, out of which two thirds will live in cities, going to require us to convert every square meter of arable land into intensive mono cultural farms? Please don't let that be true! There HAS to be some alternative. Fortunately, there are several. Two of them are different ways of growing plants without soil, a radically new method, which may be most appealing to urban food production.

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Hydroponics: Growing Plants in Water

When it comes to growing large amounts of food on a small area efficiently, hydroponic systems are often brought up as a solution. And the reasons sound pretty convincing: An efficient hydroponic farm uses 90% less water, and can yield 3-10 times the amount of produce per area, with 7-14 growth cycles in a year. IMPRESSIVE! But before getting too excited, let's not forget: the devil is in the details! It's worth looking into under exactly what conditions those plants grow, being fed by what light, and most importantly which nutrients, and where they come from.

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The basic concept, however, of growing plants vertically, in mostly water, with some kind of substrate, such as clay balls or vermiculite, is actually a pretty nifty way to grow food where there are no fields. The most basic form of this may be the Windowfarm technique, which I experimented with myself years ago in my Budapest apartment. Going to Shanghai, the whole idea seems to be taken to a whole new level.

https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/04/sunqiao-urban-agricultural-district-Sasaki-architecture-industrial-china-shanghai_dezeen_hero-b.jpg image source

Is That Really Sustainable? Or Even Healthy?

… not to mention, does hydroponics even fit into Permaculture? Because let's be honest: with a system that needs to be constantly managed and monitored you could not be further from a self-supporting ecosystem. Also, what exactly do those plants get to eat? The typical N-P-K made industrially out of petrochemicals? Most likely. So while it certainly reduces the transport related drawbacks, hydroponics is by no means energy efficient, and the nutritional value won't be any better than your most industrially grown veggies.

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How Does Aquaponics Compare?

Okay, so let's bring in the fish! For those not familiar with the difference between the two systems, aquaponics is the combination of hydroponics and aquaculture, which are simply fish farms. Having fish in a tank, they will naturally defecate into the water, requiring it to be changed regularly. Plants, however love to eat those nutrients that the fish excrete. Or to be more exact, they feed on the nutrients that have been converted by bacteria and other microbes. The ammonia will turn in to nitrites, which in turn become nitrates, that is food for the plants.

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So running the water from the fish through the plants growing substrate will on one hand feed the plants, as well as clean it for the fish to enjoy it again. So the system already closed a few loops there, making it more sustainable than just mere hydroponics. Also, the inclusion of microbes already offers a more diverse environment, bringing the system a bit closer to an ecosystem. But let's not get ahead of ourselves: Aquaponic systems still need close monitoring, as they are still a far cry from a self sustaining ecosystem of let's say a pond. Also, the water circulation / aeration is most likely going to require a pump, and depending on the exact setup of the system, maybe artificial lighting for the plants. All these aspects add to the energy requirement of the aquaponic system.

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A Truly Closed Loop? Consider the Food of the Fish!

When praising the sustainability of aquaponics, one thing that mustn't be ignored is the source of the fish food. Just like with the hydroponic systems, where the food for the plants or the fertilizer is considered, we can't ignore the feed we give to our fish to eat. If it is the same industrial feed, we may as well have kept to our hydroponics. Not true, since including fish already makes our system more diverse. So instead, let's continue in that same direction. What do fish eat? What is good for them? How can we grow that food ourselves?

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Making Your Own Sustainable Fish Food

Here I could probably start a number of individual posts, since talking about fish food is like opening up a can of worms. But fortunately, I already have a number of appropriate things written. Talking about worms, by the way, anyone who has been fishing knows that they are a favored delicacy, and anyone who composts will have no shortage of them. Since worms are mostly vegetarians, and many of us eat meat, it may have been a bit difficult to properly compost greasy, meaty, bony food wastes. That's where black soldier flies come in, whose larvae are also frequently mentioned for fish food. I still need to try growing those guys. As for green plants for the fish, duckweed makes also good fish feed, again something I have no experience with. What I do know, though, is spirulina, which is also super rich in nutrients, and I would be surprised if the fish didn't like it. So I can see throwing some composting worms, black soldier fly larvae, and spirulina into a blender, to make some great nutritious fish food. At the moment this is very theoretical for me, though.

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Don't Give Up the Soil Completely

So does this mean we should all focus on setting up our most sustainable fish-plant-compost combo cycles? Hells yeah! But please not at the expense of everything else! Soilless gardening, as exciting and revolutionary as it may sound, is still that: without soil. And let's face it: neither us, nor our beans and tomatoes, have evolved to live entirely without soil. That just seems wrong. Even in a small urban apartment it's worth having a bit of soil on your roof, balcony, or window sill, where you can dig your hands into a world of healthy microbial diversity on occasion. And if you do have the space, by all means, set up a pond, a dam, or another aquatic ecosystem, where fish, and frogs, and dragonflies, and numerous other species can live together without relying on our management. Apart from looking pretty, they will also provide food for us, that is nutritionally superior to anything industrially grown.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

[victoriaorolfoart]

This Sunday!! Salut 8 group show opens to the public over at @nucleusportland @drinkanddrawsociety 🐸🪲🪼🐠 Always a pleasure seeing so many cool artists' works together in one place. Check it out starting online and if you're in the Portland area!

[dinosaureleanor]

It’s pretty awesome how a lot of the plants im growing with aquaponics have been thriving and putting off tons of new growth even though it’s not really the recommended way to grow the plants. I feel like a mad scientist who is just stumbling into great results

Alt text has the ability plant names

[marketinsightsenterprises]

Global Aquaponics Market: Growth, Trends, and Forecast (2023-2030)

Aquaponics, a sustainable farming method that combines aquaculture and hydroponics, is poised for remarkable growth. With a projected market value of USD 3.9 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 14.15%, it offers an efficient way to produce both fish and plants. This eco-friendly solution uses minimal water and no soil, making it ideal for urban settings and regions with limited resources. With innovations in AI and IoT technology, aquaponics systems are becoming more accessible and efficient, paving the way for a greener future in agriculture.

Learn more.

For Downloade Sample Report.

[blueflipflops]

Every once in a while i get the manic urge to start an aquaponic system. It gets so bad that i plan the whole thing and do the calculations every time and everytime, i get SO close to actually buying fish for this. And I know that I cannot realistically maintain all that and have to stop and chant to myself "i dont need this i dont need this i dont need this—" but the farmer inside of me is saying "dont you wanna eat fresh veggies AND fresh fish right from your backyard without needing to interact with people in the market. Think about it. You have everything you need to start an aquaponics system. All that is left is the fish and we LOVE fish—" now im clutching on my metaphorical pearls like NOOOO SHUTUPSHUTUP I DONT NEED THIS I DO NOT NEED A BACKYARD AQUAPONICS SYSTEM— and it dies for a bit until the mania starts again

[nurseshannansreviews]

🪴 This liquid plant food and soil conditioner from ounce of hope aquaponics works wonders!!! We use it for our vegetable garden and indoor/outdoor plants. It's made of real fish poop that's full of nutrients to help plants grow and thrive! I love how it's an all purpose fertilizer that's like a multivitamin for plants! It feeds, restores good bacteria into the soil and improves the soil structure.

🪴 One of my favorite things about this liquid fertilizer is how unlike emulsions or manure it doesn't smell! This one bottle goes a long way and actually makes 16 gallons of highly concentrated plant fertilizer. To learn more and try it for your plants visit

ounceofhope.com/fish-poop

[brianrwa]

Hydroponic vegetable garden chores

[unimother]

Automated Aquaponics Outdoors 1 Month Progress

Explore the incredible 1-month transformation of an automated outdoor aquaponics system in action! Witness fish thriving in a sustainable aquatic environment, their waste fertilizing vibrant grow beds filled with healthy vegetables and herbs. This self-sustaining system showcases the perfect harmony between aquaculture and hydroponics, minimizing labor while maximizing growth. A glimpse into the future of eco-friendly farming. 🌱🐟♻️

Download our FREE PDF 9 Tips to Instantly Become Lazy Sustainable Guide:

Unimother exists to make the consumer the producer of food. The production of food destroys rainforests, and water bodies and kills insects. Nonetheless, we create 1.3 TRILLION KG of food waste EVERY YEAR. We are working to eliminate the biowaste in every home through black soldier fly larvae, producing protein, fat, fertilizer, and water automatically. Making food scraps a new source of food and material while eliminating transport, plastic packaging, and deforestation. #viral #fyp #fy #sustainability #wastefree #wasteremoval #trash #environment #plasticfree #shorts