Aquaponics is the combination of hydroponics and aquaculture used to grow healthy organic plants such as vegetables and herbs. The relationship between these two components is symbiotic. This means the aquaculture system provides the plants in the hydroponics grow beds nutrients to grow. Conversely the plants in the hydroponics component filter the water received from the fish rearing tanks in the aquaculture system of toxic compounds. This cleansed water is feed back to the fish rearing tanks. The types aquaponics fish you use will determine the frequency in which you will need to cleanse the water they are living in.
The tilapia fish is commonly used in both commercial and home based aquaponics systems. These fish have the ability to tolerate poor water conditions. They can also tolerate high stocking densities, reproduce quickly and are of the edible variety. This makes them a good fish to harvest as a food source. This can be done a number of times throughout the year and you will still have sufficient amounts of tilapia fish to supply nutrients for the plants growing in your hydroponics garden. However these fish do have some drawbacks. Because they are a tropical fish they require warm water temperatures to survive in. The water temperature needs to be in the range of 28-30 degrees C (82-86 degrees F). Their growth rate will decrease substantially if the water is colder than 20 degrees C (68 degrees F) and they will normally start dying when the water temperature is around 10 degrees C (50 degrees F. If you live in a cool climate you will need to heat the water and this will cost money for the water heaters and extra electricity. If this is not something you want to pay for consider stocking your fish rearing tanks with fish that are better suited for cold water such as trout.
Trout are another commonly used fish in aquaponics gardening. They do quite well in cooler waters. They prefer water temperatures between 10 t0 20 degrees C. Many aquaponics gardeners who live in cooler climates stock their fish rearing tanks during the winter months with trout. However the cooler water used in the aquaponics system limits the types of plants you can grow. Most plants grow best in warmer waters like that used with the tilapia fish. Unlike the tilapia, trout require pristine water conditions. This means you will need to be more concerned about the cleanliness of the water or your fish will suffer the consequences.
Choosing the correct type of aquaponics fish to stock your fish rearing tanks will require a little research. A good place to find this information is on the internet. Some of these resources are free and some will require payment. The aquaponics gardening resources that require some sort of payment often offer the best quality information. Choosing to pay for this information may be well work it in the long run.
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Please visit aquaponicshowto.info to learn more about the amazing world of aquaponics gardening. This website also gives you access to a number of aquaponics gardening resources that will teach how to build a number of aquaponics systems from simple components in a timely and cost-effective manner.
