Having an Aquaponics system at home is great because you get to
produce organic food without hurting the environment. Aquaponics can
help you produce your own vegetables and fishes in a natural manner. The
system is composed by a fish tank and a garden box that is connected
together. The fishes’ wastes from the food they eat are converted into
ammonia, then to nitrite, then to nitrate. This nitrate is then absorbed
by plants by pumping the water up to the garden box. From here, the
plants will not need anymore nutrients. This means you do not need to
use commercial fertilizers just to tend to your plants.
But to create a successful aquaponics system, you need to have some
supplies. While a commercial aquaponics system may need lots of space,
you can create a backyard system that only needs a few materials. Here
are some of them.
Fish Tank
Since you will have fishes in the system, it is very important that
you have a fish tank. The fish tank will be like your fishes’ home.
They will swim in it and get their food, oxygen and other needs. You
also need to tend to your tank to make sure that it is clean. Mineral
deposits can cause your fish to die so be warned.
Garden Box
This is the second part of the aquaponics system. A garden box is
where your plants will grow. The size of the garden box will depend on
how many plants you are planning to have. There are many garden boxes in
the market which you can use.
Filters and Pumps
Of course, there are also some filters and pumps that you need to
buy. A pump is used to pump water to the garden box. You will learn more
about these in Aquaponics guides and seminars. You also need a filter
in your fish tank so that the water stays clean. Just be sure to clean
your filter once in a while.
Garden Tools
And of course, you will also need some garden tools to plant seeds
and transplant your plants. A small rake or spade will do. You may also
need a water sprinkler in case your plants need a little more water.
So be sure to have these on hand as well.
Auto Feeders
This is perhaps optional. Commercial aquaponics systems have these
because it saves the owner the trouble of feeding the fishes. Auto
feeders can give food to the fishes at certain times. But if you want to
start small and save money, then you can skip this one.
So these are just some of the supplies that you will need for your aquaponics system. While some of these are available in your local
hardware store, you may need to consult with Aquaponics seminars to know
how to put everything together. You can also buy some of these
supplies online. Just do a search on a particular material on Google
and you will be surprised that it can be delivered to your home.