Written by Mercedez Spears
As populations are increasing in urban areas the lack of natural grown food is progressing. Aquaponics is the solution. Not everybody knows that by utilizing Aquaponics you can grow a large percentage of your families food in your own home. This is a short break down of what Aquaponics actually is: Aquaculture + Hydroponics = Aquaponics!!! Aquaculture is raising aquatic animals such as fish, crayfish, or prawns in tanks. Hydroponics is cultivating plants in water. (NO SOIL)
Aquaponics is a sustainable food production system that combines a traditional aquaculture with hydroponics in a symbiotic environment. It is a bio-integrated system that links recirculating aquaculture with hydroponic vegetable, flower, and/or herb production.
How does it work?
In the aquaculture waste products gather in the water, increasing toxicity for the fish. The water is then led to a hydroponic system through a pump. Then the by-products from the aquaculture are filtered out by the plants as vital nutrients. After, the cleansed water recirculates back to the animals, providing them with clean water. The system repeats, eventually producing a harvest of plants and aquatic food.
You can build an Aquaponics system of any size depending on your limitations. Your system can vary from indoor or outdoor units to massive commercial units, using the same technological concepts. Most systems usually contain fresh water, although saltwater systems are plausible depending on the type of aquatic animal and vegetation.
Aquaponics systems can be constructed anywhere there is room. On top of buildings for cities that don’t have land to spare is the essential idea for areas that can’t agriculturally produce food.
In the PES Aquaponics club we are learning how to build small mobile models that we can take to different events. We are also working on finding a place to construct a much, much larger system to start benefiting the community. We have the opportunity to gain knowledge and teach others about sustainability. It is very rewarding not only to learn and share with others but also to have the chance to use our efforts to gain scholarships and recognition.
I have seen the aquaponics system at school and my first thought was how complicated it looked. Mr. Savage explained it a bit and I know have a better understanding of what it is. It really is a complicated looking thing, but really it combines some pretty simple things. These systems could become a major thing if the production of them catches on. It makes sense to raise potential food and keep plants all in one thing. I really don’t know much about aquaponics, but I wish the people trying to make this idea work the best.
This doesn’t seem very complicated. Anyone, who put effort into, it could probably make their own small aquaponics farm. Also a large aquaponics system could be funded by a city for a lot cheaper than other green solutions. However is it possible to grow any type of plant or only certain types, and could any type of fish be used?
This is a great idea. And like Haley Block said, whoever puts effort into this idea can build at least their own if not more. Aquaponics not only gives you more food but it also gives you more healthy food that is better for you and doesn’t have 30 different kinds of meat all smashed into one burger or sandwich. Which aquaponics would be better? Salt Water or Fresh Water?
Dallas, I don’t think one is better than the other. The only difference that the article mentioned was that with fresh water and salt water, the animals and plants within the system would vary. You can’t put fresh water in the system and use a type of fish that only lives in salt water because the fish won’t be able to adapt. It also depends on the type of plants you want to grow within your system. To me it really comes to a matter of preference on the type of animal and plants species you want to contain in the system.
This really does sound like a great concept and it’s awesome that Parish has already taken the initiative and started an aquaponics club. It sounds awesome that everything is being re-used, especially the point in the article where the water was filtered out through a pump and then given to plants while providing essential nutrients. Like Dallas said it is giving you more food and it is giving a healthier variety of food. I would love to see more about aquaponics in the future and hope to see other schools and organizations catch on to its benefits.
I definitely think this idea is “awesome,” too. I think that if we could get a lot of schools to create a hydroponics club and implement this into their food it could really make a difference. With all the benefits of these system, I think the cost of such an endeavor would be a very good sacrifice.
I think aquaponic systems are such a great way to live more sustainably. By using one of these systems, you can provide your family with fish and with any kind of produce. This is a lot healthier as well as cheaper, in the long run. Like Haley said, I do not think that this is difficult at all if you just but some effort into making the system and keeping it up. With a small amount of effort, you can truly impact the environment by living more sustainably and actually benefit by eating healthier.I think it is awesome that Parish has made an aquaponics system. I think the next step should be possibly helping to install aquaponics systems in the homes of students that are interested.
I agree with what you and Haley are saying about it being a good idea. I think that it is a really innovative way of being sustainable and helping the environment. I do, however, think that it is pretty complicated for the average consumer. Most people prefer just to run down to their local grocery store to pick up all of their needs and they do not have to worry about taking care of anything. I think that a regular plant garden in the backyard would be less complicated than this and people arent exactly jumping at the chance to grow their own food that way. I think that this idea is a good one but I do not see it being implemented by many families.
Cathy I completely agree with you. Although this is a very cool and effective system, its pretty complicated. Plus people in our time in age dont like to take the time, as we mentioned with the backyard farming in New York, its hard for people to just have a garden in their backyard so imagine how hard it would be for the aquaponic systems. I’m just trying to think rationally and that I dont see the average American using this but Its a cool invention.
I honestly had no clue how an aquaponic system worked and still don’t exactly, Although it does look like a complicated machine, it’s one that could benefit everyone. This could lead to having more food and better purified water. It could also be cheaper to have one of these systems for more variety of foods and healthier foods. Could aquaponic systems work the same for people as they do fish though? I would like to learn more about these aquaponic system so that maybe i could have one in the future.
I love the idea of aquaponics and I think its so cool how it incorporates so many different aspects into one. If there were more of these systems I believe it could help out the envoirnment in a big way. More productivity, more efficiant way of growing and there are more food options because not only are the plants perfectly edible but the fish make for a good meal as well. This system has proven it can work I just hope that more people see this and start to use it in their buisness, schools and homes
I agree with Arden! We should definitely have at least one in every state and see what we can grow in Ohio that we can’t grow in Texas and so on. That would be awesome! It would also be a way to test it out and see how it works in other places. It sounds like a great plan. The picture does make it seem like it is a bit complicated but with a bit of explanation we can all get it.
I agree with both Lauren and Arden, the idea should really be expanded into other areas. And with everyone’s concern for the difficulty- many things that are unknown seem difficult but once they have been looked at more closely and explained they aren’t so hard anymore. Great idea!
Kate your right! I was just reading comments above thinking how “impossible” this would be but anything new is always going to be a shocker. We just need to start enlightening people about these systems because they are really neat!
I’m not sure that this is really all that sustainable. It’s a good idea for small-time situations, but honestly this would create similar -if not the exact same- ecological problems that we have today. Although there is significantly more water space than land space, it’s still limited. One of the largest worries that people have is the fact that our resource partitioning takes up so much of our living space. The same problem could happen in aquaponics if it goes through a boom and every freshwater source becomes a aquaponics machine. This could free up some land space, but since over-population is such a concern for so many people what would giving more living space really do for us? I’m not saying this is a BAD idea necessarily, but I feel like it would create just as many problems as it would solve.
Actually, Aquaponics do not utilize existing water resources. In traditional aquaculture, there are methods that involve sectioning off a portion of a bay, lake or river to use for the culture of an aquatic species. In THIS type of situation, you are absolutely right — there is no endgame benefit for culturing animals in that manner. BUT, Aquaponics is different – this is the creation of a natural ecosystem in an artificial location. Meaning, you can build these systems on unused or vacant land. My favorite system is built on the decaying parking lot of a bankrupt car dealership in Milwaukee, WI.
This style of food production is a possible method to produce large amounts of high quality food within the urban environment where space is at the utmost premium. Aquaponics uses less than 10% of the water needed for traditional agriculture, there is ZERO waste effluent discharged and the yields are 40% or more of traditional culture methods – not to mention that all of the food produced is organic by nature.
“… this is the creation of a natural ecosystem in an artificial location.” That’s what I was looking for in order to gain full sense of Aquaponics. That’s the beauty behind it, creating a natural ecosystem in an artificial location. Possibilities are off the charts. I think this is a great idea. Only question though i have is are Aquaponics difficult in creating and if so what some of the cost ranges in creating one?
The possibilities are “off the charts” Chris. In terms of difficulty – no, they are not that difficult to create. Especially once a few basic principles are understood. n terms of cost, they can be almost as expensive or inexpensive as you would like them to be. I have see systems built out of 55gal drums and some PVC, to amazing systems of concrete and pond liner and I have even seen systems made from some old bathtubs… You imagination and the individual space for the system are the only limiting factors.
I invite you and anyone else who is interested to come see our system and join us as we build and develop our knowledge together. We usually meet on Wednesday and Friday during lunch in the Biology Lab.
That phrase just helped me gain understanding of what an aquaponics system really is too! They are pretty hard to grasp the idea of them but once you understand its really cool! I cant believe we have one of these at Parish, this is the type of stuff our community needs to be doing in order to spread the word not only in our own community but also the whole Dallas area. Could you imagine the high quality food we could producing if Dallas had a huge aquaponics system? CrAZY!
Well, alright than… I wasn’t aware of the fact that they don’t utilize natural water sources. I figured that if any company were to build an aquaponic-based production plant, they would do it within a standing body of water.
The idea of aquaponics seems ideal. Why doesn’t everyone use it? Why isn’t it a major part of agriculture if it uses so much less water and produces so much more yield? I suppose it’s fairly new, but it’s almost been 15 years, I would think that by now it would have a larger portion of the ecologically friendly production market staked off.
I’m still a little confused on the aquaponics system though. Are they hard to maintain? What kind of time and effort do you have to put into an aquaponics system? I’m just trying to think of when and if people began to put these systems in their homes or backyards?
We should really make the Parish one bigger and see how sustainable it is then. That way we are testing the limits and other people can see it first hand.
If we create a large aquaponic system here at Parish, then healthy natural food can be produced and utilized by Parish. The system would be able to reduce our dependence on Chartwell’s food for lunch, which probably causes negative effects to the environment when they produce this food.
I think aquaponics is a good idea in our start to making our enviornmemt more sustainable. Since you can grow such large amounts of family’s foods in their own homes, it seems like it can make more food than normal, which is not only cheaper but also healthier. It is healthier because you are able to see what you are eating and it is organic. It also is a great benefit to the environment due to its lack of waste given off. I agree that this system isn’t very difficult if you’re willing to put time into and actually care about it. With the creation of this, the future will bring better inventions that are brought about by this. I think it’s really good that Parish has made an aquaponics system and will eventually influence more of them to be built.
I love the fact that Parish has started an Aquaponics club/ system and has actually began planning and creating a realistic plan to make our community more sustainable. This shows how anything is truly possible if enough people dedicate themselves. Like Bri said aquaponices is a really beneficial idea because it can grow large amounts of food in the comforts of your own home, which is extremely cheaper. I am excited to see what the aquaponics club at Parish can come up with!
I love this idea of Aquaponics! And I am so glad that the Parish community is interested in it as well. It’s a great way to live sustainably and really isnt that difficult to maintain if you put a bit of effort in. It benefits you in so many ways while being environmentally friendly. There’s nothing to lose with Aquaponics and I hope the interest continues to grow here at Parish!
I think Lauren brings up a really interesting idea. If we made the Aquaponic system at Parish larger, we could test the limits of these systems. By doing this, we could get an idea for just how many people these systems could support and for just how beneficial they could be to the environment by helping us live much more sustainably.
I agree with Abby, but unfortunatly I heard from Mr. Cohen that the school is unable to find a suitable place to grow the aquaponics program. They are trying to find some rooms downstairs to expand but as of right now they cant expand anymore. Apparently the weight of the water in the fish tanks is too heavy to be on the second floor that there is a risk that the floor could fall through. Hopefully they will figure it out so the system can grow larger and Parish can use it to its full potential!
What if they build a shed somewhere outside? The heavy water can’t go through the ground. We can definitively create a shed or something outside somewhere on our land where it is open to everyone and able to expand to the size we feel is needed. It does not HAVE to be inside. Unless being outside will effect it?
I remember seeing a picture of a large scale aquaponics project that took up like an entire warehouse. With all the pipes, tanks, and levels it looked so complex, but it is actually quite simple. Building a large one probably takes a lot of time and labor, but it looks like everything fits together well and once the system is up and running, it takes little maintenance. Every little system made can help the environment by replenishing food and creating ultra-sustainable sources of food, but I think that if every city had a massive aquaponics system, the world could truly be a different place.
It is really cool that it is not all the a complicated it just looks more complicated than it actually is. I think a shed is a really good idea. That way it would not be a risk to the school and it could expand as much as they need to. I just hope this really takes off because I think it is such a beneficial system and it could really help out not just Parish but alot of other schools and companies as well. I mean it could for sure offer some better options in the cafeteria which I know alot of people would enjoy. They would be healthy and not expensive and sustainable.
Sahare could actually eat! If she isn’t allergic to fish….
But yes Arden! I agree this can definitely add something new to the cafeteria. How awesome would it be if our surrounding private school neighbors all had one? We could all be aquaponics buddies!
That would be pretty awesome if other private schools around us bought into the idea of aquaponics. In fact, why don’t we do something about it. We need to raise awareness of this awesome way in achieving our own sustainability. Imagine how cool that would be as a community reaching out and spreading ideas, awareness of environmental sustainability. So any ideas on how we can do this?
Good ideas guys! Well we need to first off start making the Parish Aquaponics more public to our community, because before this blog I had no idea we actually had one. Then once we do that, we could start using the produce in our cafeterias and see how it works; if this is successful then all we have to do is go to private schools and share our knowledge with them. We just need to be more open with our ideas and achievements. Im still amazed we have our own. This is awesome! I wonder if any other private schools actually have an aquaponics system?!
Aquaponics seems to be a great solution for people and organizations that do not have enough room to actually harvest land outside. Now, if people are willing to put the time and effort in, they can grow various vegetables and fruits, not to mention animals! I suppose and humanity ventures further and further into the future, ideas like this that keep space in mind will become more and more prominent.
As a breeder of tropical fish,I have been looking into aquaponics for sometime but am hindered by the cold snap we get in the middle of winter here in Dallas.
There are some DIY Aquaponics sites on the web. These sites may have some ideas for expanding, modifying, and adapting the Parish aquaponics systems. You can find one of the forums here: http://diyaquaponics.com/forum/portal.php
I have also looked into other forms of permaculture, and closed loop systems that a similar, I hope this aquaponics path leads you to discover all the possibilities for living with minimal waste impact on your environment.
As a parent of a young (lower campus) Parish student I would love to hear more about the aquaponics club at Parish. Is anyone posting here involved? What fish are you using? What plants? Are you using aeroponics as a portion of the vegetable growth portion?
Greetings, my name is Adam Cohen and I am the instructor for this class (Environmental Science) and I am also the sponsor for the Aquaponics project here on the Parish campus. I would be more than willing to set up a time when I could give you, and your young scholar, a tour of our system and go over the specifics of what we are doing currently and where we plan to go with it.
To answer your questions – we currently have a modified Barrelponic system that uses a 250 gallon fish tank as the primary reservoir. At the moment we have Mozambique Tilapia powering the system (approx 26 large and nearly 150+ juveniles). We need to build a second tank to hold the juveniles – they will get too large for our system in only a few more months. We do not have any aeroponics integrated at the moment, currently everything is media beds with traditional Flood and Drain using an Affnan style Bell Siphon. As far as plants in the system, we have Swiss Chard, Lettuce, Collard Greens, Oregano, 2 types of Basil, Carrots and Bok Choy. The growth is rather amazing.
I find it very interesting that current solutions to mass production like the auquaponics systems have not been presented to younger generations that include us. After all, we hold the future in our hand right? But systems like this seem to prove very beneficent in the economical, agricultural, and land-savvy areas. If cities around the country could put together some budget for commercial-sized auquaponics systems, I believe they have a good chance at making their money back in a relatively short period of time. Not only could these systems provide more food production for the population, but also at a lower cost.
I see the concept of aquaponics as a future method of farming. The ability to create a renewable environment that produces crops and fish year round has a great deal of potential and expect businesses to use this technique if/when government starts changing Co2 emission level rates. Aquaponics is a great technique for renewable farming, but requires the space for it to work. There will need to be some changes in goals for corporations in order to bring aquaponics to fruition.
This article kind of reminds me of Milan’s vertical forest idea and how that takes toxins from the air and makes it healthier and also has benefits for humans. This is a really cool idea and something that more people should be aware of. It’s a good way for aquatic animals to live a healthier life by helping humans live a healthier life. I really think that this would be a good step towards solving the problem of not having enough natural grown foods. The aquatic organisms get a healthier lifestyle from it and so do we because we know the source of the food and we know that it is healthy and that it has been grown carefully. After reading many of these articles, it seems to me that there are many, many ways for humans to grow their own food and I think that if people were more aware about these things then more people would be growing their own food and they wouldn’t have to worry as much about it not being healthy or about it being contaminated.
I think this is a great idea for us to innovate this at Parish. I also think that these systems should be incorporated at other schools to show the capability of their sustainability. Maybe with enough awareness of these systems could be built in mass structures to benefit our society. I do think this idea is very creative and sustainable for our environment.
I think that Johne raises a good point. If schools implement this idea, I think it will begin to make our societies more sustainable.
I don’t think that building an aquaponics system is a problem because it seems like plenty of them have been built in different places. I think that the biggest challenge is spreading awareness of the existence of this and the environmental benefits that it has. The majority of the population could probably build one of these systems if they wanted to, but right now not enough people are using them to truly make a difference. These systems can help the environment and we have to make sure that this gets communicated to the masses.
I totally agree with you Cameron. Just like in any other environmental issue, the main point is to raise awareness. In achieving in any kind of sustainability, some sort of awareness had to be raised. Aquaponics has true potential in changing the way people eat, produce their own food. A closer step towards sustainability. The only problem like Cameron said is raising awareness in order to change the mind set of those who aren’t informed.
Tell me more about your mobile setup please.
That’s been my idea as well, to travel across Canada, big city, small city, big citys, and small, staying just long enough to teach a few classes,get a few families started and move on.
When peoples neighbors keep getting loads of free food they might just ask, “Hey can I do that too?
Higher the working poor to harvest from time to time and pay them in food.
The price of food seems on the rise, this has got to catch on!
Set up community projects directing those out of work toward self employment via Aquaponics (AP)!
Who’s ready to raise up off their arm chairs and lend a hand. Don’t do it all, just find co-conspiriters…
John
John, sorry about the delay in this response. But what would you like to know about our setup? Let us know what you are looking for and we can work to help you get the information you need.