Times are changing, and so are farming techniques. With each passing day, scientists are coming up with something new and exceptional. We must say that the aquaponics fish tank is the greatest invention of all time.
Why? Well, the changing climate and our changing requirements are the reason. In today’s world, especially after the covid 19 pandemic, we humans realized that we must change for the betterment of this planet.
So, in order to change for the betterment of the earth, what should be the first problem to address? The drinking water problem. Farming requires a lot of water, and currently, we are trying to save it because the drinking water sources are slowly deteriorating.
Then how can we grow food without water? We don’t need to do it without water. Some smart tactics are needed, and aquaponics is the smart tactic to grow vegetables with less water usage and wastage.
What people complain most about nowadays is the unavailability of organic food. This gardening technique will help you to grow organic plants in less time without harming the environment.
If you already have fish as pets, it would be easier for you. So, let us know about this tank in depth.
Aquaponics Fish Tank: What is Aquaponics Technique?
Aquaponics is a new-age farming technique that involves fish and plants. The process is quite simple. A person willing to do it needs to take care of a few things only to get started. You can do it in the comfort of your home as well.
As we were saying, a lot of people have started gardening so that they can grow organic food that is healthier. But growing plants is not child’s play. It requires proper knowledge about plants, climate, medicines, and many more, which makes it impossible to do for people who know nothing about it.
But aquaponics is a little bit different. It is easier, more convenient, and environmentally friendly.
The Technique
The aquaponics technique is a cycle between plants, fish, and bacteria. This chain reaction helps in the growth of both plants and fish. After the system is set up, both the aquaponics fish tank and the grow bed, or what we call our plant bed, are interconnected.
The fish produce waste which is turned into nitrates by the bacteria present in the water. This nitrate helps the plants absorb the essential nutrients. Plants absorb the nitrogen from the water, which helps to keep it clean, and the entire process is repeated again.
Aquaponics Fish Tank: Benefits
We are not accepting anything new that isn’t giving us any benefits, right? But aquaponics fish tank does come with some exceptional benefits. Here are a few of those –
- Budget Friendly – You can like gardening but choose not to do that because of the expenses. The expenses always depend on the type of plants you are growing. Aquaponics helps you grow plants by using limited things at your home.
- Less Water Wastage – We are going through a water crisis these days. Each day we hear some news telling us that the drinking water sources are becoming more limited, then how can gardening be done with less water usage? The aquaponics fish tank water works both for your cute little swimming animals and the plants.
- Gardening Anywhere – One of the greatest benefits of using the aquaponics technique is that you can grow your plants without thinking about the place. You can set up the entire thing in your bedroom as well. Just make sure that you have enough space to set up the aquarium, and your grow bed.
- Less Time Required – The time needed to grow plants in a conventional way is much more than the time required in this technique.
Process of Choosing the Right Aquaponics Fish Tank
As you are well aware of the benefits, you are all set to start the process. But there are a few things that you need to keep in mind before you start. Before you go and buy any tank and grow bed from the market, you must be well aware of your preferences.
The best way to do this is to make a list of your requirements. For example, You think about how many plants you are planning to grow or how many fish you want to keep in the aquarium.
The reason we are asking that is that if you don’t have your requirements clear in your head, you will end up buying the wrong ones, which can lead to disasters. So here is a list of factors you need to consider before buying the fish Tank.
- Number of Plants you are willing to grow
- Number of Fishes you are willing to put in the aquaponics fish tank
- Type and size of the fish
- Space you have assigned to keep the grow bed and aquarium
- Tank Size
- Grow bed Size.
Some situations will occur where you might have to reconsider the facts and cut off some of your preferences for the sake of meeting the other more important ends successfully.
How To Choose The Right Aquaponics Fish Tank
Choosing the Right tank is the most crucial part of starting your home gardening. As you have your preference list prepared, it will become a lot easier. But there are certain things that you aren’t aware of. That’s why we are here to help you. The factors mentioned below are the ones that need to be considered for a perfect tank setup.
Aquaponics FishTank Size
Frankly speaking, choosing your aquaponics fish tank completely depends on you, but the minor factors that you have no idea about can affect your plants to a great extent. When buying a fish tank, try to buy a medium one, at least.
If you go for a small one, the fish might not get enough space to move around, which is ultimately going to affect the good bacteria and the plants.
Aquaponics Fish Tank Shape
When we talk about aquariums, we have often seen that the smaller ones in which people put goldfish and other small fish are round, and the blogger ones with bigger fish are rectangular.
Though a lot of people believe that the shape of the tank doesn’t matter, it actually does. It is perhaps one of the most prominent behind the declining health of aquarium fish.
A round-shaped tank is more convenient because it allows more oxygen to circulate in water which is good for the fish. If the tank is rectangular, the water in some areas remains still, which is not good at all. So, remember, buy a tank that can allow better water movement.
Grow Bed Size
After selecting the size of the aquaponics fish tank, it is now time to choose a suitable grow bed. Remember, you cannot choose any grow bed as per your preference. Once you have selected the tank, you need to buy a grow bed the same size as the tank. The ratio is 1:1. You can hardly go for 2:1.
This ratio means that if the fish tank is small to medium size, then the grow bed should be the same. It is done to maintain a balance. If you have a small aquarium with fewer fish and a grow bed with plenty of plants, it wouldn’t be sufficient to provide the fish and the plants with their requirements.
Aquaponics Fish Tank Material
Just as the tank size, tank material is also important. We would suggest you to go for plastic or fiberglass tanks because they are lightweight, which makes them more movable. Moreover, make sure that the materials do not contain any toxins. If they do, it can hamper the health of fish and plants.
Moreover, the tank needs to be sturdy enough to bear the weight of the water.
How to Build Your Own Aquaponics Fish Tank
A lot of people prefer buying the entire aquaponics set from the market. But there are also those who choose to create everything from scratch. There is no rocket science behind it. You just need to get the things and assemble them properly.
Always double-check the quality of each of the things before buying them. We can divide the assembling process into 4 smaller parts – Setting up the tank, Setting up the grow bed, Adding the fish, and adding the plants.
Moreover, there are also some steps that need to be followed at the end. So, that being said, let’s get started.
Set Your Fish Tank
Before you keep your fish in the tank, you need to do some preparations. It means making the tank suitable for the fish. In order to do that, you need to fill your tank with your water first. The amount of water depends on the number of fish and the type of fish you will be putting in the tank.
If you are planning to keep bigger fish that are edible, then the water amount will increase. If you are going for smaller fish, there is no need to put in so much water. Just make sure it is enough for the fish to breathe, move and live happily.
After that, you have to dechlorinate the water. It is a chemical process performed to remove chlorine from the water. You need to repeat this process for 2-3 days before adding the fish.
Furthermore, adding a pump is a must. It is fan-like equipment used to create the water flow between the tanks and the plants.
In addition, all these steps are responsible for increasing the number of good bacteria in the water. Good bacteria turn the nitrites into nitrates which are super healthy for plants.
Set Your Grow Bed
A grow bed is the pot in which your plants will grow. Try avoiding plastic materials when it comes to growing beds. There are various ways of setting them. You can place the grow bed on the top of the fish tank, which most people do. Or else you can also set it right beside the fish tank.
Now comes the making process of the grow bed. To put it in simple words, Have you seen a flower garden? Or any type of garden? If yes, you just need to create the exact replica of that. Put soil and some clay pebbles, and you are all set to plant the seeds or baby plants.
Put The Fish Into The Tank
You can go with both edible and non-edible fish. If you are going with the non-edible ones, then go for smaller ones. If you have less space, then they work the best. But if you are also willing to keep fish to eat bigger ones like Carp, catfish, Koi, etc.
Don’t forget the process doesn’t end here. The further process is more important and crucial than taking care of them.
Aquaponics Fish Tank: Plants You Can Grow In The Grow Bed
Aquaponics fish tank is suitable for growing most vegetables like kale, cabbage, tomato, beans, lettuce, mint, watercress, peas, peppers, strawberries, etc. Just make sure that the space is enough for the vegetables to grow.
The Maintenance Process of Aquaponics Fish Tank
Keeping the system is not enough. You will only be able to grow vegetables if you take proper care of both the fish tank and the grow bed. Remember, the health of the plants depends on the health of fish.
The first step to take care of them is to keep an eye on the water. Make sure that the water in the tank is fresh and clean. Avoid feeding your fish living food. Feed them 2-3 times a day with the food they can eat in 5 minutes.
Conclusion
If gardening is your hobby and you want to do it in a modern way, this could be your perfect match. We hope that this article was able to provide you with every major to minor details that are needed for successfully assembling the entire system.
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