What is Aquaponics?
Aquaponics is a combination of fish farming or aquaculture and vegetable / plant cultivation in a mutually beneficial system. The existence of fish, plants and bacteria is a very important element, because the existence of these three elements gave birth to mutualism symbiosis, which is a mutually beneficial relationship. Fish contributes to feces and leftovers which contain ammonia. Bacteria filter and convert ammonia to nitrate, a substance that functions as fertilizer for plants. Plants supply oxygen needed by fish.
Because aquaponics is a combination of fish farming and vegetable / plant cultivation, the results we can of course are not only fish, but also plants, especially vegetables.
Hydroponics ...
Maybe to add to our insight, here I share some techniques in hydroponics that I quoted from TRUBUS magazine, this is necessary, because in aquaponics apply hydroponic techniques.
1. Nutrient Film Technique (NFT), is a hydroponic technique that makes plant roots grow in shallow nutrient layers (2-3 mm) and continuously circulated so that plants can get enough water, nutrients, and oxygen.
2. NFT without Greenhouse, is a modification of the NFT method without shade or greenhose. This technique is very revolutionary considering the investment costs of making greenhouses are quite expensive.
3. Aeroponic or fogging, is a method of cultivation without soil by providing water and nutrients to plants in the form of small grains or fog. Fogging comes from water from the reservoir which is sprayed using a nozzle so that nutrients are absorbed faster by the roots of the plant. Spray based on the duration of time he uses using a timer. Spray to the part of the plant roots that are deliberately hung. Water and nutrients that have been sprayed will go into the reservoir to be sprayed again.
4. Substrate or Drip irrigation, is a hydroponic technique that provides water and nutrients in the form of droplets. Droplets are directed at the root area of the plant so that the plants can absorb water and nutrients directly.
5. Floating Hydroponyc System (FHS) is a hydroponic technique by planting plants in stirophom holes that float on the surface of nutrient solutions in a reservoir or pond so that the plant roots float or are submerged in nutrient solutions.
6. Wick System or axis system is a simple technique that connects nutrients and planting media with an intermediary axis. Water and nutrition will get to the roots of plants by utilizing the power principle of capillary water. The way it works is like a kerosene stove.
Designing a System ...
There are many aquaponic models, ranging from simple to more complex levels, and here I will share for a simple system, the goal is that we are easier to understand. For the system that I will share is an aquaponic tidal system. Aquaponics tidal system is a system where the water in the planting medium will experience tides automatically with the help of a tool called the bell siphon that we can make ourselves.
In order to make simple tidal aquaponics in my opinion, it requires several main components, among others,
1. Fish pond.
2. Water pump.
3. Tub / container for growing beds
4. Planting media.
5. Bell Siphon.
1. Fish Pond
For pools, we can use a variety of ponds, can be concrete pools, fiber pools, tarpaulin pools, pools of IBC boxes, etc. Maybe for those who already have a pool, we can use it.
2. Water pump.
In this case, the water pump in question is a pool water special pump. In choosing a water pump, we must adjust the volume of the fish pond, in the sense that the pump chosen must be able to drain the total fish pond water in one hour. So if the pool volume is 1000 liters, the minimum pump chosen is a pump that has a discharge of 1000 liters / hour. Of course we also have to consider the height of the planting media that we will cover the water, so it should be seen also when choosing a pump, what height can be reached by the pump, so the system can work properly.
3. Tub / container for growing beds
There are many containers that we can use, but most importantly, the container must be waterproof, not easily broken and not leaky, because the container will later be filled with planting media and always flooded with water from the pond.
For the size, you should choose a container not too small, because later it cannot function optimally, and only contains a few plants, but also not too broad, because if it is too broad, the water in the pool can run out. Perhaps as an illustration, if the pool area is P x L = 1 m x 1 m and 70 cm high, we can provide a container or grow bed with the same area of 1 m x 1 m and 30 cm high. Later, the pool water level will only decrease by approximately 15-20 cm, this is because in the planting media there is a part that is always dry, namely the surface, about 5 cm, the part that experiences tides, the center is 15 cm high and the part that will always be flooded is the bottom about 5 cm.
4. Planting media.
For some aquaponic models such as floating rafts, the NFT does not require media, but for tides more often requires planting media, although it can be without media. Planting media has several functions, namely, as the root of the plant so that it can stand firmly, as a filter media and as a place to stick to nitrifying bacteria, because the bacteria are nonmotile, which is attached to a surface of the object.
For the planting medium itself can vary and I have tried several such as gravel stone, gravel, wood charcoal, tile fragments, brick fragments and can also be carried out a combination of rock charcoal and ground charcoal stone by applying a tidal system combined with the axis system.
5. Bell siphon
The bell siphon is a device that works automatically so that the water in the grow bed can experience ups and downs. We can make these tools ourselves easily. To make a bell siphon can be in the article titled How to Make a Bell Siphon
To further clarify the flow in Akuaponik, I try to put it in the picture below.
Good Bacteria ...
If we do make the system from scratch, then after the system is established, we need to grow good bacteria, because there are not many good bacteria in the new system. To grow it we can do it in several ways
1. Add water from a pool owned by someone else or a neighbor he ..., of course the pool system is ripe.
2. You can also add from river water, but it is certainly more risky, we certainly already know how the river water around us, except, the rivers around us are still clear and not contaminated with waste.
3. Patiently wait for the system to form around 1 to 3 weeks.
4. In the ornamental fish shop, there are also many good bacteria growers for sale, we just need to put in the system according to the recommended dosage.
For those who already have a pond and want to make aquaponics, they certainly don't need to grow good bacteria, because a mature pond is usually a lot of good bacteria that lives in a filter tub like I have ...
Light...
In planting, light is very necessary, because it is one of the main elements for plants to be able to thrive. So it's better, before making aquaponics, choose a location that gets a lot of sunlight, especially for planting media. Maybe we can apply an indoor system in a closed room, but of course we will need a special lamp for plants, and on the other hand more electricity will be needed.
Planting ...
From my experience, for planting such as, mustard, lettuce, leek, celery, spinach, tomatoes, kale, it is better if the plants are seeded first on the soil media, after the age of the seeds is ready for planting, then we move to the planting media on the aquaponics system . For how to grow various vegetables, wait in the next article.
Additional...
From the first mini aquaponics experience, in the planting media it turned out that a lot of worms came from where, for that, look for worms and put them into the planting media, I also did the 2nd addition aquaponics, because worm droppings have good nutritional content for plants.
In my opinion personally, each region or country has its own uniqueness, starting from the types of fish, plants, planting media, climate, etc., so the instructions are only as a basis, and we can still develop in our own way.
In the future, the world will lose more land for farming, of course the presence of an aquaponic system can be the right solution.
