Aquaponics is a system that farms fish and plants together in a symbiotic relationship. The fish waste provides nutrients for the plants, and the plants filter the water for the fish. There are three main types of aquaponics systems: gravel bed culture with plants rooted in gravel, deep water culture with plants on floating rafts, and nutrient film technique with plants in pipes fed a thin film of water. Aquaponics has advantages over traditional aquaculture and hydroponics like utilizing fish waste as fertilizer, producing high quality organic crops with less labor, water, and electricity usage. Many vegetables and herbs can be grown in aquaponics.

1. Aquaponics
PRABHAKAR NIKUMBE

2. What is Aquaponics?
Aquaponics is the farming of fish and plants in a single
recirculating system. The waste from the fish becomes the
nutrients for the plants, and the plants in turn remove these
nutrients from the water, purifying it for the fish. In this way, the
fish waste is used to grow a plant crop that becomes a second
income stream for little extra cost. In fact, it works so well that
the plants become the primary crop by volume and value.

3. Aquaponics cycle

4. Types of Aquaponics:
There are three main types of Aquaponics:
1. Gravel Bed Culture (GBC)
2. Deep Water Culture (DWC)
3. Nutrient Film Technique (NFT)

5. Gravel Bed Culture (GBC)
 In this the plants are rooted in coarse gravel or aggregate
media.
 Bacteria grow on the media and convert the ammonia
excreted by the fish to nitrate.
 Plants within the grow beds remove the nitrate from the water,
which then returns to the fish in a clean and healthy form.
 No mechanical or biological filtration is required as the gravel
beds suit both purposes.
 This method is most variable in terms of the range of crops that
can be grown and there is no waste water discharge.

6. Gravel Bed Culture

7. Deep Water Culture (DWC)
 The water from the fish is filtered mechanically and
biologically to remove the solids from suspension and convert
the toxic ammonia to benign nitrate.
 This clean water then travels down the length of a tank of
water in which polystyrene rafts are floated.
 Plants are rooted through the holes in the polystyrene sheets
and into the water below, where the roots take up nutrients
from the water.
 DWC is most suited to leafy crops and there is some
discharge of water during the filtration process.

8. Deep Water Culture

9. Deep Water Culture

10. Nutrient Film Technique (NFT)
 As with DWC the water is filtered prior to going to the
plants, but in this case the plants are rooted through holes in
pipes.
 The tip of the root touches the bottom surface of the pipe and
absorbs nutrients from a thin film of water trickling down the
length of the pipe.
 NFT is very susceptible to heat uptake or loss as the air
temperature changes, and the plants can be lost quickly
through drying out during a power failure.
 This method also results in the loss of water and nutrients
during filter cleaning, and is also best suited to leafy crops.

12. Why Aquaponics ?
Aquaponics is not only a most enjoyable way of producing high
quality, wholesome crops as a business or for own use, but it also
has several distinct advantages over both aquaculture and
hydroponics.

13. Advantages of Aquaponics food
production
 Fish waste is utilised as plant feed rather than being wasted
 Excellent crop quality - both in terms of taste and
appearance
 provides a truly organic form of nutrients for the plants
 produces an organic product (no fertilizer or herbicides used)
 no soil-borne disease as there is no soil
 no water is wasted or consumed by weeds
 Low electrical usage - commercial system (300m2) runs on
<1kW of power !!!

14.  Systems do not require mechanical or biological filters - the
processes all occur naturally, saving money and resulting in a
natural, stable environment
 Low labour requirement
 relatively small spaces required as plant spacing can be
intensive
 plants grow and develop relatively quickly
 Faster cash flow generation than aquaculture
 Constant production throughout the year - markets love this
 Ability to produce `out-of-season' crops

15.  Crop harvesting is quick and easy, regardless of the weather
outside
 Crops can be grown all year-round. In most climates a
greenhouse is required
 Higher yields than conventional farming
 Faster growth to market size due to optimal conditions being
maintained
 Root temperature very stable resulting in fewer disease issues
than hydroponics
 No crop rotation needed & No weeds to pull out

16. Cultivable plants in Aquaponics
 Bendi - Okra  Paku - Athyrium Esculentum
 Cherry Tomato  Pudina - Mint
 Daun Pandan - Pandanus  Sambung Nyawa - Gynura
Amaryllifolius Procumbens
 Kangkong - Water Spinach  Serai - Lemon Grass
 Keladi - I Yam not Taro  Stevia Rebaudiana
 Kesum - Knotweed Leaf  Ulam Raja - Cosmos Caudatus
 Kunyit - Turmeric
 Mengkudu Hutan - morinda
elliptica

17. References
 http://www.canna-uk.com/aquaponics
 http://affnan-aquaponics.blogspot.in/
 http://www.aquaponic.be/en/aquaponics/permanent-watersysteem-nft/
 http://www.aquaponics.co.za/what-is-aquaponics
 http://oneoftheengineers.blogspot.in/2012/11/what-is-aquaponic-
gardening.html
 http://truedemocracyparty.net/2012/02/aquaponics-1-million-pounds-of-
food-on-3-acres-1-pump10000-fish-the-future-of-food/
 http://homeaquaponicsguide.blogspot.in/2012/04/aquaponics-systems-
types.html

18. THANK YOU