What fish can I use ?

Fish are obviously an essential part of Aquaponics. It is up to you which fish to use. You need to decide whether you want fish to eat or to look at. Tilapia are one of the fastest growing fish and they are well suited to Aquaponics as you can grow them intensively. They do however like warmer water so in the UK if you use Tilapia you will need to heat the water.

Carp, Perch, Tench and trout are all other good options and they all grow well in your system. Don't over look the fish side to your system if you don't want to grow fish to eat then some fish species can become very lucrative !

What happens when I'm on holiday ?

One of the benefits of Aquaponics is that the are less labour intensive than conventional gardening. Your plants will not need watering and depending on how long you are away your fish will fine to. Aquaponic systems are easier to maintain than conventional growing.

How many plants can I grow ?

That depends on the type of plant you are growing, but in general you can plant about twice as densely in aquaponics as you can in a traditional soil-based garden. This is because the plants are getting exactly what they need at the root zone (food, water, oxygen) so the plant does not’t need to send it’s roots out searching for these things. The result of this is extremely compact, healthy roots and less competition for nutrients and water below “ground”.

Can this be a hobby or is it a commercial industry ?

The great thing about Aquaponics is that as well as being a growing commercial industry, its methods can also be used in the backyard by the hobbyist to grow food and fish for the family.

Aquaponics systems vary in size with the smallest being an indoor fish tank with either fish you can eat or fish that you like to watch and not eat e.g. goldfish. Aquaponics systems used by the backyard grower can vary in size, sometimes taking up a corner of the backyard, and sometimes taking up the whole backyard. Urban roof tops are becoming a favoured place for aquaponic systems. Aquaponics also has the potential to provide fresh food and fish to the community through community based schemes, using either backyards or public land to set up the systems.

The commercial industry of Aquaponics is growing, especially since the push toward using more sustainable ways of farming began The dryer weather also means that Aquaponic systems are favoured over more conventional growing environments as Aquaponics uses only 10% of the water.

What Plants Can I grow ?

We have yet to see a plant that does not’t grow well in aquaponics, except for perhaps acid loving plants like blueberries. Leafy plants such as lettuce, spinach, basil seem to grow best of all. We know of people growing papayas, strawberries, heirloom tomatoes, and cantalope. Experiment and let us know what works for you!