Home Aquaponics Made Easy

A home aquaponics system is great if you're interested in growing more plants in less space. It is
 becoming more and more popular with organic gardeners. It's gradually becoming a popular hobby.

All aquaponics systems and  farming actually makes use of growing fish alongside a crop of plants (fruit and vegetables mainly) this is done in a totally natural way.

Click here to but best aquaponics guide.

Here are the list of requirements to build small scale home based system. You may read my article on home aquaponics kit to learn more.

An animation video on home aquaponic system

7 Requirements to build  at home Aquaponics

1. A nice space, you don't need a massive area to run an aquaponics system but you will need to ensure that you have room enough for the system to be placed.

2. A fish tank, this one is a no brainer. There is a lot to consider here since the size of the tank you choose affects how many fish you can have and how many plants you can grow.

3. An aquatic pump, you can use efficient pumps from most aquatic stores. The power of the pump depends on the size of your fish tank. The staff at the aquatic store can help you will this. An aquaponics grow bed, or even a normal grow bed. Make sure you clean it well before using it since you don't want the system getting clogged up.

4. Tubing for water flow, the type of tubing you get will depend on what system you end up building. Some different types of aquaponics systems work better with different tubing.

5. PH testing kits, this is to check the pH of the water in your system.

6. Depending on what fish and plants you want to grow you may need to get a water heater. This is rarely required though.

7. You will need some gravel or clay to support your plants. In Aquaponics the plants roots sit in water not soil so you need some gravel to support your plants. The water will run though the gravel and back into the fish tank.

You may click the link to learn in home aquaponic system design.


Deciding upon stocking an aquaponic fish species

In the initial setup we would recommend perhaps opting for an all year round fish species that can cope with your yearly climate and this will save on half yearly harvesting.  You can use Tilapia , Trouts, Crappies to start with. However, tilapia  is the best  fish for aquaponics. 


Here is a great book on  fish farming techniques.

What Plants Grow in Aquaponic Systems?

Aquaponics systems do quite well growing leafy crops such as but not limited to - lettuce, spinach and herbs. The reason for this is attributed to the generally high nitrogen content in the water. There have been over 300 different aquaponic plants.

Benefits of at home aquaponics

1. At home aquaponics use around 2% of the water that a normal organic garden would use and due to the low power pumps used in home aquaphonics the energy bill is also very little. Using alternative energy source like solar cell you can reduce the cost further.

2. The work required to maintain an aquaponics set up is very little compared to maintaining an organic garden where everything grows in soil.

3. Plants grow much faster and the fruit and vegetables taste amazing

4. You don't have to think about infertile land or worry about common pests attacking your plants.

John Fay, a highly respected aquaponics expert and certified organic farmer.  To know more about  home aquaponics DIY , you can download John's ebook Aquaponics 4 You.  

About Aquaponics 4 You ebook -There are 33 pages crammed full of superb information, along with graphs, diagrams, and even two videos, which ensure that anyone is now able to start an aquaponics garden at home. The graphs that are included for your benefit are easy to understand, and just as easy to follow, while the diagrams and videos guide you every step of the way.

You may click the link to learn how aquaponics system can be used for feeding the hunger to eradicate world hunger.

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