Aquaponics and going off the grid

My goal with this series of articles is to discuss a wide variety of topics that interest me, most of which have to do with disconnecting from the web, growing organic food for my own use and that of my pets, and making more sustainable choices. in general. .

To that end, I’ll start by discussing the ancient but emerging field of aquaponics, which is the combination of aquaculture (growing fish and marine invertebrates) and hydroponics (growing vegetables without soil). Aquaponics is, in effect, the union of aquaculture and hydroponics in a linked closed loop system.

In traditional aquaculture, a large part of the expense comes from buying fish feed, chemicals to treat the water, and often complex filtration systems, in addition to the necessary water pumps. In traditional hydroponics, soluble plant foods, chemicals, and micronutrients can also be enormously expensive, using complex pumping systems. There are also complex and expensive lighting, tanks, and / or grow beds to consider in both systems.

In aquaponics, the two efforts are combined, with the result that both fish and plants are healthier and grow faster and more robustly. A pump system serves both purposes, growing plants provide the filtration necessary to keep the water clean for fish and fish waste provides the nutrients for nitrifying bacteria to break down into a form that plants can use. Generally, no chemicals are needed and since aquaponics employs a closed loop system, it can be done 100% organic with relative ease.

Fortunately, I am in the right place at the right time, as Morning Star Fishermen, Inc. maintains a wonderful series of aquaponics systems for educational purposes in San Antonio, Florida, about an hour north of my home. This is a non-profit organization that provides education to those who would grow their own organic fish and vegetables at home or commercially, and they have demonstration systems ranging from apartments and single-family homes to a commercial aquaponics system with multiple concrete tanks. . The couple that started the organization, Hans and Sigrid Geissler, originally started in Largo, Florida, literally down the street from where I live. They have since relocated the entire operation to a ten-acre plot in San Antonio, Florida, near Dade City, which used to house a tropical fish farm in a series of large greenhouses – the perfect place to host their demonstration aquaponics systems. . They have started educational programs in Haiti and Jamaica, and are underway with another in Nicaragua. They also bring villagers and missionaries from around the world to teach them how to set up their own aquaponics systems to feed their families and villages.

Happily, as a inveterate gardener, I had plenty of plants to share with them when they needed them quickly for an upcoming class, and they were kind enough to give me a couple dozen blue tilapia fingerlings in exchange for my help. Although they are not very happy with our current VERY cold weather, they have been growing rapidly, and whenever I get close to their tank, let me know that it is time to feed them, even if they have been fed five minutes before. ) Although most of the tilapias grown at Morning Star Fishermen are hybrids, the blue tilapia is the only tilapia that is legal to own in Florida without a special permit, and as the blue tilapia it is also the most cold hardy and is among those of better taste, that works. for me.

You can see Morning Star Fishermen and their work here:
http://www.morningstarfishermen.org/

There are a variety of compact aquaponics systems being marketed today that I probably won’t buy myself as I’m a bit of a DIYer, but which would be a great starting point for an individual or small family without the time or the resources. to do the research necessary to establish your own system. The systems differ, although most seem to be very well designed, and although they are a bit pricey, I don’t see any reason why they won’t work for most applications.

Stay tuned to the blog for links and / or banners provided by the manufacturers of some of these systems, as well as books and other aquaponics-related products. I will also include instructions for my own systems, once we complete our move and start building them.

Cori MacNaughton

This article was originally published on the author’s blog. Check out the blog for additional photos.