Aquaponics
I learned a new word today: Aquaponics
Aquaponics is a way to grow vegetables with very little water in very little space in a very short amount of time.
The key element that makes this possible is that the vegetables are grown in harmony with a tank of edible fish. The fish tank water is used to flood the vegetable growing containers multiple times per day. The growing containers then drain slowly back into the fish tank. The plants take up the rich nutrients in the fish tank water, and they grow really well and really quickly as a result. The process also cleanses and aerates the water, so the fish are happy they have clean water to live in.
No outside inputs are needed besides water to top off the system for the water lost to evaporation, and fish food to feed the fish. The fish tank density is high, at about a pound of fish to each gallon of water. The fish grow quickly as well in this system.
I found a website dedicated to home aquaponics installations at BackyardAquaponics. There is also a magazine called Backyard Aquaponics Magazine. Their first issue is free as a PDF file here.
I never knew that you could farm your own fish at home, and in large enough quantities that you would be eating fish pretty often with a medium sized system.
I’ve now added this to my long list of projects I’d like to pursue.
