1. Disclaimer:
Please note and abide by copyright laws. Some items contained in these presentations are taken from copyrighted material without express permission of redistribution. These slides are archived here for your use in educational activities. Although an educational use exemption would apply. Presentations are catalogued here for educational purposes.
Unit 1.1 Aquaponics Introduction

2. Aquaponics
Introduction

3. Aquaponics Combination of recirculating aquaculture and hydroponics
Fish and plants grown in one body of water
Daily water use is minimal
Large volume of crops in a small space
Utilizes wastes
Systems can be built in urban areas and regions with poor soil

4. Aquaponics Continued Recent development Versatile technology 1970’s
Research scientist
Commercial growers
Hobbyists
Educators
Versatile technology
Commercial scale
Subject of research
Tool for hands-on education
Source of food at home
Hobby
Most popular is as a home food production unit

5. Aquaponics Continued
Becoming more popular due to renewed interest in sustainable, local agriculture and gaining attention from:
Business people
Investors
Family farms
Entrepreneurs
Priority
Food safety
Viability
Supply
Globally will need to produce twice as much food by 2050 as we are capable of producing today
Aquaponics will play a role in feeding people in the future due to:
Highly productive, urban and sustainable food production systems

6. Aquaponics Continued Commercial aquaponics Small but growing
Consumers demand fresh, safe food along with productive and environmentally friendly agriculture
Well-designed system
Management
Marketing
Training

7. Aquaponics Continued Education Science Agriculture Math Business
Biology
Horticulture
Chemistry
Physics
Economics
Engineering
Nature’s natural cycles
Nitrification
Fish anatomy
Nutrition
Gives students a sense of responsibility, inspires imagination and attention in the learning environment

8. Controlled Environment Aquaponics
Food contamination
Impure water
Unsanitary field/packaging facilities
Imports that are not inspected
99% of fresh food imported into US is not inspected
Food grown and processed in US in large facilities is susceptible to contamination
Bio-security
Keep food free of contamination
Eliminates long distance travel

9. Hydroponics Growing plants in water and nutrient solution without soil
Advantages
Disadvantages
Growing plants in water and nutrient solution without soil
More efficient
More productive
Less labor
Less water
Less fertilizer
Hydroponic growing
Not organic
Manufactured or mined fertilizers
Pesticides
Herbicides
Organic fertilizers costly
Lack some essential elements for plant growth

10. Aquaculture High stocking rates
Advantages
Disadvantages
Propagation, cultivation, and marketing of aquatic plants and animals
Densely stocked
Relieves wild fish populations as farmed fish are used instead of wild caught fish
Contributes to fisheries
Stocking of ponds and lakes with farmed fish
High stocking rates
High volume of waste
Water must be filtered and cleaned
Lots of aeration and sometimes oxygenation of water
Mechanical and biological filtration
Costly to keep fish healthy

11. Comparison of Methods Organic Farming Inorganic Hydroponics
Recirculating Aquaculture
Aquaponics
ADVANTAGES
Healthier way of growing food
Utilizes wastes for fertilizer
Natural pest control
Better tasting, more nutritional crops
High volume of crops in small space
Combined with controlled environment yields year-round production
Large volumes of fish in small space
Produces fertilizer
Fish don’t carry pathogens that warm-blooded animals do
Reduced risk to fish
Natural sustainable cycle
DISADVANTAGES
Increased land use
Costs to grow and get certification
Dependent on manufactured an mined fertilizers that are costly and harder to get due to demand worldwide
High failure due to heavy stocking and small margins for error
Produces massive amounts of waste
Management requires someone trained in fish and plants
Any major loss in fish tanks disrupts plant production

12. Challenges of Growing Aquaponically
Increased potential problems when combining two systems
Need a person who specializes in both fish and plants
Plants depend on number of fish, size of fish, and amount that fish are fed
Algae production that may clog pipes and drains
Must find a balance between fish, plants, and bacteria when it comes to their environmental needs for optimal growth and development
More research is needed in finding greater varieties of plant and fish species to raise so that there may be growth in the industry
Most fish feed is made of fish meal; natural populations are declining and alternative sources of protein that meet fish nutritional needs should be researched

13. REFERENCE
Nelson, R. L. Aquaponic Food Production Raising Fish and Plants for Food and Profit Nelson and Pade, Inc. Montello, WI. Pgs
With contributions from John S. Pade