Our Aquaponics System In Costa Rica

What happens when you mix fish farming with hydroponics? Aquaponics!

If you’re new to the subject, this type of food production can be an amazing resource. I think of it a bit like hacking nature. Aquaponics takes all of the primary needs of a plant and animal ecosystem and compresses them in to one cyclic package. It’s basically poo powered hydroponic gardening with the extra benefit of having tasty fish to eat. This combination creates a closed-loop environment where fish and plants thrive together.

How Aquaponics Works

In aquaponics, the fish are housed in a tank and the plants are grown in a grow bed. The nutrient-rich water from the fish tank is pumped to the grow bed, where it is filtered through the plant roots. The beneficial bacteria that live in the grow bed break down the fish waste into ammonia, which is then converted into nitrites and then nitrates. The plants absorb these nitrates and other nutrients to help them grow. The plant roots also help to oxygenate the water, which is important for the health of the fish.

The clean water from the grow bed is then pumped back to the fish tank, where the cycle begins again.