Aquaponics = Aquaculture + Hydroponics.
Aquaculture is farming fish in tanks. It was a widespread practice in Ancient Egypt, China and Rome.
Hydroponics is growing plants without soil using nutrient solutions.
Aquaponics uses waste from the fish to feed the plants. The plants purify the water, which is then returned to the fish.
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| Illustration by Jillian Helvey, aquaponichowto.com |
Aquaponics is a low-energy, low-water use system that is ideally suited to producing perishable high value greens and fish in an urban environment. A brilliant example of this is the GrowUp Box in Stratford.
The GrowUp Box is on the roof of the shopping centre opposite Stratford Station. A large shipping container holds a tank filled with fish. When I visited in early summer the fish were carp as these are hardier, but in the summer they were due to be eaten and replaced with more exotic (and lucrative) tilapia. On the roof of the shipping container is a plastic greenhouse. Water from the fish tank is pumped up to the greenhouse and filters through a series of vertical plastic posts. No soil is used. The posts open out to reveal a carbon filling into which the seedlings are planted. The use of the vertical posts maximises the amount of light available to each of the plants and is a very efficient use of the space available. They are growing salad, herbs and microgreens for local use.
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| Mandy Zammit for Grow Up Urban Farms |
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