Aquaponics Supplies – What You Need To Start

Having an Aquaponics system at home is great because you get to produce organic food without hurting the environment. Aquaponics can help you produce your own vegetables and fishes in a natural manner. The system is composed by a fish tank and a garden box that is connected together. The fishes’ wastes from the food they eat are converted into ammonia, then to nitrite, then to nitrate. This nitrate is then absorbed by plants by pumping the water up to the garden box. From here, the plants will not need anymore nutrients. This means you do not need to use commercial fertilizers just to tend to your plants.

But to create a successful aquaponics system, you need to have some supplies. While a commercial aquaponics system may need lots of space, you can create a backyard system that only needs a few materials. Here are some of them.

Fish Tank

Since you will have fishes in the system, it is very important that you have a fish tank. The fish tank will be like your fishes’ home. They will swim in it and get their food, oxygen and other needs. You also need to tend to your tank to make sure that it is clean. Mineral deposits can cause your fish to die so be warned.

Garden Box

This is the second part of the aquaponics system. A garden box is where your plants will grow. The size of the garden box will depend on how many plants you are planning to have. There are many garden boxes in the market which you can use.

Filters and Pumps

Of course, there are also some filters and pumps that you need to buy. A pump is used to pump water to the garden box. You will learn more about these in Aquaponics guides and seminars. You also need a filter in your fish tank so that the water stays clean. Just be sure to clean your filter once in a while.

Garden Tools

And of course, you will also need some garden tools to plant seeds and transplant your plants. A small rake or spade will do. You may also need a water sprinkler in case your plants need a little more water. So be sure to have these on hand as well.

Auto Feeders

This is perhaps optional. Commercial aquaponics systems have these because it saves the owner the trouble of feeding the fishes. Auto feeders can give food to the fishes at certain times. But if you want to start small and save money, then you can skip this one.

So these are just some of the supplies that you will need for your aquaponics system. While some of these are available in your local hardware store, you may need to consult with Aquaponics seminars to know how to put everything together. You can also buy some of these supplies online. Just do a search on a particular material on Google and you will be surprised that it can be delivered to your home.