There are a lot of innovative practices out there that you can be fond of all the while making some profit out of these hobbies and you can save and earn a lot too in the process. One of these innovative practices would be having your own Aquaponics. If you ever considered raising your own fish farm whilst growing a garden then having an Aquaponic system for yourself is just the right thing to do, and you can really save a lot for water money if you use rainwater stored in your rainwater tanks for this economic practice—and that’s not the only benefit you could get by using rainwater in your Aquaponic system.
What is Aquaponics?
Aquaponics is a portmanteau which is a combination of aquaculture and hydroponics. Aquaculture is where you farm fish crustaceans, mollusks, and other aquatic organisms. While hydroponics is growing plants on a soil-less environment. The highly innovative practice has a been helping fish farmers and gardeners alike. They could maintain a well diverse economic income in a loop and here’s how it works.
The fish waste would be a very good source of organic food for the plants to consume, and also the microbes would partake in the process by becoming nitrates and then into nitrates—in which both can be consumed by plants in order for them to grow healthy and well—and the plants would do their part by naturally filtering the water to provide oxygen for the fishes or any other aquatic organisms you would prefer.
Rainwater as the main water source
The best choice of water to use in your aquaponic system is fresh, potable water, and what better choice there is than rainwater. If you’ve been harvesting rainwater in your backyard long before you’ve been interested in having your own aquaponic system then you are well informed that rainwater is the purest and freshest water because it comes right straight from the source in the form of precipitation—whether it is rain or snow.
For your fishes to live long enough and your plants to prosper, they both need fresh water to begin with. Though most of the people would depend on tap water that has chlorine and chloramine—both compounds used to make the water potable—but it isn’t safe to the fishes and it would nullify nitrifying bacteria, in which both pose an important role in your aquaponic system.
The advantages of having an aquaponic system of your own
- The very first thing that makes the aquaponic gardening beneficial is that it prevents weeds from growing, and not to mention preventing small animal access to the garden.
- The rainwater used in the system is recycled continuously. That means both organisms in the system doesn’t provide toxic run-off.
- There is no use of harmful chemicals, pesticides, and herbicides because everything in the system relies on each other and keeps each other healthy. It’s a natural eco system of your own.
- The work load in gardening is lessen, all you have to do is to feed the fish and tend to the plants once in awhile and to harvest it.
- You don’t need to stress over where to put your aquaponics because it can be placed conveniently anywhere. Inside a greenhouse, put it outside, or even splay it on your living room. As long as there’s enough light.
- Not only it can be your source of income, but you can also save a lot rather than going the traditional soil gardening system.
- And let’s not forget that you get to raise both plants and fish—or any aquatic organisms you prefer.
There are a lot of things that you can do with rainwater and one of them is making it as the main water source in innovative practices such as Aquaponics. People around the world are thinking of many ways on how to be more productive whilst having to spend and do less but earn more. And it doesn’t end there, there’s always an ingenious invention waiting to be created. We just need a little more diving to do and a lot of curiosity to put into it.
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