5 Main Benefits of Aquaponics: Why An Aquaponics System Is Advantageous

Aquaponics is a modern way of approaching farming. In contrast to traditional farming, in aquaponics, you only need water and fish in order to have healthy food on your table each and every day.

Nowadays, aquaponics gardening system is gaining interest worldwide as more people are turning towards locally grown food. The food grown in an aquaponics system is also produced in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way.

Many gardeners use aquaponics as a form of a hobby to grow food in an enjoyable way. While for others this is a primary or supplementary source of income.

In this article, we will discuss the main benefits of aquaponics vs traditional farming and many advantages of aquaponics that made it so popular among the gardeners.

To Know more about the various advantages of aquaponics, we first need to know what is Aquaponics, and how aquaponics works.

What is An Aquaponics Gardening System?

Basically, Aquaponics is a food production process that combines aquaculture with hydroponics. It is based on the interdependence between fish and plants.

The plants and animals in an aquaponics system have a symbiotic relationship with each other. The fish produce bio-nutrients for the plants in terms of excretion, while the plants clean the water, creating a perfect environment for the fish to grow and develop.

Aquaponics is commonly referred to as a blend of Aquaculture and Hydroponics. Here is the video for more clarification on the subject of Aquaponics.

Need more reasons? Here are five advantages that will follow once you start growing foods in Aquaponic system.

5 Benefits of Aquaponics vs Traditional Farming

No 1: Environmental Benefits of Aquaponics: All Organic Food With No Wastage:

First and foremost, Aquaponics system is environment friendly. It is the easiest way to have fresh, organic vegetables at your table each and every day. Just take the tomato, beans or cilantro from the aquaponic field and make use of it. No need to worry about wastage of food.

In an Aquaponics system waste nutrients of fish/aquatic animals are absorbed by the plants. So you don’t need to discharge water into the environment (one of the major cause of pollution). You may need to add a little bit of water from time to time to compensate the loss, due to evaporation and that absorbed by the plants.

Seems too easy to be true? Well, the good news is IT IS.

No 2: You Have The Fish As A Bonus

Now, if you eat fish you have a double benefit. Not only you will get healthy organic vegetables you will also have plenty of fish. You will never have to use any chemical for getting the veggies or the fish.

If you are a vegetarian and not very comfortable with the idea of eating the fish you can definitely use the aquaponic system to decorate your house. Many people use aquariums to decorate their houses wouldn’t it be better if you get free vegetables also from the same system.

No 3: Aquaponics Is Economical

Let’s talk about the economical part of it. One of the major benefits of the aquaponic system is that it gives you financial independence throughout your life. You can control your money once you install the system in your house.

Unlike in a system like hydroponics, here, the fish provide a steady stream of nutrients to the plants. So you don’t need to discharge and replace depleted nutrient solutions. Your plants receive most of their required nutrients at no cost, And you save time and money. You will be able to plan the expenses on your food in advance no matter what the price is in the market.

No 4: Aquaponics Is A Cleaner Form of Gardening

There are so many people in the world who are very much interested in gardening but do not cherish the idea of getting dirty into the soil or there may be a genuine deficit of quality soil in their area. Well, guess what, you don’t need soil to practice aquaponics.

It involves no digging, no lower back pain no dirty hands or clothes. It is suitable for everyone. What is better than growing fish and veggies together without getting dirty or without having to worry about the soil quality.

No 5: Aquaponics is Easy To Set Up:

Now, you might be thinking well, this sounds very much beneficial alright, but I wonder how difficult it might be to set up one. To answer your query, it is very easy. See how simple it is to set up your aquaponics fish tank.

Aquaponics can help you boost your plant growth. Wouldn’t it be great to boost up your plant production ten times within the very little time frame; all organically?

These are some of the plenty of other benefits an Aquaponic system can give you. But before giving the final conclusion I want to show you some of the major concerns people have on aquaponics.

Some of The Concerns About Starting An Aquaponic System:

There are two major concerns people have when they think about growing plants in an aquaponics system. Those are:

1. Aquaponics is not as cheap to start as like many other forms of gardening. Here the upfront cost is not as low as say, container gardening. But obviously, if you are serious about your health and environment it is worth the investment. And in the long term, you will get all your investment back in leaps and bounce.
2. You need special knowledge and skill training to succeed in Aquaponics. Fortunately, there is a wealth of readily available information on the subject, including reading material, web resources, and classroom training. You can also check out this online course on aquaponics.

Now I believe you have a clear idea of why you should or should not start aquaponics gardening. If you want to read more about aquaponics you can try our articles on Aquaponics.