WHAT IS AQUAPONICS?
IS AQUAPONICS ORGANIC?
CAN THIS BE A HOBBY OR IS IT A COMMERCIAL INDUSTRY?
DOES AQUAPONICS NEED A GREENHOUSE?
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF AQUAPONICS?
HOW DEEP SHOULD MY GROW BEDS BE?
WHAT KIND OF PLANTS CAN I GROW IN AN AQUAPONICS SYSTEM?
WHAT KIND OF FISH CAN I GROW IN AN AQUAPONICS SYSTEM?
WHAT DO I FEED THE FISH?
HOW MANY FISH AM I ALLOWED TO HAVE IN A TANK?
DO I NEED ANY PERMITS TO SET UP AN AQUAPONICS SYSTEM?

WHAT IS AQUAPONICS?
Aquaponics is a combination of Aquaculture & Hydroponics. Aquaponics uses the water from the fish tank to circulate through a grow bed where the plants are grown. Nitrifying bacteria convert fish wastes into plant-available nutrients. The plants use these nutrients as their main nutrient supply. The fish benefit from this process also, as the water is filtered by the plants, giving the fish clean water to live in. With Aquaponics, both the fish and the plants not only grow well, they flourish.

IS AQUAPONICS ORGANIC?
Aquaponics is currently unable to be certified in Australia as organic, although the process of Aquaponics is a natural interaction between fish and the plants that produces no toxic waste, and does not use any chemical fertilisers or nutrients. Both the plants and the fish contribute to the cycling process of Aquaponics, with the grower using this interaction to their benefit – the fish provide the nutrients for the plants and the plants filter the water so that the fish are able to live. The fish food is the only additive to the Aquaponics system, and if this fish food has been produced organically, the whole Aquaponics system is completely organic.

CAN THIS BE A HOBBY OR IS IT A COMMERCIAL INDUSTRY?
The great thing about Aquaponics is that as well as being a growing commercial industry, its methods can also be used in the backyard by the hobbyist to grow food and fish for the family.

Aquaponics systems vary in size with the smallest being an indoor fish tank with either fish you can eat or fish that you like to watch and not eat e.g. goldfish. An aquaponics system can be adapted to an aquarium that is already operating, or can be started from scratch.

Aquaponics systems used by the backyard grower can vary in size, sometimes taking up a corner of the backyard, and sometimes taking up the whole backyard. Aquaponics also has the potential to provide fresh food and fish to the community through community based schemes, using either backyards or public land to set up the systems.

The commercial industry of Aquaponics is growing in Australia, especially since the push towards using more sustainable ways of farming began, and coupled with the drought that much of Australia has been experiencing in the last decade. Some Hydroponic and Aquaculture businesses have converted their existing enterprises into Aquaponics systems, and other business owners have set up Aquaponics systems from scratch.

DOES AQUAPONICS NEED A GREENHOUSE?
A greenhouse is not an essential part of an Aquaponics system, although it provides enormous protection for the system compared to being exposed to the elements (rain, hail, wind etc.). If you live in an area where it gets cold during winter, a greenhouse is needed for the protection of the fish and plants during the colder months. Aquaponics systems can also be set up indoors, using grow lights over the plants instead of using sunlight. This system uses more power than a greenhouse system due to the cost of running the lights.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF AQUAPONICS?
Reduced water use
Reduced chemical use
Reduces pesticide use when set up in a greenhouse
Reduces erosion by eliminating the need to plough the soil
Reduced running costs compared to a conventional horticultural farm
Stops backbreaking work of digging the soil and weeding for the home gardener
Can produce fish and plants for the family / grower all year round, using a greenhouse
Compared to conventional Hydroponic growers, Aquaponics does not need to use chemical nutrients for the plants, as the fish waste provides these nutrients to the plants. This eliminates the pollution of waterways, which is usually used to dispose of the eliminated chemical water.
Compared to conventional Aquaculture growers, an Aquaponics system does not have a build-up of wastes in the system that causes the water to become toxic due to the nitrites. Aquaponics utilises this waste, with the bacteria in the grow beds converting the nitrites into nitrates, which the plants then consume as their main nutrient source.

WHAT KIND OF PLANTS CAN I GROW IN AN AQUAPONICS SYSTEM?
There have been many studies into the types of plants that can be grown in an Aquaponics system, including leafy green vegetables, vine plants, fruit and fruit trees, flowers and fodder. The cost and turnover time of each crop varies dramatically with leafy greens being able to be produced in a few months, with root based plants and fruit trees taking considerably longer.

WHAT KIND OF FISH CAN I GROW IN AN AQUAPONICS SYSTEM?
Tilapia is the most common fish to be used in Aquaponics systems overseas, although the use of Tilapia in Australia is prohibited due to their ability to overtake and dominate local waterways. Barramundi, Silver Perch, Eels and Yabbies are more suited to the climate in Australia and are also native, therefore not causing great problems for the environment. For more information on the types of fish allowed to be used in Australia in Aquaponics systems, contact the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry at www.affa.gov.au.

WHAT DO I FEED THE FISH?
The type of fish that are being grown will determine the type of fish food that is used. There are fish foods that have been created to suit specific species of fish, and others that are more generalised. The type of food will also depend on the amount of production that is expected from the Aquaponics system. Food can also come in the form of live food including worms and snails. Fish feed is available for most species from pet shops and specialty aquarium shops.

A commercialised system will require the correct type and amounts to be given for the best production possible, whereas the backyard grower may not be as specific about the amount that needs to be grown for the system to be seen as successful.

HOW MANY FISH AM I ALLOWED TO HAVE IN A TANK?
Again this will depend on whether the system is a commercial or backyard system, with the commercial systems requiring the correct amount of fish and plants for optimum production. The more fish there are in a system, the more nutrients there are for the plants to consume, but if there are not enough plants to consume these nutrients, the excess build up in the water can cause the plants and the fish to suffer.

DO I NEED ANY PERMITS TO SET UP AN AQUAPONICS SYSTEM?
There are no permits needed in Australia to set up a backyard Aquaponics system. If you are looking at setting up a commercial system, you need to contact the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry at www.affa.gov.au.