It's All About the Water

Water is one of the most important parts of an aquaponic system.  It’s what the fish swim in, and also the way that the plants get their nutrients.  Plants of course need water to grow, and they also need water to deliver other nutrients that the plants need to grow, such as nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus.  In nature as well as in conventional farming, plants grow in the soil and depend on water from the rain or from irrigation to provide them with nutrients, but in aquaponics, there is no soil and the plants grow directly in water.  Regular farming is “all about the soil,” but aquaponic growing is “all about the water.”

Each day, we have to test the pH level of the water and measure the levels of ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates in the system.  It’s important to have the right pH in the system so that the fish and the plants won’t be stressed.  The plants like the pH slightly acidic, and the fish like it slightly alkaline, so we have to find a middle ground between the two.  Ammonia is one of the chemicals present in fish waste, and it’s toxic to the fish, so helpful bacteria convert it first into nitrites, and then finally into nitrates.  Nitrates aren’t toxic to the fish, and they’re one of the nutrients that plants need to grow, so they’re important to have in the system.  This is why we need to check on the different levels of each of these chemicals.

This winter, we are working to keep the water temperature in our tanks suitable for the plants and the fish.  We’ll be tracking their growth, and we’ll share our progress with you.