Homesteading at its Best! - Research on Aquaponics

I've been seeing more and more Filipinos sharing a blog about their usual gardening practices and these things fall under the tag #homesteading.

What is Homesteading?

It is defined as a lifestyle of self-sufficiency. It usually involves agriculture and crafts, but is not limited to just those 2 things. It has a wide variety under it if you do some more research. Backyard gardening thus fall under this category and a lot of people, not just Filipinos, are interested in this topic.

How to make the Best out of it?

"Hit two birds with one stone". Multitasking is great - it does lots of things at the same time, but why not have your creation multitask for you, and hit and succeed two of your goals at the same time. It's efficient and effective! Combine 2 separate projects into 1 and innovate it, that will be the best way to go and make the most out of your effort and hard work. Here's my suggestion for you to succeed in your homesteading endeavor:

Aquaponics

What is Aquaponics? It's actually a combination of 2 words and 2 practices that fall under homesteading. These will be aquaculture (which is fish farming) and hydroponics (which is soil-less plant culture). It's a great system and is very innovative. It makes use of the water efficiently. It's a mutual system between plants and fishes.

Aquaponics is the ideal answer to a fish farmer’s problem of disposing nutrient rich water and a hydroponic grower’s need for nutrient rich water.

Experts say this system actually mimics every natural waterway on earth. It is used to grow food crops in a concentrated, yet sustainable manner, that you can even build it in your backyard.

I came across this topic when my father-in-law was doing research on it and watching YouTube videos about it. It piqued my interest and I even watched the entire video with him. If I had money for capital that time I would have started a business like this because I think it's reliable and easy to sustain. There are lots of blogs tackling it as well, so there will be no shortage of resources and help.

Take a look at this video here:

If you are interested in creating your own Aquaponic system, you can go to this blog, it has instructions on how to create one for starters.

Above is a good system by Akim Vergara of Bay Aquaponics. Another aquaponics enthusiast turned entrepreneur who lives and breathes aquaponics.

Most systems use either the Gravel or Raft method for the Hydroponics part.

A gravel system will be used by placing a container filled with gravel on top of the Aquaculture ecosystem of fresh water fish. This is where the plants will be planted. As explained earlier, it's a soil-less system but it doesn't mean it should just utilize water directly, that's why they used gravel in this system. A pump motor will be used to drain the water from the Aquaculture system at the bottom, pushing it towards the top - providing water source for the Hydroponic system. The nutrient-rich water will run through the gravel and will be consumed by plant roots, this happens continuously, after passing through all the gravel water will go back to the Aquaculture system at the bottom already filtered and cleaned. It's a wonderful cycle.

A raft system will use plants that can directly grow on water - afloat - while at the same time filters the water itself and maintains its cleanliness suitable for the fish in your Aquaculture system. In general, floaters will be used to place the plants above water level and are adjusted depending on the plant's need for water - usual floaters are light wood or Styrofoam.

Most systems are independent of new water sources and sometimes even electricity, if they use solar-powered motor pumps, thus upholding the homesteading principle of self-sufficiency.

Here are some more beautiful photos of the systems used in Aquaphonics:

Here you will see a gravel bed system that's growing plants like basil, mint and ashitaba.

Now, here is a raft system that's used to grow lettuce.

A bonus is this small system using gravel beds as well, that provides a glimpse of the Aquaculture system underneath where the fresh water fish are kept.

Here's an infographic that explains the process of Aquaponics in a quick and simple manner: