You have a container that the fish are in, the water from that container, either by pump or gravity, flows through the roots of the suspended plants. The plants absorb the nutrients (which sounds much better than they consume the fish waste even though that’s what they are doing) which cleans up the water.
Once you have your aquaponics system up and running, you will have a tank which holds the fish (possibly Tilapia) and a growing bed that the plants are in. In the fish tank, you will have a species of freshwater fish in one to 2,000 liters of water. The fish create waste and so does the uneaten fish feed. This waste creates ammonia.
They are mostly considered as excellent edible fish. It is highly in demand in supermarkets and groceries locally and abroad because of its mild flavor and high quality meat. It has a long life span so it can be stored at home for longer periods.
With conventional and organic gardening, the method is to work hard to till and condition the soil, plant your crops in the ground, and then regularly dump massive amounts of water and fertilizer into the ground. Much of the water ends up evaporating, while the majority of the rest, along with most of the nutrients, soaks into the ground and is lost. It’s only a small amount that is actually used by the plants, many of which may be weeds.
When you start growing indoors you should really grow with soil. If you do this you could end up with a big mess! I suggest that when you are growing indoors you use hydroponic systems. This is an easy way to keep an exact measurement of the nutrient solution.
Then came hydroponics, the science of growing plants without soil. Sounds almost like science fiction, doesn’t it? Well, it’s been around at least since the time of the Aztecs. They had their plants sitting in rafts that floated on lakes. Clever huh?
Tubing for water flow, the type of tubing you get will depend on what system you end up building. Some different types of aquaponic source systems work better with different tubing.
Many garden plants really do not need soil and will grow just fine without it. As long as the roots get plenty of water, nutrients and in some cases oxygen, they can grow very well. Hydroponics is a way to grow plants without soil. Bu typically, hydroponics uses chemical fertilizers and tries to create a sterile growing environment. The results are often vegetables that are low in flavor, or have a chemical flavor, and it can be a lot of work keeping the nutrient levels just right in the water.
As a fish farmer raising healthy fish the prize will be well nourished plants as they have been raised on the fertilizer and food provided by the fish. As you properly care for your fish; the plants will flourish.