Youre growing food in fish poop? Yuck! This is a common misconception or question that many people have when first learning about aquaponics. In this video, I try to explain a few quick concepts and talk about what I have grown in my system and what we have liked. This summer, my family has been able to compare the taste of some of the things we are growing with our outdoor garden and have been very impressed with the aquaponics system.
The fish waste in an aquaponics system is almost immediately broken down and consumed by several types of bacteria that grow on the rocks (grow medium) in the system. This bacteria convert the waste into nitrite and nitrate which can be consumed by the plants. There is no real difference in how the plants uptake nutrients whether grown in a garden, hydroponics, aquaponics, or any other method and the taste should be similar. The only thing that effects the taste is whether the plants had all the things they needed to grow properly such as light, nutrients, and water. If they are short on those things or stressed during development you might get bad tasting food. It also depends when you harvest the vegetables as well.
I hope that this quick look at my aquaponics system gives you some insight as to what to expect if you are looking to build something similar at home.
This post has been shared at: The Homestead Barn Hop, The Backyard Farming Connection Hop, Natural Living Monday, Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop
