During this session many students are very curious and have asked many questions:

 "WHAT IS AQUAPONICS?"

"WHAT SO SPECIAL ABOUT AQUAPONICS?"

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Aquaponics is the combination of aquaculture (raising fish) and hydroponics (the soil-less growing of plants) that grows fish and plants together in one integrated system. The fish waste provides an organic food source for the plants, and the plants naturally filter the water for the fish.

The third participants are microbes (nitrifying bacteria). These bacteria convert ammonia from the fish waste first into nitrites, and then into nitrates.  Nitrates are the form of nitrogen that plants can uptake and use to grow.  Solid fish waste is turned into vermicompost that also acts as food for the plants.

In combining both hydroponic and aquaculture systems, aquaponics capitalizes on their benefits, and eliminates the drawbacks of each.

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Advantages of Aquaponics:

a) Save up to 90% of water as compared to traditional soil farming system

b) No chemical fertiliser required (reduce soil and water pollution, the plants are safe to be comsumed)

c) No digging, easy to cultivate

d) Save space and land (as it is scale-able)