What is aquaponics can be perplexing question to those people coming across the term for the first time. Aquaponics can be stated as the mechanism combining recirculation aquaculture with hydroponics. In aquaponics, one grows fish and plants together in a single integrated system in a symbiotic relationship with each other. The fish waste is eaten up by the plants growing in the system. The water that the fish live in is naturally filtered by the plants. This cycle results in the birth of a self sustaining ecosystem and an environment in which both the fish and plants thrive together.

Let’s discuss further on what is aquaponics. Aquaponics happens to be a fully natural process mimicking all the rivers, ponds, lakes and other waterways and requiring just one input – the fish food. The fish in the aquaponics system consumes the food and excretes the waste. The waste is acted upon by beneficial bacteria and gets converted into a form that can be used by the plants. The plants play an ecology sustaining role of purifying the water by consuming the nutrients. Pesticides, herbicides or any other sorts of harsh chemicals cannot be used in the aquaponic system and this makes the fish and plants in such a system safe to be eaten.

The aquaponic process is as organic as it can get. However, obtaining a USDA organic certification for a soil less culture is not easy though a couple of commercial aquaponic growers in the United States have got the organic certification for their respective plants.

Though aquaponics has tremendous potential it is still at infant stage with regard to commercial ventures. As technology develops and evolves, aquaponics is sure to become a very space saving and more efficient method for growing vegetables, fish and even herbs. With aquaponics, the commercial aquaculturists would be well able to cut down the quantum of filtration required for re-circulating fish culture and the hydroponic growers are sure to eliminate the labor and cost associated with mixing a fertilizer solution.