I was thrilled to see an aquaponic garden at Biosphere. The basic idea is that fish poop in the water, the water is pumped up to the planting beds, the plants filter out the nutrients, and the water is returned to the fish tanks to be replenished with more organic nutrients from fish poop. You can grow a variety of herbs and vegetables, and you can use different fish species too, depending on your climate. In central and southern Arizona, most people seem to be use goldfish, koi and tilapia because it’s too warm for trout. Catfish are a possibility too, but I haven’t seen much about people using them in Arizona. That may have something to do with their water and filtration requirements compared to less demanding species like tilapia.
As human population continues to grow and demand for water increases, we will need innovative methods of food production - especially in desert regions like California and Arizona. Locally grown produce and fish that’s organic and uses less water than traditional farming methods? I’m all for it!
When humans begin to colonize other worlds, aquaponics will almost certainly play a role in their food production too.
By the way, our guide mentioned that one of his friends grows hops - an essential ingredient for home-brew beer - in his aquaponics garden. Yep, there is definitely a future for aquaponics!
For more information on aquaponics, a good place to start is the National Agricultural Library (online) at the USDA.
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