Aquaponic System
Year
Context
Self-initiated project exploring urban food production and ecological cycles.
Approach
A transparent, working ecosystem connects fish, plants and circulating water, turning ecological dependencies into a directly observable process.
Global food shortage, ecological farming principles and gardening in urban environments are three main topics that caused us to initiate our very own DIY Aquaponics System. The underlying principle is an almost self containing closed circuit that combines fish farming and agriculture in a clever way.
Besides that the system has advantages e.g. in matters of water consumption and entry of pathogenic organisms. It uses up to 90% less water than conventional farming and doesn’t require additional chemicals.
That works, because each system delivers, what the other needs: By growing fish you produce ammonia rich waste, the foundation for a very good fertilizer. The ammonia gets transformed by bacteria to form nitrite and nitrate.Thats the stuff the your plants dream of! The basin with the plants on the other hand acts as a biofilter stripping the water of its chemicals and supplying clean water for the fish.