De Luz Farms and Nursery

AQUAPONICS

De Luz Farms
& Nursery

Aquaponic basil, cilantro and sage
in growing channels

Cilantro just removed from growing channel

Our nutrient suppliers

What is Aquaponics?
Aquaponics is the combination of recirculation aquaculture and hydroponics. In aquaponics,
you grow plants and fish together in one integrated system. The fish waste provides a food
source for the growing plants and the plants provide a natural filter for the water the fish live
in. This creates a sustainable ecosystem where both plants and fish can thrive. Aquaponics is
the ideal answer to a fish farmers problem of disposing of nutrient rich water and a hydroponic
growers need for nutrient rich water.

In aquaculture, the water quickly becomes nutrient rich due to the fish digesting their food and
excreting waste. The waste water is usually filtered and/or disposed of to keep the tank water
free of toxic buildups.

Hydroponics is growing plants in a solution of water and nutrients, without soil. The solution is
created by adding the elements a plants needs to water, which is fed directly to the plant’s
roots. In some hydroponic systems the roots are in a growing medium which keeps them moist,
aerated and helps to support the plant. Hydroponics provides the plant with the ideal water
and nutrient ratios and optimum conditions for growth.

Our system
We use a system called Nutrient Film Technique or NFT. Simply put, nutrient filled water from
the fish tank is slowly fed through a small enclosed channel that the plant and its roots reside
in. The plant roots uptake the nutrient from the water, filtering the water as it passes by. The
water is then returned to the fish tank ready to be recirculated again. Our system uses very
little additional daily water, in fact the only water we use is added for loss by evaporation.

Our plants are grown by us from seed. These transplants are grown in a special soil less mix
called coir. Coir is the outer shell of a coconut.

Are the plants organic?
Our plants are certified organic. Certified Organic is the process in which the plants are grown.

Why grow this way?
Several years ago we noticed how well our houseplants did when they were watered using
water from our Koi fish pond. As I started researching how this might benefit our greenhouse
operation, I came across Aquaponics. My first experiment involved a single table in the
greenhouse and some happy (well maybe not so happy) volunteers from our Koi pond. After a
lot of trial and error we were able to produce some very healthy plants. We now have 11 tables
producing about 3000 plants monthly. In the future we will may grow an edible fish but for now
we continue to raise Koi.

What are the benefits of growing Aquaponically?
The combination of aquaculture and hydroponics is quite new and the potential for using
aquaponics to grow high quality food around the world is tremendous. Here are some of the
many advantages of aquaponic food production:

• Aquaponics utilizes the nutrient rich water from aquaculture that otherwise would have been a
waste product or would need to be filtered in a costly manner.
• Aquaponics provides a truly organic, natural form of nutrients for the plants.
• By eliminating the soil in vegetable production, you eliminate all soil borne disease.
Aquaponics uses a fraction of the water that traditional field production does because no
water is wasted or consumed by weeds.
• In aquaponics, plant spacing can be very intensive, allowing you to grow more plants in a
given space.
• In aquaponics there cannot be any pesticides or herbicides used, making the end product
healthier and safer.