AISYAH ISTRI RASULULLAH (COVER by Tita)

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Aquaponic Farming the Easy Way

Planting the seeds in your aquaponic garden is much easier than putting them in the ground. You just have to put them on a netting pot and... this is it! Then you just have to wait for them to start vegetating and grow. However, there is one little aspect you must know before placing the seeds and that is - the ideal moment when the seeds should be planted.

Many people purchase the fish, place them in the tank and in the same day they also place the seeds in the pots. This is by far the worst way of approaching aquaponics as the seeds, even though will grow and develop up to a certain point, they will die in a matter of days after they finish their own supplies if there are no nutrients in the water on which they can feed.

Thus, the perfect moment to place the seeds in the pots is when the fish excrements have turned into nutrients. The process through which you can obtain nutrients for your plants is quite simple. After you place the fish into the tanks, they will start freeing excrements into the water. Because the excrements contain ammonia, they are highly toxic for the fish. However, do not worry about that, as this issue is solved by nature itself. There are bacteria which transform the ammonia into nitrites and then into nitrates. In order for your plants to grow you need nitrates, so once the process of decomposing and transforming ammonia is over, the water will be ready to support the plant seeds.

The entire process can take up to 3 months, time in which you should not place any type of seeds in the pots as they will certainly die. There are also ways to speed up the process by inserting nitrates into the water before the fish excrements can transform. However, many people do not like to interfere in nature's way. However, no matter what way you choose, it is recommended to monitor the amount of ammonia, nitrites and nitrates from the water, so that you can always know the quality of your water for both your fish and your vegetables.

Planting the seeds at the right time is essential if you want good crops and healthy fish, so monitor the quality of your water permanently, before and after planting. It is the only way through which you can obtain good crops. 

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Advantages of Aquaponic Farming

 

Aquaponics is a new way of approaching farming. Unlike traditional agriculture where you needed plants to grow vegetables, with aquaponics you need water and fish in order to have healthy food on your table each and every day. Basically, aquaponics relies on the interdependence between fish and plants: the fish produces bio-nutrients for the plants, while the plants clean the water, creating a perfect environment for the fish to grow and develop. It is a blend of aquaculture and hydroponics that has plenty of advantages. If you need some reasons to get your own aquaponic system started, then here are some of the advantages you will get once you assemble it.

First of all you will have fresh organic food on your table each and every day, regardless of the hour when you decide to cook your meals. You simply take your tomato, cucumber of your basil from the aquaponic "field" and use it for your meals. It is as easy as it sounds.

The second best thing about it is that you not only grow vegetables, but you also have plenty of fish. Whether you want them for cooking tasty meals or simply for your décor, they are a great addition in your home! They also have a practical purpose, as you will never have to use chemical fertilizers on your plants, thus obtaining real organic food.

If you ask how difficult is this system to put in practice, the answer is extremely simple. Not only will you be able to assemble it all by yourself, without the help of your family or neighbors, but you can also put it wherever you want. If you move from one house to another, then you simply disassemble the system and take it with you! What can be easier than that?

Another great advantage of the hydroponic farming is that it offers you financial independence and control over your money. You know exactly how much you need to spend on your food and you will no longer depend on the market for your veggies' supplies.

Last, but not least, it involves no dirty hands and clothes, no bending and digging, no land and little maintenance time, so it will be like your veggies and fish grow all by themselves! Quite an easy to put in practice system, suitable for all types of people, even for busy and impatient ones!

There are plenty advantages that the aquaponic system can offer you! Your health and your comfort will be improved, while your savings will considerably grow with the constant use of the aquaponic type of farming! If this is what you want, then why not give it a try? 

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Adding Salt in Aquaponics

 Many people add salt to their aquaponics system and you may be thinking of doing the same.

The practice of adding salt in Aquaponics has its pros and cons, and if you decide to use salt you should do so carefully. 

The main purpose of adding salt in Aquaponics is for disease control; salt acts like a natural anti-bacterial agent.

In addition, a small amount of salt improves the mucous covering on a fish's body, and this improves the resistance of the fish to diseases and parasites.

Salt may also help to prevent fungal infections. If you opt for salt addition, use pure sea salt and avoid table salt.

If you can't find any pure sea salt, swimming pool salt is a viable alternative.  However, adding too much salt will kill the fish and stunt plant growth.

Therefore, when adding salt, you should do it only in calculated amounts. A good rule of thumb is 1 to 2 ppt (parts per thousand) of salt to water.

Some plants and fish will tolerate higher levels, but if you are a novice in Aquaponics systems, you should stick to this amount.

Remember, that as time passes, the concentration of salt in the system will change. Evaporation of water, water taken up by the plants, etc... will lead to an increase in salt concentration.

It is therefore important that you monitor salt concentration regularly, and you can do so by using an apparatus called a refractometer. You can buy cheap refractometers for just a few dollars and they will do the job.

 Many people will have a separate small tank that they use for sick fish, a kind of quarantine tank. This is a good idea as it prevents the spread of disease to other fish and allows you to give medication only to the sick fish and not to the whole system.

If you keep such a tank, salt can be very useful, as salt will enhance the fish's immune system. You can use higher concentration of salt in your sick tank - up to 10 ppt for a few hours to a few days.

Make sure to keep the tank well oxygenated.  As mentioned alread As mentioned already, different fish have different levels of salt tolerance, so to be on the safe side check with your local fisheries department for levels of tolerability of the species you are growing.

In addition, remember that even if the fish you are growing are very tolerant to salt (for example tilapia can be grown in a salt concentration of up to 20-30ppt), the plants will not tolerate high concentrations.

It is safer if you stick to 1-2ppt.  Discover how to optimize your aquaponics system, and therefore maximize yields while minimizing costs, in Aquaponics 4 You

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5 Things You Should Take Into Consideration When Building an Aquaponic System

Setting up an aquaponic system, although quite an easy task, requires some basic knowledge of aquaponics.

If you have decided to install such a system in your house, then you probably know what this is and how it could help you. However, there may still be things which can interest or help you.

Below you will find 5 essential things which you should know in order to obtain spectacular results. 

1. Location The place where you put your aquaponic system is highly important for the way in which the plants and the fish will develop. In order to obtain great results you should make sure that the temperature from the room is not too high, nor too low, that there is enough light for the plants to prepare their food and that no wind or extreme weather conditions will reach them. Also, make sure that no harming chemical substances can get inside the water as this means death for both your fish and your plants.

 2. Oxygenizing the water The happier your fish are, the better your system will work! This is why you need to oxygenize the water on a daily basis and make sure your fish have all the "comfort" they need. 

3. Choosing your fish accordingly The aquaponic system works well with almost all types of fish. Yet, there are states in which you are not allowed to grow whatever type of fish you want, so you will want to see what types of fish you are allowed to have before starting your aquaponic system as you do not want any problems with the law.

  4. Placing the pots In order to make the harvest much easier, you should place the pots or the entire system at your waits level. This way you will not have to bend over, making the daily care routine a much easier activity. 

5. Adding additives There are cases in which your fish may not provide all the nutrients needed for your plants. If the quantity is lower than what the plants need, then you will have to supply them with the respective substances.

In most cases you will need to add iron, calcium carbonate or potassium carbonate.

Aquaponics is an easy activity which will provide you with the necessary vegetables and fish in a short amount of time. Just follow the tips mentioned above and you will have great success in your attempt to grow organic food in your home.

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