  Above pictures from a successful Aquaponics system in Australia. |
Aquaponics Trial
Aquaponics is the cultivation of vegetables and fish in a circulating system.
Fish are farmed in tanks, their waste naturally accumulating in the water. This effluent-rich water becomes high in plant nutrients but also becomes toxic to the fish. Plants are grown in a way that allows them to use this nutrient-rich water. The plants take up the nutrients, reducing the water's toxicity. The water can then be returned to the fish tank and the cycle can continue.
The only water added to the system is to replace loss from absorption by the plants or evaporation into the air.
We have just started a small scale trial of the system on our current site. If successful we will transfer the system to the new site and expand it further. Our hope is that this system will provide enough fish and vegetables to feed the orphanage, with some left over to sell to local resorts and further improve our sustainability.
| Update - 30 June 2010 The shelter to house the system is now complete - and doubles as a handy car port! We have a team coming for the month of July who will be setting up the system so that we can start the trial. The trial will help us to get the system running smoothly, and to establish what fish and vegetables will be most succesful in the environment here. |
  |