Aquaponis - The Importance of Water and It's Quality
Water quality consists of eight important components. They are pH, ammonia, nitrite/nitrate, bacteria, temperature, oxygen, alkalinity, and source. Aquaponic growing systems are all about water, and all these components have a very important role in having a successful system.
Water quality is top priority, and there are several factors that go together to have a healthy water environment for both fish and plants. An imbalance of any one of the eight components mentioned above can cause the water quality of an aquaponic system to drop to harmful conditions for fish and/or plants.
pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. The range goes from 0 - 14, with 7 being neutral. A pH reading of less than 7 indicates acidic, whereas a pH of greater than 7 indicates basic, or alkaline. The pH is really a measurement of the relative amount of free hydrogen and hydroxyl ions in the water. When water has more free hydrogen ions, it is acidic, and when there are more free hydroxyl ions it is basic.
Ammonia, nitrite/nitrate,and bacteria all have a relationship in an aquaponic system. When you study how an aquaponic system works, you will find there are really three crops. They are the fish, plants and bacteria that is very beneficial. It is the bacteria that converts the toxic components of fish waste into forms of nutrients that plant life will benefit from. There are several types of bacteria that live in an Aquaponic system, and they all perform a specific job. Without these beneficial bacteria, Aquaponic food production would not be possible, and the best part of this is that it all just happens, naturally.
The term Autotrophic Bacteria describes two function-specific bacteria. The first, nitrosomonas, uses oxygen to convert toxic ammonia into Nitrite, and the second, nitrobacter, converts the Nitrite into Nitrate. Both the ammonia and the Nitrite are toxic to fish, these two bacteria are crucial to an aquaponic system. Nitrate being much less toxic than ammonia, can be tolerated by most cultured fish until it reaches a very high level. Once the autotrophic bacteria process is complete, the resulting Nitrate ions will be controlled by the plants themselves.
The term Heterotrophic Bacteria describes how specific bacteria convert solid fish waste into ammonia and other elements. These two types of bacteria are naturally occurring. They habitat plant roots, pipe, tanks, the media in an Aquaponic system, and the water. Their growth and density will depend on the temperature of the water,flow rate, pH, surface area, and salinity. Bacteria are not visible to the human eye, you can't measure or monitor them. The only way you will know a bacteria crop is a healthy one is through testing the levels of ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate.
Aquaponics is a natural method of gardening that will provide you with a thriving healthy crop. Growing crops in an aquaponic system is healthy for both you, and the environment.
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