Aquaponics is a water-efficient way to grow crops and raise fish. The fish and plants depend on each other for survival. The fish will produce waste, and then the worms and microbes will turn it into fertilizer for the plants. The plants will then filter the water that returns to the fish. Seems pretty good, right? But everything has its pros and cons. So what are the pros and cons of aquaponics?
Pros:
1. Water Efficiency
As mentioned in the paragraph above, aquaponics is a water-efficient way to grow crops and raise fish. According to the h-ALO project, aquaponics uses 90% less water than traditional farming methods.
2. No Pesticide Use
You can’t use pesticides on the crops because it will affect the fish, too. So if you are using aquaponics, it is best to avoid pesticides.
3. No Soil Needed
Plants get their nutrients from the soil, but aquaponics offers another way. The aquaponics system has no soil involved; instead, plants get their nutrients from the water.
Cons:
1. Limited Plant Choices
Because the fish and plants depend on each other, you need to choose your plant choices wisely; they might kill the fish. You can’t grow blueberries, peppers, onions, potatoes, mint, ginger and chrysanthemums in an aquaponics system.
2. Higher Costs
Though it is water efficient, the cost of an aquaponics system is higher. You need to pay for the system itself, the energy that powers the water circulation, and lighting and temperature control.
3. Many Roads To Failure
There are many ways in which the entire aquaponics system can fail. It could be because of poor water quality, too much fish, not enough light, pest and disease problems, etc.
Now that you have seen the pros and cons of aquaponics, do you think that it is worth the cost?
Related Articles:
https://www.britannica.com/technology/aquaponics
theaquaponicssource.com/what-is-aquaponics/
environment.co/pros-and-cons-of-aquaponics/
https://gogreenaquaponics.com/blogs/news/what-is-aquaponics-and-how-does-it-work
https://honestproscons.com/pros-and-cons-of-aquaponics/
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