Knowledgebase
Welcome to the BTL Knowledgebase. Ever since we started lining ponds, creating covers, and helping people with their projects, we've gotten asked a lot of questions. Many of these questions are repeatedly asked, so we put together the BTL knowledgebase to help answer any questions you had about a particular subject. We are adding new questions every month, so continue to check back often!
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What's the best grow media for aquaponics?
An ideal grow media should be smooth and moderately lightweight, pH neutral, non-degradable, and offer plenty of surface area for nitrifying bacteria.
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How many fish should an aquaponics system have?
This depends on the size of your tank and the fish you want to grow, each pound of fully grown fish requries around 8 gallons of water.
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What is aquaponics?
Aquaponics mimics a natural ecosystem in order to grow both fish and plants, combining both aquaculture and hydroponics.
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How many plants can I grow with aquaponics?
Aquaponics systems generally allow crops to be planted about two times as densely as you would in soil.
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What nutrients does aquaponics need?
Fish primarily get their nutrients from their food, which is then provided to the plants through waste; however some vital nutrients, like iron, calcium, or potassium, may not be found in fish food.
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What is the best food for aquaponic fish?
Small-scale or new aquaponics systems can typically do just fine using commerical feed pellets, as long as they provide enough nutrients to power your system.
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How do I cycle an aquaponics system?
Cycling refers to the process of tranforming ammonia into nitrates that can be digested by plants, this is done via nitrifying bacteria or allowing the process to occur naturally through fish waste.
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What fish can I raise with aquaponics?
You can grow a wide range of fish in an aquaponic system, from koi and goldfish to trout and large-mouthed bass.
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How do I keep aquaponic fish healthy?
Fish health is primarily determined by the quality of their water, diet, and their stress levels.
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What do you feed aquaponic fish?
This depends on the fish you're growing, carnivores like trout and bass would prefer a higher protien diet than omnivorous fish like talipia or koi.
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What's the best fish for aquaponics?
Some of the best fish for beginner aquaponic farmers includes tilapia and koi, who are particuarly durable and easy to maintain.
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Does aquaponics need fertilizer?
An aquaponics system imitates the natural balance of nutrients that can be found in nature, meaning that you don't have to use fertilizer.
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Is aquaponics organic?
Aquaponics is organic by necessity -- the plants and fish serve to create and absorb nutrients like they would in a natural ecosystem, eliminating the need for fertilizers or additives.
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Can you grow shrimp with aquaponics?
Yes! Shrimp and prawns are some of the most profitable harvests that can come out of aquaponics.
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When should I replace the water in my aquaponics system?
Since your system will be depending on a natural balance of nutrients through fish, bacteria, and your plants, it's typically unnecessary to ever completely replace the water in your aquaponics tanks.
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Where should aquaponics be installed?
This depends on the size of your system, a greenhouse holding pounds of fish will be positioned much differently than a small countertop aquarium and herb garden.
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What flowers grow well in aquaponics?
Lots of flowers do very well in aquaponic systems, popular choices include roses, marigolds, pansies, and naturally, water lillies.
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Does aquaponics clean water?
The natural filtration of fish and plants will do a large part in keeping your water healthy; in aquaponics the water never needs to be changed, only topped off.
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What are the best plants for aquaponics?
Almost any plant can thrive in a healthy aquaponics system, but certain conditions can make some choices more ideal for you.
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What can you grow with aquaponics?
A huge variety of plants can be grown through aquaponics, especially when nurturing young seedlings.
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Is aquaponics hard to maintain?
Aquaponics requires initial installation and investment to create a miniature artificial ecosystem, after which, maintenance becomes much simpler.
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How much land does aquaponics take?
Aquaponics systems can range from countertop aquariums to 10,000 sq. ft. facilities with tanks holding more than 300 gallons of water.
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How much water does aquaponics use?
Since aquaponics systems are constantly cycling water, these systems on average use only 10% of the water that would be used growing the same crops through traditional soil means.
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