How to build your Aquaponics System

Hello Guys, did you miss me??? Yes, I did miss you guys! I have been working so hard that I couldn't find any time to share my new idea and all my culinary adventures!!! I learned some great new recipes, and in the future I want to share here. But today I want to talk about something that it is really important for us and for the world, I want to talk about food. How it is so important to buy good vegetables and fruits, a how this is really good for your life. I believe in this, and as I already spoke in some posts before, I want to continue to share this idea with everybody.

Some years ago when I still used to live in Brazil, I started to grow my own food. The idea to have my own garden in my house, was unbelievable great! I started with some herbs, after gingers and tomatoes. The best day was, when I was walking around the Lagoon in Rio de Janeiro, I found in the middle of street an Avocado Tree. Imagine that, it was like a dream! Everybody knows that I love so much avocados, and find that Tree was a God gift! This is one of the best parts to live in a tropical country, live with full of Tree around you. Amazing!!!

Gavin picking the Avocados. Every week we could have some fresh avocados!!! Lucky

When I moved to Canada I couldn't forget this amazing experience and I wanted to continuing to have this culture in my life. Canada has a complete different weather than Brazil; COLDER, and dryer.  So I needed to start all over again, and study what kinds of plants, fruits and vegetables, it will be possible to grow in this environment! But it is possible, and because all of these aspects and issues Gavin (my partner in crime and my man) had the brilliant idea to build an AQUAPONICS SYSTEM!

Aquaponics System is in my opinion is one of the best idea of the millennium to save the world!!! Do you guys realize that this system we can save the world and still be healthy? Perfect combination, don't you think? Now you guys ask me: what it means save the world? Aquaponics System it is a combination of aquaculture and fish farms. We have at the same system plants and fish, and they feed themselves and also using the same water to pass the nutrients and the bacteria for each other. Speaking better, the fish poop feed the plants throw the water; and then the plants clean the water and giving back the perfect water (with right Ph) to the fish. It is a cycle.

Wikipedia:  "Aquaponics  refers to any system that combine conventional aquaculture (raising aquatic animals such as snails, fish, crayfish or prawns in tanks) with hydroponics (cultivating plants in water) in asymbiotic environment. In normal aquaculture, excretions from the animals being raised can accumulate in the water, increasing toxicity. In an aquaponic system, water from an aquaculture system is fed to a hydroponicsystem where the by-products are broken down by nitrification bacteria into nitrates and nitrites, which are utilized by the plants as nutrients, and the water is then recirculated back to the aquaculture system. As existing hydroponic and aquaculture farming techniques form the basis for all aquaponics systems, the size, complexity, and types of foods grown in an aquaponics system can vary as much as any system found in either distinct farming discipline"

My Aquaponics System

Tilapia Fish





                                                     The Pumps

Tomatoes, Cucumber, Rosemary, Basil and Cilantro

The other side we have: Spinach, Arugula, Beets, Lettece and more Cilantro

Can you see the Spinach growing???? The roots stay 
between the water and the clay.
















For me this is unbelievable. It is just the begin, the fish will grow and we will procreate them. In time we will able to see what it will be easy to grown, what it's hard, and maybe in the future we can be more sustainable and healthy.  I will keep posting and sharing the new, and tell you guys if the Tilapia is really more tasty. The only problem for me is: not have feelings for the fish, and I don't know if I will have courage to kill them... :l

Let's see, keep asking and I will let you know the news!!!!