Uf/ifas and florida sea grant are advancing aquaponics to meet the growing demands of seafood in a sustainable way. marine aquaponics with florida sea grant funds, kevan main , director of mote’s aquaculture research program and her team have developed a prototype marine aquaponics system to expand production of marine fish and sea vegetables in florida.. One of the university of florida extension’s high-priority initiatives is “increasing the sustainability, profitability, and competitiveness of agricultural and horticultural enterprises.” one food production method currently being investigated is aquaponics.. Aquaponics. aquaponics is a name given to the integration of hydroponics (growing plants without soil) with recirculating aquaculture. aquaponics combines the nitrate-rich wastewater from intensive ras with popular hydroponics techniques such as floating rafts, nutrient films, or bench bed systems (tyson and simmone 2014). systems can be designed to produce a variety of plant and aquaculture.
The florida fish and wildlife conservation commission (fwc) also has information on their website about aquaponics permitting with specific information regarding having non-native fish/species (i.e. tilapia) in your system. there are many restrictions concerning the live possession, culture, transportation and sale of non-native species in florida.. Portable farms® aquaponics system in southwest florida is off grid and solar. click here to read article and view more images of this farm.. this portable farms® aquaponics system (above) is fully solar powered.it has one grow tray that is 6’ x 16’ (96 sq ft of grow space) and will feed four people fresh vegetables and fish forever. how? the answer is simple: 1) plant 2) harvest 3) feed. The university of florida offers a water testing service for agricultural and domestic use. the test results include ca, mg, na, cl, fe, and mn content, which are useful to aquaponic growers. it may be possible to request testing for other trace elements, such as zn, by special order..
