Aquaponics is beneficial to man, plants and fish
FIVE years ago‚ Marc Niehaus nonchalantly threw black sludge from his fish tank onto a veggie patch. To his surprise, the vegetables took a turn for the better.
This is how the spray painter from Cape Town stumbled upon the field of aquaponics. It has been smooth sailing ever since.
He has converted his swimming pool into a waterwise patch. The family grows almost all their vegetables in the pool, which also serves as a fish pond and swimming pool with crystal-clear water.
Aquaponics is a mutually beneficial cycle involving fish and plants.
The waste produced by fish turns into nitrates and ammonia‚ which are fantastic nutrients for plants. The plants absorb the nutrients from the water and also purify the water for the fish.
“It’s water-wise like you won’t believe‚” said Niehaus.
“Our water bill used to be about R1 000 to R1 200 a month … we’ve been gradually bringing it down and are now at between R400 and R500 a month.”
Rainwater tanks lead to his pool, which is filled with a variety of fish‚ some of which can be eaten‚ and his children can still swim in it. He said the plants grow up to two to three times faster than normal.
Niehaus has also employed other methods to save water.
He comes from a long line of plant lovers. “My great-granny was a horticulturalist‚ my other great-granny was a florist‚ and my mother is also big in gardening‚ so the green fingers have run down through the generations‚” said Niehaus.
Through books‚ YouTube videos‚ the internet and a bit of trial and error‚ Niehaus built his expertise. “There’s so many benefits to using aquaponics … the nutrients and the taste of the fruit and the plants is 100 times better.”
The Cape Academy of Mathematics‚ Science and Technology has recently sought his help. He is working on an aquaponic system for the school and hopes to set up a wormery there as well. In addition‚ he will teach the students how to maintain the system and live sustainably.
His dream is to convert an empty piece of land down the road from his house into an urban farm.
He also teaches the community about aquaponics and tunnel farming. –