Aquaponics Vs. Hydroponics: 7 Things To Know

Aquaponics Vs. Hydroponics. Perfect! This is going to be fun for me. I now get to live vicariously through you dear reader!

I say this because I’ve grown very successfully with hydroponics, but I’ve never had the chance to grow with aquaponics, but came very close in Austin, TX back in 2019. 

Everything was set up, and I was even ready to use a 50 gallon fish tank (even though I’d have to cover the sides- more on that below)… But, nope. It didn’t happen- you know how it goes.

1. These are both systems based on water. Duh. 

Let me break that down- Hydroponics can use a few different (grow) mediums between the water and the plant itself. 

For example I used a ‘flood and drain’ system and liked it a lot. My square pots held 4” rockwool cubes that the plants grew it and as the nutrient rich water flowed in on a timer, the plants got watered and fed at the same time. 

Some might think this system was complicated, but it really wasn’t…

2.   Aquaponics is a method of feeding your plants with fish waste (poop). 

Sooo, you save a hell of a lot of money on fertilizers and time- along with possible errors in measurements. 

When you have to account for the exact amount of water your system holds, you can see how that might become a hassle.

Also, plants react very quickly to fertilizers in water mediums and you can actually burn/nuke them- ouch! 

Compared to just feeding your happy fish? You can quickly see how sweet aquaponics could be…

3. Generally speaking, balancing your water’s Ph is a non-issue.

Because you have a symbiotic relationship between the fish and the plants, the water stays balanced and filtered by the plants roots. This becomes one less thing for you to manage.  

And actually, a few less things for you to buy. Digital testers aren’t cheap. You could always use paper ones- but you get my point.

*If you do develop an algae issue, buy some of those sucker fish to help clean your tank.

4. More to manage with Hydroponics.

I touched slightly on this, but let’s consider all of the other things you need to buy with hydroponics- and frankly, some people just like growing in dirt and that’s totally fine.

Back to the point, you need timers (for your pumps and not just your lights), and the fertilizers, measuring cups, changing the water (which can get messy- yep, I’ve flooded a closet). 

All that said, I think you’ll find plants grow faster in a water medium. Which is great, but like I said above, the uptake is far more dramatic when it comes to the chemical fertilizers. Yes, you can go organic, but in my experience, how much easier would if be to just have some lovely fish?

5. Fish die. And you need to (should) keep the plant roots in the dark.

Right? Light is no bueno for marijuana- or as far as I know, any root system. So it’s not like you can just watch the fish swimming and tickling your plant roots the whole (live-long) long day… Nope, everything must be kept in the dark. 

So, do you pick a breed/species of fish that like the dark? I’d assume so.

That said, perhaps aquaponics is not the best system for your closet? Your ability and needs will vary…

6. More efficient use of water.

Using an aquaponics system would be a more efficient use of water, just because you wouldn’t have to change it as often. If ever?

To be honest, I’ve never owned fish, but I have helped clean tanks. What do you do with the fish as you clean out, or change the water? They have to go someplace safe and secure for you to freshen their digs- right? Just things to think about…

7. Being modular with hydroponic pot(s).

Okay, this was a huge bonus when I designed and built my hydro-setup. As I mentioned, I flooded my plants in square, plastic pots and the water and nutrients were wicked up via the rockwool. I actually really liked this system- it worked great over and over.

But one of the advantages I didn’t realize was the ability to pull the plants out, trim, train, or just to rearrange them. It was great! 

I don’t imagine this could be as easily achieved in an aquaponics system. If everything is fixed, you’re really stuck in place. 

Now I may be totally wrong about this. I’m doing my very best to bring you the most practical of insights, via experience and research- but this was a great advantage.

One serious thing that you might be able to do, that I hadn’t thought of was to use the same sort of system, but just flood the potted plants with the fish water. Why not? 

That way you’d have the very best of both worlds. In fact, if I had it to do all over again, which I will, I think that’s what I’ll do!

Happy growing! Best, *A.

Here’s a paper on the subject.

Here’s a video by Mr. Medical Marijuana