Shin Hu Cooperation Farm uses the leftovers of trimming vegetable leaves to breed fish. The nutrient−rich pond water having fish excrement is absorbed and cleared by flowing plant roots, the aquaponics is recycled due to pond water filtered by the plants is recycled into the fish farm for use.
Shin Hu Cooperation Farm is a lettuce supplier to catering brands and supermarkets. There is a significant amount of waste lettuce leaves generated after cutting. Generally, after the fish ponds are harvested, the nutrient-rich waste water is drained out and new water is injected, which is a waste of water resources and even causes the problem of pumping out a large amount of groundwater.
Vegetable leftover feed fishes and pond water irrigate vegetable field
Through Shin Hu Cooperation Farm and the Baojhong Township Office’s cooperation to improve the facilities and water circulation systems of an abandoned fishpond by building an aquaponic greenhouse on the embankment.
At the fishpond, the grass carp and silver carp fish (grass carp is herbivorous, and silver carp can help filter excrement) were feed with the residues of trimmed lettuce; subsequently, the pond water was pumped into the greenhouse to grow lettuce on the vertical hydroponic system. The cooler pond water may overcome the inhibition of lettuce growth due to high temperature, and the hydroponic system electric power for cooling nutrient solution were reduced.
Water recirculation system combining fishpond and greenhouses
In the system, plants absorb the nutrients from the enrich-water and purify water too, enabling the water to circulate back to the fishponds. Doing so helps optimize the use of nutrients and may reduce eutrophication and pumping groundwater which are serious problem in Yunlin district.
Benefits
- The farm has utilized leftover vegetable leaves to breed fish and nutrient-rich fish pond waste water to grow vegetables to reduce feed and fertilizer use.
- The circular use of fish pond waste water reduces the costs of pond filtration and the need for groundwater.
- There are many abandoned fish ponds in Taiwan. Through aquaponics, new local employment opportunities can be created.