Aquaponics is a system of aquaculture (the cultivation of aquatic animals or plants for food) in which the waste produced by farmed fish or other aquatic animals supplies nutrients for plants grown hydroponically (in sand, gravel, or liquid with added nutrients but without soil), which will, in turn, purify the water.

The greenhouse will be getting an aquaponics unit in the near future. The program was granted roughly $4,000. We currently use tilapia, which are a 4-6 inch fish, but next year we intend to try to use game fish, such as perch. The fish will be in a 150-gallon tank, and their waste will flow into tubs that will have plants growing in them. The plants will use the nutrients from the waste as nourishment.