Our system uses tilapia, a species of edible freshwater fish, for a number of reasons. They are remarkably hardy when it comes to temperature, water quality, disease, parasites, and overcrowding. They also are easily raised, offering opportunities for research that the team has explored in the past.

Some plants have proven more successful than others in an aquaponic setting. Some of the plants that have thrived in our system include vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, peas, tomatoes, peppers, and broccoli and herbs such as basil, cilantro, and parsley. Excess produce is cleaned, packed up, and given to a local food pantry.

Our team uses the media bed design for our systems. Flat grow beds are filled with hydroton, which support the plant roots and act as a mechanical and biological filter to break down waste. Water from the deep black fish tank is pumped up into these beds and returns to the tank after being filtered.