Using Aquaponics to Grow Cannabis: Innovation at the Service of Sustainability

What is Aquaponics?

Aquaponics is a cultivation system that combines aquaculture (fish farming) with hydroponics. While hydroponic systems are widely used in marijuana cultivation, aquaponics takes it a step further by using the waste produced by the fish as fertilizer for the plants, which in turn filters and purifies the water for the fish.

It is a self-sufficient recirculation system that significantly reduces water use (a resource that we must preserve) whilst minimizing pollution from cultivation.

How to Grow Marijuana in an Aquaponic System

Growing marijuana in an aquaponic setup produces high-quality, organically grown buds because the nutrients used to fertilize the plants are of biological origin. If done correctly, aquaponic crops develop a top-shelf aroma and flavor.

However, you need to have some experience in indoor growing (ideally hydroponics) as you'll need to monitor and control several water parameters to ensure that both plants and fish have the environmental conditions they need. Therefore, you must pay close attention to water quality:

• Oxygen levels
• Carbon dioxide levels
• Ammonium levels
• pH levels
• Chlorine

Keep in mind that these are the basic parameters that you need to monitor daily. These will vary depending on the plants that you want to grow (you can grow more than just cannabis in aquaponics) as well as on the fish species you use.

Additionally, cannabis has specific needs in terms of light, temperature, and nutrients. Adapting an aquaponic system to grow this ancient plant involves adjusting these conditions to ensure optimal growth and development.

Hence the importance of having prior experience in hydroponic cannabis growing, as these concepts will already be properly understood. Only then can you take up the challenge of ensuring everything works properly in the fish tank.

So, if you're just starting in the noble art of cannabis self-cultivation, you're probably better off starting with something simpler, like a soil-based indoor or outdoor grow.

What Do I Need to Grow Cannabis in an Aquaponic System?

Although the initial investment for an aquaponic cannabis growing system is higher, it is more economical in the long run because you'll be saving on fertilizers and water bills. An aquaponic setup for growing marijuana must consist of several essential components:

• Cannabis strains that adapt well to hydroponic systems. While all cannabis varieties can be grown hydroponically, some offer advantages over others in terms of adaptability, size, resistance, etc.
• Fish: Not all fish species are suitable for an aquaponic cannabis system. You should select those that adapt best. Commonly used species include Tilapia (a hardy fish that isn't demanding in terms of care and grows and reproduces easily); Goldfish (these are highly resistant to water temperature changes and can live in temperatures between 10º and 30º, producing a good amount of nutrients for the plants); Catfish (highly resistant to diseases); Koi Carp (easy to maintain and very pleasing to the eye, which adds an ornamental touch), etc.
• Biological filters: This is a fundamental element in this type of growing system, as it transforms the waste produced by the fish into suitable nutrients for the plants. These filters contain colonies of bacteria that perform a process called "nitrification", which transforms ammonia (excreted by the fish through their feces) into nitrites and then into nitrates that serve as fertilizers for the plants. The nitrates generated by these nitrifying bacteria are a source of nitrogen, which is an essential nutrient for marijuana plants.

Other elements you will need for your aquaponic marijuana growing system include:

• Fish tank: Size the tank according to the number of fish you want to house in it.
• Filtration systems: You will need mechanical filters to remove solid particles from the water.
• Water pump: Its function is to efficiently move water through the system, from the tank to the biological filter and then to the growing bed.
• Air compressors: These are needed to oxygenate the water and maintain the health of both fish and plants.
• Hydroponic growing bed or tray: Trays in which cannabis plants are placed with their corresponding substrate (this can be perlite, vermiculite, or any other growing medium used in hydroponic cannabis setups).
• Lighting system: LED lamps are the most recommended and efficient nowadays.

Additionally, you will need everything else that's normally required for an indoor cannabis grow: pH meters, ventilation and extraction systems, anti-odor filters, etc.

Benefits of using Aquaponics for Cannabis Growing

Aquaponics applied to cannabis is a way to minimize the environmental impact of waste from this activity. It is a closed system that, if properly controlled, requires much less water than traditional cultivation systems.

As mentioned above, this is a circuit in which the water is renewed: the plants "clean it" for the fish; and the fish, in turn, provide the plants with the nutrients they need to fully develop and flourish. It is what we commonly know as a "win-win."

The use of aquaponics applied to marijuana growing not only helps reduce the cost of water (which is an increasingly scarce resource), but also prevents water pollution by avoiding the contamination of rivers and aquifers with fertilizers and pesticides.

In fact, there are already plenty of success stories, such as the Canadian company Green Relief, a firm licensed to grow cannabis that uses an aquaponics system on a commercial scale.

Green Relief has managed to produce pesticide-free medical cannabis with an annual production capacity of 45 tons. What's more, they provide thousands of meals to local food banks by donating their ready-to-eat tilapia.

Conclusion

Integrating aquaponic systems into cannabis cultivation could make a significant environmental difference, especially with regard to large-scale crops.

This is an efficient and sustainable option that produces quality cannabis in an ecological way. As environmental laws become stricter and cannabis is legalized worldwide, aquaponics could represent a brilliant option in the near future.