A sustainable food production system that combines a traditional aquaculture (raising aquatic animals such as snails, fish, crayfish or prawns in tanks) with hydroponics (cultivating plants in water) in a symbiotic environment.
In aquaculture, effluents accumulate in the water, increasing toxicity for the fish.
This water is led to a hydroponic system where the by-products from the aquaculture are filtered out by the plants as vital nutrients, after which the cleansed water is recirculated back to the animals.
The term aquaponics is a portmanteau of the terms aquaculture and hydroponic.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquaponics