In this article, we are going to talk about trout, tilapia, lettuce, and sunlight. We are going to see together if you have all the knowledge about aquaponics.

First question: is there scientific evidence of water savings in aquaponics?

It must be remembered that one of the main advantages of aquaponics is to reduce watering. But is there scientific evidence of this reduction? Is it 30%, 90%, 60%? The answer is no, there is no scientific evidence of these water savings. On the other hand, there is a body of evidence that tells us that compared to traditional agriculture, the water savings should be around 85, 90%. And you may be wondering how much we save compared to permaculture, which is also supposed to drastically reduce watering needs? It's simple, we have a 60% water saving compared to organic farming if we compare organic farming and aquaponics. Scientific evidence no, but water savings, yes.

Second question: what is the ideal sunlight for growing lettuce?

Lettuce is often preferred in aquaponics. This is mainly because it is easy to grow. It doesn't need much, just a little nitrates. So, what is the optimal duration of sunlight to grow lettuce?

There are two answers to this:

• The minimum duration to have very acceptable growth of lettuce is 14 hours of sun.
• And to optimize the growth of lettuce, your sunlight will need to be between 16 and 18 hours.

Third question: what are the functions of sticky papers in your greenhouse?

You have probably already seen in videos of hydroponic aquaponics or even traditional greenhouses, small yellow sticky insect-repellent papers. But then, what are the two functions of this paper?

The primary function is to catch insects and the second advantage is to be able to easily determine what type of pests we have in our greenhouse.

Indeed, when we enter the greenhouse we find a lot of information. Visually, we see leaves, we see the aquaponics system which is the floor of the greenhouse and the walls of the greenhouse. We can also see some insects and pests, but it is very difficult to judge the quantity and judge the type of pest you may have.

We then come to question four: are we going to talk about food? Do you need as much food for the fish per square meter of crops with tilapia as with trout?

It is important to remember that the sizing of a grow bed has nothing to do with the volume of water in which the fish swim. According to calculations made by scientists, we give on average between 60 and 65 grams of food per day and per square meter of cultivable area. Finally, it must be specified that for tilapia, it is warm waters.

Thus, if we switch to live fish in cold water such as trout, then you will need to halve the weight of the food you give your fish per square meter of trout crop. Typically, you will be at 30 grams per square meter and per day.

Last question: what maximum variation in pH and temperature can fish tolerate in 20 minutes?