Aquaponics: A step to making KAS more sustainable

By Lynae Munkholm ('27)

Recently an aquaponics system has been installed in KAS by Mr. Munkholm. But what is an aquaponics system?

An aquaponics system is a closed loop system that is used for growing plants and raising fish. The waste water the fish produce gets siphoned up through a tube and used as fertilizer for the plants while the extra cleaned water gets drained back down for the fishes, meaning the water should never have to be replaced. This system ensures that the plants are never overwatered and the fish can keep a clean environment.

But what are the benefits of this?

Having an aquaponics system gives you a sustainable farm, for both plants and fish. It gives the plants plenty of nutrients to help them grow better while also ensuring you don’t have to go through the hassle of cleaning out fish tanks. Of course it’s not completely hands free as the tubes will need an occasional clean from bacteria buildup but it makes everything much more convenient.

As it’s a closed loop system it also makes it an example of an engineered ecosystem, demonstrating how linking outputs and inputs of subsystems can create a more resilient overall system, and providing a good resource for both biology and design class students to view. 

The aquaponics system is situated near the indoor gym and tennis court, so if you have any free time go have a look!