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Is iAVs the same as aquaponics?
Technically, no. Hydroponics is premised on inorganic chemistry, whereas iAVs is based in organic chemistry, aka biological processes.
iAVs (Sandponics) pre-dates everything we know as aquaponics. It was the first successful ‘closed loop’ integration of fish and plants. IAVs pre-dates aquaponics. Indeed, the term ‘aquaponics’ was not in use at the time that iAVs was conceived and developed.
The three principal variants on the aquaponics theme are (in chronological order) sandponics, flood and drain and deep water culture. iAVs utilizes sand as the growing media. Flood and drain aquaponics uses gravel, clay pebbles or other coarse media and actually resulted from a failed attempt to build an iAVs.
Deep water culture (DWC) – also known as raft culture – has no media as such. The plants are supported by the rafts, with their roots in direct contact with the water.
Sand is not the only distinction between iAVs. Furrows, intermittent daytime irrigation, the detritus layer and soil microbiology are all unique features of the method.
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Aquaponics is the combination of aquaculture and hydroponics, with the latter being a non-soil system. iAVs, on the other hand, is the combination of aquaculture and horticulture, which is a soil-based system. The sand media is an active, complex and highly effective “biofilter”. Sand + organics + microbes = Soil.
The soil science involved in iAVs precludes its inclusion within the strict meaning of the term “Aquaponics.”
The central critical aspect of iAVs is a vigorous soil ecosystem, without which the aquaculture water would not be cleansed of toxic waste product accumulations and the plants would not have access to nutrients for their growth. This diverse and vibrant soil ecosystem is what differentiates/distinguishes iAVs from all other so-called “aquaponics” variants.
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This discussion was modified 4 months ago by
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This discussion was modified 4 months ago by
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