From Fish to Dish update

5^th grade students are watching aquaponics in Ms. Smith’s classroom.  They planted lettuce in peat pods in October and moved the seedlings to the aquaponics towers in November.  Most of the lettuce is thriving, drawing water from the goldfish tank underneath.  The plant water is fertilized by the fish waste and is then filtered and cleaned as it runs through the wicking and pods in the tower.  A few plants have withered and the water was adjusted, but most are growing.  We have also discussed whether natural light would be helpful in increasing growth since so far, the towers have received light from indoor plant lights only. Students think it’s cool that we aren’t using a lot of water, but just recycling the same water.  Students are researching the benefits of aquaponics in writing class and will be writing persuasive arguments for or against this modern farming technique, which, if successful, holds promise for feeding people in areas with small land and water resources.