If you want to be successful with your aquaponics system, you will need to understand how the nitrogen cycle works. I will explain what the nitrogen cycle is, why it's important, how it progresses and how to ensure it works efficiently in your established system. Armed with this important information, you'll be well on your way to growing fish and plants just like the pros do.

Aquaponics is the combination of two well-known food production methods, aquaculture and hydroponics, functioning together in a semi-symbiotic manner. The word "aquaponics" is a word blend, or better stated, a portmanteau that attempts to more precisely describe the practice of integrated aquaculture (growing aquatic animals like fish, mussels, crayfish and others in combination with plants). The "aqua" portion comes from aquaculture, and the "ponics" portion comes from hydroponics.

We use a lot of acronyms in aquaponics and aquaculture, and this can cause a fair bit of confusion for people who are just starting out. To help make things easier for those new to Aquaponics, we've compiled a list of the most frequently used acronyms, along with their corresponding meanings. Notice that if you hover over any of the acronyms in on this site that a little helper popup shows what it stands for. We hope you will find this helpful, and we welcome any suggestions for making it even better.