The third zone is the region where solid materials and wastes are collected. These materials must be
cleaned out periodically as to not pollute the system. Excessive waste can be detrimental to the system,
and can ultimately lead to the death of the plants. (Richard, 2011).
Figure 26. Pebble Media (Richard, 2011)
2.3.2.6.2 Floating Rafter Aquaponic Bedding Style
The basis of this form of aquaponics uses a large tank that is filled with nutrient rich water. The water is
constantly circulated through the system. The water is also filtered to remove solid waste and excessive
amounts of nitrogenous materials and ammonia which can be detrimental to health of fish and plants.
Figure 27 shows an example of a small scale floating rafter aquaponic setup. The central tank is the fish
tank where the fish excrete nitrogenous materials and solid food waste. This water and material is
pumped up to the filters above where excessive materials are removed to ensure proper balance of the
nutrients and waste products. The resulting water is pumped into the two tanks on the far left and far
right. These are the growing tanks for the plants. There is a buoyant piece of Styrofoam that has holes
cut in where the seedlings are placed. There they either can be grown to the point where they can be
removed and sold as seedlings, or continue growing until they yield food. (The Different Types of
Aquaponics System, n.d.).
Figure 27. Small Scale Floating Rafter (Aquaponic Designs, n.d.)..............................................................
Using the floating rafter method, seedlings are planted in grow starter cubes, there they begin to grow.
The roots pop out of the bottom of the starting cubes. A hole is cut out of the floating rafter, which is
usually Styrofoam. The rafter holds the stone wool or Rockwool cubes. The roots hang out and float in