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The Cincinnati Zoo is using sustainable farming strategies in an effort to be much less depending on outdoors sources to produce meals for Zoo animals. Along with rising meals for animals on the Zoo’s Bowyer Farm, we’re additionally excited to start out rising meals for animals proper right here on the Zoo with our Aquaponics greenhouse!
What’s Aquaponics
Aquaponics is a closed-loop agricultural system wherein fish are raised in a tank. Water from the fish tank is constantly pumped as much as a bio-reactor, which is a elaborate phrase for a small filtration system that primarily homes micro organism; that micro organism converts ammonia from the fish waste into types of vitamins for crops; water exits the bio-reactor and is dispersed by trays housing crops, which take up the vitamins. The water then falls again into the fish tanks so clear that it makes for blissful, wholesome, hungry fish. We feed the fish and thereby hold the entire cycle going.
Take a look at batches from the flood and ebb system have been producing harvests for the previous couple of weeks! Proper now the manufacturing numbers are nonetheless small, however we’re engaged on scaling them up. We’re at the moment seeing between 6-10 cups of lettuce and 2-3 cups of dill per week proper now, and hopefully, quickly we’ll have extra. Our crew is engaged on including another crops into the rotation quickly as effectively.
Thus far, Reptile Home and Training Animal Ambassadors have been getting small check batches. Looks as if the animals approve!
Visitors can see the Aquaponics greenhouse on the deck of Base Camp Cafe. The Zoo aquatics crew continues to be figuring out some particulars and getting the techniques operating totally, however it’s getting there. Preserve a watch out for progress!
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