Zoo Utilizing Fish Waste and Water to Develop Animal Meals

The Cincinnati Zoo is using sustainable farming methods in an effort to be much less depending on exterior sources to provide meals for Zoo animals.  Along with rising meals for animals on the Zoo’s Bowyer Farm, we’re additionally excited to begin 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 flowery 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 maintain the entire cycle going.

Check 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 group is engaged on including another crops into the rotation quickly as nicely.

Thus far, Reptile Home and Training Animal Ambassadors have been getting small take a look at batches. Looks like the animals approve!

Friends can see the Aquaponics greenhouse on the deck of Base Camp Cafe. The Zoo aquatics group continues to be understanding some particulars and getting the programs operating absolutely, however it’s getting there. Hold a watch out for progress!