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Mechanical filters have a high price tag, often making them prohibitive for small-scale practitioners. In addition, they require more advanced knowledge to operate and are difficult to obtain in developing countries. This type of filtration would be appropriate for a large, decoupled aquaponic system or those that focus the majority of their operation on fish production.

Biological filtration refers to the breakdown of ammonia (NH3 and NH4+) into nitrite (NO2) and then further into nitrate (NO3) by naturally occurring, nitrifying bacteria. These bacteria live on the surface area of media contained in a tank— collectively called the biofilter. The process of converting ammonia to nitrate will be detailed in the section on water quality. In RAS, the biofilter is designed to operate at low pressure. There is a dedicated tank filled with substrate like Kaldnes media, granular media, plastic balls, or other inert materials that have a large specific surface area or surface area of the media per unit volume. The higher the specific surface area, the more bacteria can grow on the media, translating to a higher ammonia removal capacity. Typical biofilter designs for RAS include trickle towers, submerged media, fluidized beds, sand filters, and static bed filter. In aquaponics, the biofilter can either be a separate unit or part of the system. In deep water culture (DWC), the plant trough walls, raft bottoms, and plant roots provide a significant surface area for nitrifying bacteria to colonize. Unlike RAS, the AP system itself typically provides ample surface area for bacteria to colonize, particularly for coupled systems that are appropriately sized. The nutrient film technique (NFT) system (see section below) is an exception, as only a thin layer of water is applied to the plants. If the biofilter is a separate unit, it should be located after the solids removal unit.

In RAS, the biofilter is designed to operate at low pressure. There is a dedicated tank filled with substrate like Kaldnes media, granular media, plastic balls, or other inert materials that have a large specific surface area or surface area of the media per unit volume. The higher the specific surface area, the more bacteria can grow on the media, translating to a higher ammonia removal capacity. Typical biofilter designs for RAS include trickle towers, submerged media, fluidized beds, sand filters, and static bed filter. In aquaponics, the biofilter can either be a separate unit or part of the system. In deep water culture (DWC), the plant trough walls, raft bottoms, and plant roots provide a significant surface area for nitrifying bacteria to colonize. Unlike RAS, the AP system itself typically provides ample surface area for bacteria to colonize, particularly for coupled systems that are appropriately sized. The nutrient film technique (NFT) system (see section below) is an exception, as only a thin layer of water is applied to the plants. If the biofilter is a separate unit, it should be located after the solids removal unit.

The hydroponic portion of the system encompasses the majority of the facility footprint. Three primary designs are used: media beds, deep water culture (DWC), and NFT.

Media-based systems: The design of media-based systems, sometimes called flood-and-drain, is fairly straight forward. A container filled with substrate is periodically flooded with water from the fish tank. Water

then drains back to the sump (or fish tank) drawing oxygen into the substrate for plant roots and nitrifying bacteria. The media bed supports the plant as it grows and serves as a solids and biological filter (Figure 6). Due to relatively few components and ease of construction and operation, these systems are popular for