Home-grown vegetables in a self-sufficient system? Aquaponics!

Have you ever wanted to grow vegetables/herbs in your home without needing to add fertilizers? Then the answer is aquaponics! I discovered this cool little set-up while having a coffee in my local organic co-op. Being a lover of both plants and fish, I was immediately drawn to the fish tank situated under a vegetable bed in the corner of this quaint café . After inquiring with the shopowner, he informed me it was an aquaponics set-up. Immediately smitten, the DIY-er in me jumped for joy and as soon as returning home I started researching everything on how to begin my own.
So what is it?
Aquaponics is a marriage between aquaculture and hydroponics. Aquaculture is the raising of fish in operations called fish farms, wherein fish are reared in large containers, ponds, or tanks. Hydroponics involves growing plants without soil. Alternatively, plants are grown in a nutrient solution in a growing bed with an artificial medium to keep the roots in place.