Best 5 Grow Media Aquaponics🌳 Updated 2023

Media Aquaponics is a field that combines hydroponics (involved with the science of growing plants without soil) and aquaculture (consists of the raising of aquatic life such as prawns, snails, and fish). As you can probably tell, growth media plays a significant role in an aquaponics system’s success or failure. Besides keeping plants stationary, the medium also provides a ground for bacteria to grow and a surface to trap solid waste from the fish. This guide will consider the most critical factors to consider before choosing any medium and the five best ones available today.

Best Grow Media for Aquaponics

Cz Garden Supply Organic Expanded Clay Pebbles

Pros

• pH-neutral
• Made using natural clay
• Nice-looking

Cons

• Smaller than other alternatives
• Easily prone to breakage
• Affects fertilizer action

The Cz Garden Supply Organic Expanded Clay Pebbles are made from naturally-expanded clay that is pH-neutral, inert, and clean. The pebbles act as a water reservoir while providing excellent aeration for your aquaponics system. The aeration results in good root development and prevents acidity and rotting. The stones can fill two 5-inch pots, eight 3-inch pots, or 24 2-inch pots. The pebbles can be used with other growth media such as orchids, charcoal, bark, and coconut husks.

The appealing round shape makes the Cz Garden Supply Organic Expanded Clay Pebbles ideal as a decorative top layer for your outdoor gardens and indoor plants. Using the pebbles as a top layer, you can prevent the underlying growth medium from drying up quickly. The pebbles are lightweight, odorless, sterile, and safe to handle by anyone.

If you are looking for medium-sized hydroponic pebbles with excellent aeration at a friendly price, the Cz Garden Supply Organic Expanded Clay Pebbles are worth considering.

 

General Hydroponics Coco Growing Media

Pros

• Can be easily used with other media
• Safe to use
• Extremely lightweight

Cons

• Not ideal for use with a pump
• Attracts bugs
• Produces coco dust

The General Hydroponics Coco Growing Media is made from three distinct varieties of coco coir. This is the ideal low sodium content, environmentally-friendly alternative to the conventional peat moss medium. When exposed to water, the compressed coco coir expands rapidly, resulting in excellent aeration while saving space and time.

The General Hydroponics Coco Growing Media only contains coconut fibers and pith making it extremely safe to use in your aquaponics system. You can use the medium by itself or with other common media such as perlite, clay pellets, or charcoal.

 

Grodan Rockwool Hydroponic Grow Media

Pros

• Premade holes make work easier
• Easy transferability to other growth media

Cons

• Not very easy to use
• Design makes it hard to place the plugs upright

The Grodan Rockwool is easily identifiable from its unique sheet and plug design. Every plug has a predrilled hole that makes it easy to plant cuttings and seeds. Additionally, each sheet comes in a standard size that fits any flat tray. When seeds develop roots, the plugs can be moved to larger pieces of stonewool or transplanted to another medium such as soil. To make the entire planting process easier, you can leave the Grodan Rockwool Hydroponic Grow Media in water overnight and plant your seeds the following day.

If you require a growth medium that requires minimal effort between purchasing and planting seeds, the Grodan Rockwool Hydroponic Grow Media is right up your alley.

 

GrowIt Clay Pebbles

Pros

• Made from natural clay
• pH-stable and clean
• Good water retention and aeration

Cons

• Prone to crumbling
• Non-uniform sizes

GrowIt Clay Pebbles are made from 100% pH-stable, clean, natural clay for excellent drainage and aeration on your aquaponics system. The pebbles are particularly ideal for usage on drip-fed-systems, deep water culture, and flood and drain systems. The GrowIt pebbles feature a design that lets them cover a wide surface allowing the development of good bacteria around a plant’s root zone.

You can use the GrowIt Clay Pebbles alongside other growth media, especially coco coir and soil. The combination results in unrivaled drainage and aeration. If you want to reduce or prevent excessive evaporation, you can use the pebbles as a top dressing on other media.

The pebbles are also prewashed to enhance stability during use while providing adequate oxygen levels to the plant’s roots. If you want a cheap, clay-based aquaponics growth medium, the GrowIt Clay Pebbles should be on your shortlist.

 

Rockwool Starter Plugs

Pros

• Easily to transplant seedlings
• Excellent system when combined with trays
• Excellent nutrient absorption and oxygen retention

Cons

• Plugs are too small to stand on their own
• Some cubes have pieces of rocks

The Rockwool Starter Plugs feature a somewhat fascinating design incorporating molten ruck spun into fibers that resemble cotton candy. The fibers are then compressed into slabs, blocks, or small cubes. The result is a product with excellent nutrient absorption and oxygen retention, which promotes rapid plant growth. Once seedlings have established a good root system in the cubes, they can be transplanted into bigger clocks or onto the soil.

The plugs fit perfectly into Gro-Smart trays, which helps elevate the growth plugs above the waterline, resulting in excellent airflow around the plugs. There is a detailed instruction manual to help buyers feel a little confused with the entire usage process. If you are looking for a growth medium onto which you can plant several seeds in a single block, the Rockwool Starter Plugs should undoubtedly be among your options.

What to Look for When Buying Grow Media for Aquaponics

While numerous parts make up an aquaponics system, the growth medium is arguably one of the most important ones. If you get every other part right and get the medium wrong, your entire system will be of close to no use. Ideally, a suitable medium should have excellent oxygen retention, nutrition absorption, and aeration. How do you choose the best ones from the numerous options available in the market? Here is a look at the most important considerations to make before deciding on a particular growth medium.

Easy to Use

Your growth medium should be as easy to use as possible since you do not need to spend too much time prepping it. Avoid sharp grow media since this will inevitably damage the delicate plants and quite possibly, injure you. If your growth media is too small, it will result in clogging and compaction, which is bad for your plants. Large media, on the other hand, results in excessive air gaps, which adversely affect plants. Aim for a medium that strikes a balance between size, aeration, and absorption. Ideally, anything measuring between a half and three-quarters of an inch wide should do it.

Packaging

Growth media comes in different packaging depending on the manufacturer. This is important to consider because it directly affects the state in which the media gets to you. If the package is broken, low-quality, overly tight, or poorly aerated, your growth media will inevitably be affected. Go for media whose packaging does not let in moisture since this can cause changes in the media’s state before it gets to you.

Value for Money

When you purchase an aquaponics growth medium, there are expectations you have depending on your project. How long do you expect the medium to last? How much are you willing to pay for it? Such questions will ultimately determine the value for money you get from the growth media you choose. It is essential to consider what others say about different attributes of the medium and make price comparisons between your preferred medium and its close competitors.

Summary

The modern-day market is full of aquaponics products, which points to the field’s growing popularity. Hopefully, the five best growth media discussed above narrows down the options for you, making it easier to choose one. It is essential to consider a medium’s value for money, packaging, and ease of use before purchasing.