New research suggests that plants heavily influence the microbial composition of aquaponics systems. Check it out: Plants may hold the key for aquaponics microbiome | The Fish Site
“The role of the microbial community in mediating fish and plant culture is often considered the black box of aquaponics. Despite widespread recognition that plants depend on their rhizosphere – or the zone of chemical, biological and physical influence generated by root growth and activity – the extent to which aquaculture effluents influence the roots of hydroponic communities is not well understood.”