Aquaculture is fish farming. Hydroponics is the cultivation of plants in nutrient rich water rather than soil. Deep water culture hydroponics uses floating rafts with holes to hold plants above the water with their roots hanging down into the water. In media-based hydroponics, plants are placed in a soilless grow medium, such as expanded clay or gravel, to support the weight of the growing plant. Aquaponics is the combination of these in a closed recirculating environment where the fish waste becomes the nutrients for the plants.