Many already pointed out that this is an alternative to common Hydroponics called Aquaponics. In which the Mani source of nitrogen are the fish and animal droppings.
Making it a (mostly) closed system in which the plants clean the water, while injecting some oxygen (trace amounts, I am only speaking from memory, thus might be wrong), and the creatures eat the plants debris (micro roots, and avoiding the formation of plagues).
Also, what fishes, crustaceans and molluscs do you have in your tank?