Introduction to Aquaponics

1
Introduction to Aquaponics

• Ms. Voit
• Biotechnical Engineering

2
Goal

• Find a way to feed people who lack fertile
  topsoil with as little waste and impact on the
  environment as possible.

3
Aquaponics

• Combination of
• Aquaculture (fish farming)
• Hydroponics (growing plants without soil)
• Individually, they contaminate water.
• Aquaculture (fish excretions)
• Hydroponics (fertilizer build-up in water)
• Together, they provide a food
• source with minimal waste.

4
Simple Description
Plants provide a natural filter of water for fish.
Fish waste provides food source for plants.
5
Task

• Develop your own aquaponics system.
• Developed in groups
• Collection of important information
• Analysis of effectiveness
• Scale up to feeding 40 peoplefeasibility

6
To begin with

• Individually
• T\DataStudio\Voit\Biotech\Aquaponics
  Introduction
• Research key terms on sheet
• Begin researching aquaponics (DOCUMENT!! and
  date)
• Come together as a class to discuss general
  requirements and areas to research.
• Groups of three Design, Develop, and Measure
  Effectiveness

7
Problem

• World hunger
• From 1980 to 2000 world population rose from 4.4
  billion to 6.1 billion.
• Less arable land available
• Land degradation
• 30 of worlds arable crop land has been
  abandoned due to soil erosion in past 40 years
• Takes 200 to 1,000 years to form 2.5 cm of rich
  topsoil.
• On average, farmlands losing 2.5 cm of topsoil
  every 16 years.

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Things to consider

• Type of aquaponics system
• Aeration for system
• Filtration
• Fish and plant selection---optimal conditions
• Heat/lights?
• Gravel in tank
• How measure success and ensure fish survive?

9
Groups

• Document, document, document
• Document EVERYTHING
• Amount of fish food added
• Any changes made to the system
• Any and all quantitative and qualitative data
  (ex. Apparent health of fish, color of water,
  etc.)
• Begin brainstorming, testing, researching, and
  designing

10
What you need to include

• Title
• Abstract
• Description of the challenge (Paragraph)
• Design (sketches, notes, pictures)
• Data (Whats important to note?)
• Conclusion
• Scale it up (Feeding 40?)

11
Process

• Tank set-up
• -One week before fish (with filter and pump)
• Add fish
• -One to two weeks before plants included
  (with filter and pump)
• Add plants
• - Remove filter and air pump
• - Ideally a self-sustaining system

12
How do we measure success?
13
Designs used previously

• Flood and drain (or Ebb and Flow) system
• Plants placed above tank
• Plants placed in container with a medium for the
  roots
• Stand-alone hydroponic component
• Plants located outside of tank
• Combination
• Plants located both above and outside of tank