Aquaponics (archived - 2012)

Members Involved

• Bengizmo
• Michael B
• Zac T
• Colin Fitzgerald
• Lorin Briand

Project Scope

To investigate various methods of growing food for personal use and the possibility of industrial use. We aim to collect data and share with other groups to further the collective knowledge on the subject. As the project progresses, no doubt the scope will change.

Hopefully we will be able to come up with some best practices and schematics so anyone who wants to can make their own system.

Progress Thus Far

• 01/24/2012: Andy has dropped off his system at the space.
• 03/26/2012: Green light from The Area to deploy system in Inglewood
• 03/27/2012: Acquired sump pump, air pump (for aeration) and silicone (to re-seal tank); seals cut, cleaned and re-done. Tank curing for 48 hours.
• 04/03/2012: Tank seals done. Leak test in progress. Early indication (elapsed test time: one hour) of success. Followup in 47 hours.
• 04/06/2012: Leak test appears to be a success. Need to confirm on-site (likely Tues Apr 10) if not earlier.
• 04/06/2012: Freeduino base unit donated by Bengizmo; demo code uploaded and unit confirmed working. Mike is now learning code.
• 05/22/2012: Aquaponics system donated by Andy transported to The Area in Inglewood. Partnership formally arranged between Protospace and The Area.
• 05/26/2012: System set-up with 3x Amazon Sword, 3x Bloody Dock aquatic plants. 2x air stone "strips" installed for oxygenation. Wet and dry pumps test fired: OK. Bio filter needs replacement. PH 7.0-7.4

To Do

Hardware

• pH probe (preferably with BNC connector or something we can solder to an Arduino)
• TDS (total dissolved solids) probe (as above)
• Timing of lights and pumps via Arduino
• Acquisition of T5 fluorescent lighting or compact fluorescent (CFL) equivalent.

Software

• Code Arduino unit to read values from pH probe

Biology Bits

• Pick up hydroton from Quick Grow (1204 Edmonton Trail Northeast Calgary, AB T2E 3K5 (403) 276-5156)
• Check out Big Al's for fish; we have a customer loyalty account thingy (call Mike for details). Will be wanting freshwater fish that can tolerate somewhat harsher environments.

Research

• Arduino communications solution; Wind mobile offers two very attractive data stick solutions (3G network)
• Working with Area to see if we can connect to their wireless LAN.
• Split Wiki entry into two sections: project being worked on and public reading material (who, what, when, where, why type stuff)

Outreach

• Contact CDC project members; inquire about tour of Brooks facility if it is still operational
• Contact Zoo for tour of Conservatory including in-depth workings of the greenhouse's operating system(s) (behind the scenes)
• Contact Sam Livingston Fish Hatchery (Inglewood) for in-depth tour of operations
• Research facility in Edmonton; apparently there is a substantial project in operation up there as well

Aquaponics

Aquaponics is a system who's aim is to emulate the natural cycle of growing food as closely as possible. It uses a combination of hydroponic growing with fish care to create a (almost) closed loop system. Basically, fish food is added to the tank, the fish eat it. The fish waste is used to fertilize the plants. Water is recycled in the loop. In a perfect system, the extra plant mater that isn't used by humans could also be used as fish food. A full explination on the Nitrogen cycle can be found here

Lighting

Natural light is great, but it's not always available. Maybe your house doesn't face south, maybe you live in a cave. Either way, light is how plants do their thing and it also takes a lot of energy. Current lights can easily draw 1000W and cost a hundred dollars. I think we can do better than that. Plants have a very narrow spectrum where they absorb light; so white light isn't really necessarily. With LEDs, the correct spectrum can be used thus creating a more efficient system. If we really want to get fancy, we could liquid cool the LEDs and use that heat to keep the fish at the proper temperature.

Luminous efficiency of various light sources

Monitoring Progress

There are many different things that need to be monitored. Nutrient and pH levels, temperature, flow rates, luminosity and so on. We are going to need some micro controller wizards to whip up some code to keep track of all these data points and log them. We can't figure out our efficiency without numbers. Once we have data we can start comparing it to other systems and tweak as necessary.

For an example as to why monitoring is important, fish and plants need different pH levels, so it must be monitored to keep it in habitable zones for both.

Tweaks

There are many different pumps, tanks, filters and systems out there. Should we use a gravity system or multiple pumps? How are we going to deal with heavy metals? What about bacteria? (Good and bad)

All sorts of questions since this is a relativity new science. That's what makes it awesome.

System Risk Factors

• Pest infestation
• Microbial infection (pythium, et al)
• Nutrient factors (pH, oxygenation, chemical concentration(s) of ammonia, etc)
• Outside contamination (mishandling, foreign introduction of organic or inorganic material)
• Systemic shock (spikes or troughs due to temperature controls, nutrient issues, stress etc)

Significant research data exists regarding an aquaponics research project in Brooks, Alberta conducted in 2003-2005 (insert citation to CDC Brooks project, Savidov et al 2003-2005). Of particular interest is the team's findings regarding plant yield compared to organic soil-based production and current mainstream hydroponic production in Alberta.

The study found plant yields were "considerably higher than average in organic greenhouse production based on soil, but still 15% - 25% lower than average yields in mainstream greenhouse vegetable production based on hydroponics." (insert citation to CDC Brooks Project, section 3.1.2.1). The research document further examines the potential causes, notably a "lack of experience resulted into a massive loss of plants caused by disease and pest infestation during winter period 2003-2004."

Further research reveals a local strain of Pythium Aphanidermatum was largely responsible for major plant loss, including mention of prevention measures to adopt in the future. As a result, plant yields exceeded the industry average in 2004/2005, over the previously observed performance in 2003/2004 (reference Figure 3 and 4 in CDC Brooks project, page 14 and 15).

Other Groups

EDMONTON AQUAPONICS

An article about a setup in Brooks

It was mentioned that we look at city resources, such as the Bird Sanctuary and the Fish Hatchery.

Found an "Arduarium" kit fully assembled; two BNC connectors for probes like pH and OPR. (Google Arduarium Controller Ultimate at practicalmaker.com)

Historical: Protospace Proposal Draft

Protospace Aquaponics Project

Authored: January 27th 2012

Last updated: February 4th 2012

A group of members within Protospace has expressed high interest in designing, constructing and operating an aquaponics project within the current space.

The term aquaponics is used to describe an integrated system of fish and plants in a symbiotic relationship; one provides the other with the required nutrients while removing toxins which are detrimental to the survival of the other. It is a relatively new science with provincial research projects exploring this avenue of natural science with food sustainability in mind. Further information is available on our wiki at http://wiki.protospace.ca/index.php/Hydroponics.

There are some points of note we must consider in installing and operating such a system.

The most immediate and obvious risk is water/flood damage. The current equipment has a capacity of 160L of water; it has not been filled pending an approval from CPAA to “go ahead”. We have considered the placement of the system with this in mind, with a desire to locate the equipment away from internal doors/corridors and internal common walls. We have also considered acquiring absorbent materials used in construction sites around drainage systems which would adequately cover any minor spills or major leaks. Mike has found Rubbermaid storage containers in excess of 160L capacities which will adequately cover the worst case scenario, that is, a total system failure. Though a simple and seemingly low tech solution, this will address the concerns of flooding and leakage.

As this project is a research and development initiative, close monitoring of the system will occur frequently with on-site visits from the project members at least once every week. We will be posting emergency contact information in the event none of the project members are at the space.

There has been discussion regarding mold/pest infestation as a result of operating a biological system within an enclosed area. It is our opinion that a series of best practices should be adopted to mitigate such concerns, namely:

• Access to the system will be restricted to project members only, particularly any handling of the plants or fish or surfaces which have come into contact with either of the two. Mike has also considered the use of gloves (non-latex disposables) and can acquire these easily.
• Regular maintenance and cleaning of the system, which is common to all aquarium owners and does not require special training.
• Growth of plant material within the system/space as opposed to importing plant material from outside the system, mitigating introduction of pests to the space and/or system.

Mike has also heard feedback/concerns regarding energy usage of the system; a highly aggressive daily estimate is 3.27$. (a detailed chart is available in the soft-copy of the proposal)

We anticipate the costs to be significantly lower (around $1.50 per day); research is on-going into lighting systems but we have solid information pointing towards 100 watt units (down from the estimated 400 watt units). Should costs be a concern we are very eager to discuss an adequate compensation plan to ensure the system’s operation does not negatively impact the use of the space by other Protospace members or cause added concern for CPAA.

Significant research exists in this area of science, most notably a project run via the provincial government at two facilities in Brooks and Lethbridge. Though we have not yet successfully made contct with the team members from those projects, efforts continue to discuss our endeavors and ask a variety of questions to aid in our project.

We are very cognizant of the space we have been graciously permitted to use and wish to maintain the existing relationship between CPAA and Protospace. As a long term goal we wish to see potential interactivity between this project and the CPAA’s clients; what format that would take is unknown at this time. With this in mind we welcome any and all opportunities to discuss concerns, ideas or suggestions with the CPAA and other Protospace members. Further details are available on our wiki at http://wiki.protospace.ca/index.php/Hydroponics which is regularly updated by team members.