Aqua Farm Update 7 Jan 2014 Dead Pump

The Aqua Farm hasnt been doing very well.  The air pump seems to have died.  For a while it was not making very good bubbles, and the water was not reaching the upper tray.  The water wouldnt circulate, and the system was not functioning properly.  I tried cutting the airline tube at different lengths to make better bubbles, and it seemed to work, but eventually the pump stopped making any bubbles at all.  Im going to ask Back to the Roots if theyll send me a new air pump.  I may also try using an aquarium air pump next to the fish tank to supply the bubbles for the air lift.  Either way, Im not happy with the system right now.  Im hoping that I can tinker with it and make it work better.  On the bright side, I regrew some green onions in one of the grow pots, and ate them in a tasty turkey soup (Thanksgiving leftovers!).

Edit 10 Jan 2014 - Back to the Roots is going to send me a replacement air pump.  They recommended placing it outside the system, sitting vertically next to the tank.  Theyre also sending me new seed packets, and suggested that for the basil and lettuce I may need more light.  Great customer service!

I apologize profusely for the vertical video.  :(

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105 Gallon Apartment system PVC or no PVC

So, Ive previously written about my windowfarm that Im building.  Im also currently working on a 105 gallon system for my friend +Evgeny Pogorelovs apartment.  Its going to be a basic flood and drain on a timer.  We have a 55 gallon aquarium, which will feed into our 50 gallon stock tank grow bed.  Were currently planning to have about 5-6 tilapia, and grow all kinds of veggies.  Ill update with pictures soon.

Right now, were constructing the frame that will hold the system.  Weve cut all the wood, and painted it all white, and now we need to assemble and put it on wheels for easy mobility.  The next step is plumbing; well use a 200 GPH pump.  Were hoping to stay away from using PVC due to conflicting reports about PVC leaching chemicals into water over time.  However, this may only apply to soft PVC, not hard PVC.  We need to do a little more research before we buy pipes.

Heres what Pogo wrote to me about PVC in farming systems:

Found some resources that cite PVC as leeching dioxin, pthalates, and other toxins into water / food. Definitely want to avoid PVC piping in any operation we start. The safer alternative is biodegradable EVA plastic. 

"See: www.aaa.dk/pvc PVC plastic is an environmental and public health hazard because dioxin and other persistent organic pollutants can be emitted into the air, water and land during its manufacture and incineration.

In addition, PVC products can leach toxic additives during use, and thus may harm patients receiving certain medical treatments.

PVC has come under scrutiny by the European Commission since 1997 resulting in the release of the Green Paper in July 2001 that highlights the dangers associated with its disposal, and in April 2001 the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling on the Commission "to introduce rapidly a policy on the replacement of softPVC, in so far as the current risk analysis of phthalates indicates that it is desirable to reduce the exposure of people and the environment".

These concerns have led increasing numbers of health care providers to search for alternatives. Grenaa Central Hospital, Denmark, substituted 95 percent of its PVC-products with safer alternatives without compromising safety and care, and found many of the alternatives to be more cost effective."

http://www.annieappleseedproject.org/nonalforplas.html

Heres a company that sells EVA piping: http://dir.indiamart.com/impcat/eva-pipe.html

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Brief Video Update

We have green life!  The system is cycled and growing small plants.  Zeus, our tilapia, is doing fine.  Were probably going to eat him soon, and put in some ornamental fish.  Id like to have a bit more plant growth before making the switch.

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105 Gallon System Update coming soon

Ive been slowly working on my friends 105 gallon system.  We have the canister filter installed and pumping water.  We have our media in the grow bed.  We have the bell siphon installed and working.

Unfortunately, we lost the color code chart for testing pH and other chemical levels, so were waiting on a replacement chart to balance our water chemistry before starting fishless cycling.  Hopefully in the next week, or less, well receive our replacement color chart, and well be cycling.

On a side note, I received an Arduino as a gift from a Reddit gift exchange.  Im learning to use it, and will ideally be able to set it up to monitor the system.  I know it can monitor water temperature.  Im hoping I can also set up sensors to trigger supplemental lighting when it is a gloomy day.  Im also wondering whether I can use pH sensors and other chemical sensors to monitor everything about my system.  Id love to also build an automatic fish feeder, but thats down the line a bit.

Anyway, keep a look out in the next week or two for an update with pictures and video.

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105 Gallon Apartment System Assembling the Frame

 Tonight I had time to stop over +Evgeny Pogorelovs house after work and we assembled the frame that will hold our 105 gallon aquaponics farm for his bedroom.  The total cost so far is about $250, and we still need pumps, piping, media, and fish.  Estimated cost is about $350 for the entire system.  It is also larger than we need, so we could fit a second 55 gallon fish tank, and a second 50 gallon stock tank on the frame.  Pogo moves out of his apartment in September, so well decide where it will go, and if well upscale at that point.

We started with the shelves that we made last weekend, painted and ready to be assembled.

Heres our 50 gallon stock tank and 55 gallon aquarium.

Attaching wheels

Not too difficult at all

DRILL!

Assembled!

Moving it into its future home

The frame was build larger than necessary to allow us to make the system larger in the future.

Thanks +Evgeny Pogorelov.

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105 Gallon Apartment System Update

The system at my buddy Saqibs apartment is doing well.  Saqib was away for a week for work, so a roommate was feeding the fish.  We think that he overfed our tilapia, Zeus, because the water is filled with brown algae.  Ive read online that this algae is not really caused by sunlight, but rather by overfeeding the fish.  High nitrates also lead to this type of algae.  Well be feeding Zeus less from now on, and I plan to clean out the filter to make sure everything is nice and healthy.

Saqib added some small lights to the system, and the plants look to be doing well.  Well get those lights up on chains soon.  In another 2 weeks, well be switching to some ornamental fish for the tank, and at that point well clean the tank and hang the lights.  Hopefully, that will help keep the algae in control, and help with the veggie growth.

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Arduino Controlled Aquaponics

If you havent seen this video yet, check it out.

Eric Maundu is an engineer in West Oakland who uses Arduino controllers to automate his aquaponics gardens. Its a pretty impressive setup in an otherwise barren industrial lot.  A friend of mine, Donna Raef, visited with Eric at his garden in January.  She had this to say about her visit:

"He is dedicated to technology more than aquaponics so it took me a bit off guard when at first he said he didnt care about farming or aquaponics. He only has one aquaponic system going and he monitors it through a computer system that tracks all kinds of levels, takes pictures, etc and compiles the data. It was a very impressive system.  His philosophy seemed to be geared toward educating kids about science, math and technology through aquaponic systems with this kind of data collection. He has after school programs and other educational programs in some of the schools. It was a really good way to see farming/food production from that angle. He was pessimistic about just using aquaponics alone to inspire people to grow food or to get kids interested in it. His focus was really on the technology of gathering information and trying to make it more productive through technology. I am going to put him in contact with the greenhouse I worked at in Amarillo and hopefully he can come out there and teach the kids some stuff about the technology/aquaponics--he seemed really interested in that idea. I forgot to take a picture, sorry!"

Thanks Donna!

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