Aquaponics Projects

CCRES AQUAPONICS

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Aquaponics Projects

Hawaii Aquaponics Workforce Maui

Nelson and Pade, Inc has been contracted to build multiple aquaponics systems, provide training and support for a workforce development project at the University of Hawaii, Maui and other locations. John and Rebecca travelled to Maui in September to intiate the project and start the training. The systems will be built and shipped during the fall of 2011.

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Aquaponics in a Survival Condo

Nelson and Pade, Inc. has been contracted to design the aquaponic system for a surviival condo in a missile silo. www.survivalcondo.com  We visited the faclity and met project manager, Larry Hall, in October.  During this visit, we took part in the filming of a documentary on the project for National Geographic Channel.

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Las Lomas, Trinidad, Eco-Resort and Aquaponics

Nelson and Pade, Inc. is has designed and is building an aquaponic system for the Las Lomas Legacy Project in the island country of Trinidad, sponsored by the First Church of the Open Bible. The project, located on 72 beautiful acres,  will be an eco-resort, featuring the heritage of various Caribbean islands. The aquaponic system will be the first component to be installed.

Sian and Orville, from Trinidad, and Richard, from Jamaica, are currently doing training at Nelson and Pade, Inc. for this project. The greenhouse and Clear Flow Aquaponic System will be shipped to Trinidad in October. Nelson and Pade, Inc. will continue to provide tech support and periodic onsite training.

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H.O.P.E, Pueblo Tribe, New Mexico

Nelson and Pade, Inc. is assisting H.O.P.E. (Honor Our Pueblo Existence), a Pueblo organization in New Mexico, in the planning of an aquaponic project for the Santa Clara Pueblo.  The initial project will be for the purpose of demonstrating aquaponic technology to the tribal community. The long term goal is to use aquaponics to provide fresh fish and vegetables to the community as well as be a profitable venture.  The Santa Clara tribe lives in the shadow of the Las Alamos nuclear lab and waterways, soil and irrigations systems have been contaminated.  Aquaponics will allow them to grow fresh fish and vegetables without relying on the soil.

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New Aquaponics Demonstration Greenhouse

 Nelson and Pade, Inc. has competed the construction of their new 5,000 square foot aquaponics greenhouse.  The new research and demonstration facility showcases the latest in Clear Flow Aquaponic Systems^TM and controlled environment agriculture.    

A variety of crops ranging from fancy lettuces and herbs to tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers are grown in aquaponics, where the fish waste provides the fertilizer for the plants. 

The greenhouse demonstrates energy efficiency, natural ventilation, a variety of heating techniques, greenhouse coverings and grow lights.   

The new greenhouse provides the backdrop for Nelson Pade, Inc.’s successful aquaponics training workshops, a new tour program and an on-site farm stand.

Tour info:  https://www.aquaponics.com/see/tourourfacility.php
Workshop Info:  https://www.aquaponics.com/workshops.php

Kansas City Aquaponics Project

Kansas City’s Green Acres Community Garden has partnered with the City, the school district and other organizations to put this plan into action. The project will utilize abandoned (but very nice) greenhouses at East High School to launch an aquaponics program and initiative that will provide fresh food to the community, education and hands-on learning for students and jobs and job training for local youth.
Nelson and Pade, Inc. is supplying the systems, training, technology curriculum and support.
Through common goals, partnerships and innovative thinking, Ms. Coe and all involved in this effort are chipping away at the problems of urban food desserts, compromised educational systems, crime and a lack of jobs. This project will feed people while nurturing the soul through a new connection to food, agriculture and aquaponics. I applaud this group for their foresight and motivation!

Aquaponics Goes to Hollywood

Nelson and Pade, Inc. is working with a group of young celebrities to bring aquaponics and fresh nutritious food to Hollywood.
This project will include aquaponic food production in a controlled environment greenhouse, plus a retail, education and agri-tourism center.
This facility will be a destination to purchase fresh fish and veggies and learn about aquaponics, all in a 1/2 acre aquaponic greenhouse.
More details to come.

"Living Food BankTM" Aquaponic System in Haiti

Nelson and Pade, Inc. has begun construction on a Living Food BankTM aquaponic system at the Northwest Haiti Christian Mission. The system is complete with a tropical greenhouse and stand-alone energy system. The aquaponic system is designed to grow tilapia, a fresh water fish and a variety of vegetables. This is the first phase of a large-scale project. The Phase One system is intended to demonstrate the technology and allow NWHCM staff and volunteers to get familiar with the daily operation of an aquaponic system. The aquaponic system will be housed in a tropical greenhouse for crop protection. The Phase One greenhouse will cover approximately 4144 sq. ft. and is capable of annually producing 3500 lbs of fish and 27,500 heads of lettuce. Other vegetables crops, such and beans, peas and tomatoes can be grown in the system as well.
Phase Two will be on a much larger scale and is intended to provide fresh fish and vegetables to thousands of people in North West Haiti.
John Pade and Rebecca Nelson travelled to Haiti October, 2010 to assist with the installation and training.

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Greens & Gills, LLC.

Nelson and Pade, Inc. is working on the design and project plan for Greens & Gills, LLC, an innovative new aquaponics company that plans to build a 2 acre aquaponic facility in the Chicago area. David Ellis, CEO, shares, “Green & Gills, LLC is focused on positively impacting our food system by providing affordable, locally grown, herbicide-free and pesticide-free produce and also naturally raised fish to large urban markets across the United States.
Stay tuned at www.greensandgills.com

KP Simply Fresh 5000 sq. ft Aquaponic Greenhouse near Baraboo, Wisconsin

Nelson and Pade, Inc. assisted the Meunier Family of KP Simply Fresh on the establishment of their new aquaponic greenhouse. Nelson and Pade, Inc. provided the technology and equipment and continues to provide ongoing support and guidance. Located near Baraboo, Wisconsin, the Meunier’s are raising fancy lettuce and tilapia in their new aquaponic greenhouse. KP Simply Fresh has established accounts for their beautiful lettuces and fresh tilapia.
Consumers in the Baraboo area are encouraged to seek out fresh produce and fish from KP Simply Fresh. The Meunier’s are sustainably growing safe, fresh, nutritious food. Wisconsinites, be sure to “buy local” and support KP Simply Fresh. You will be happy you did.
See more photos at:  https://www.aquaponics.com/see/aquaponicsinaction.php

Installation of Aquaponic System at University of the Virgin Islands

In March, 2009, Nelson and Pade, Inc installed their 4-250-2-8x22 Raft Aquaponic System at the Agriculture Experiment Station at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI). It will be used for demonstration and crop trials by Dr. James Rakocy and the research scientists at UVI.
Information and updates will be published in the Aquaponics Journal.
In the photo on the right, from left to right: Don Bailey, Jason Danaher, R Charlie Shultz, Frankie, John Pade, Rebecca Nelson and Dr. James Rakocy.
The system is located just outside the UVI Farm store so visitors, islanders and UVI students can learn about aquaponics and see a system in action.

CCRES AQUAPONICS

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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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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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PVC Aquaponics Shade

3 weeks ago, I started building a shade for my aquaponics system to protect the plants from strong winds and heavy rain. As I am living in a gated townhouse, I am not allowed to make modifications to my veranda and bordering walls. Therefore, the criterias for my shade design are:

• cheap as possible
• no drilling/nailing on existing walls and roofs
• does not extend beyond the borders of my house
• constructable with the power tools I have
• able to withstand tropical winds and rain
• leaves and water doesnt stay collected at the top
• ease of cleaning (such as support legs that doesnt block the broom when sweeping underneath the system)
• pleasant to look at

I came up with a few design and performed test simulations in my head to see how they will stand up against the harshest weather in my area. Finally, the candidate that scored the best is an "arch" design made from 1/2" PVC pipe. I then did a rough sketchup model of my system with a finished shade to estimate the length of PVC pipe needed.

 The contruction of the shade was done over the course of a week during my free time. I also made some changes to the initial design by adding wider PVC pipes at the base for extra strength

Phase 1: PVC Frame

All the pipes were held together using screws. Precision, precision, precision!

Phase 2: Wire Bracing

Doing this is HELL! I have to make sure all the braces are not too loose and not too tight. Too little tension and the shade will be shaky. Too much and the pipes will have an unsightly bent. I cant remember how many times I redid all these wire bracing!

Took me 3 days to get the all the wire tension right. At the end, all the hard work... is worth it!

I used strings to pull the whole frame to the right shape before adding the wire bracing.

Phase 3: Plastic Tarp

These are greenhouse clips I made from 1/2" PVC pipe

Transparent plastic tarp that I bought from ACE hardware

Oh! Just look at that smiling kangkong! I can also hear my okras cheering... "Finally!"

Here are some closer shots of different parts of the shade:

The base of the shade is screwed to the grow bed stand.

Wires are applied here to reduce shaking

Just a simple bend is enough to secure the wire to the pipe

Two Weeks Later

After two weeks, the shade survived several stormy nights with minimal damage. During strong winds, 1 or 2 badly designed clips may pop out. I had replaced them with better clips and since then, it doesnt happen anymore. The shade shakes very little during strong winds and leaves collected at the top gets washed down by the rain.

A shot of my shaded system at the backyard

Grow bed shot. That pot of pink flowers in the middle are dianthus barbatus or "Sweet William"... My name :D

Kang kong growing vigorously without being bombarded by falling fruits from above

Standing proudly are okra plants and at the right are Genovese basil seedling that I bought from Mercato supermarket at Pavilion, KL

Tilapia tank no longer littered with leaves and fruits

Rosemary, various bok choy seedlings (2 varieties here), and japanese cucumber at the back

Beautiful kang kong leaves... Pretty flowers...

Kang kong flower up close

Kang kong fruit

Cherry tomato and "white floral spires" basil seedling. At the back, under the white container, are experimental rosemary cuttings.

Seedlings of "white floral spires" basil

This new shade is a good place to hang a Petunia plant

Unfortunately, I still have problems with rain splashing on the wall. My japanese cucumber which are planted near the wall is having problems staying upright. Their leggy stems may be due to inadequate light or too much nitrate.

"Kyuri" or japanese cucumber

Arent their leaves a little light? Iron deficiency perhaps?

I need to think of a way to block the rain splashing.

Thanks for reading!

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PVC in Aquaponics

PVC in Aquaponics

Recently someone questioned me about using PVC pipe with an aquaponics system. My first response was it was safe. 

PVC is safe!...Millions of homes across the world have these pipes installed.
What was now running around in my head was "organic and safe food." I am big on research and so I set out to prove the PVC safety issue was fine.

PVC in Aquaponics , aquaponics, design aquaponics,

Problem was the more I researched it the more it became apparent that I might be wrong.

You can only deny for it so long. PVC is very questionable to use in aquaponics systems. I have a friend in the aquaponics industry that I have become friends with. I value his opinion immensely and see him as a mentor.  I recently wrote to him about my findings and sent him a copy of the guide I created. I shared with him all the facts and research on PVC pipe. To my surprise he was very understanding and even thanked me for an excellent guide.

He even offered to help out by suggesting this guide to others growing produce with aquaponics.  My friend said he often came across people asking all kinds of questions regarding PVC pipe. This was a huge relief for me because other people in the aqua community had become angry, when I said that PVC was not the safest product to be using in an aquaponics system.

Most of us never want to believe that we can be harmed by products that we are told are safe for humans. However you should know that PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride) is a thermoplastic polymer made up from different chemicals. Industrial products like Phthalates, Lead and Cadmium. All of which are toxic to us.
When PVC is burned it creates an extremely dangerous chemical called Dioxin. This is a class 1 carcinogenic.

PVC pipe cannot be recycled and if it is exposed to sunlight for too long there is a good chance lead ash is being passed through the pipe. This means that there are thousands of landfills across the globe with exposed PVC pipe sitting there breaking down and creating a potential health hazard to humans. Is it leeching into the earth and waterways? What do you think?

I want you to think about this for a minute. Most aquaponics systems use PVC Pipes. They are usually exposed and people can clearly see them. If your system is not covered up and is sitting out in the sun, then you could be running the risk of  lead ash being transferred from your produce to your fish tank. This means there is a risk that your fish could also be contaminated with lead. There is a good reason why PVC pipe is usually buried.

Humanity found out 100 years ago what lead paint could do to the human body. Why would we ignore such a side effect now for the sake of profit?  Lead is directly absorbed, distributed, and excreted into our bodies. Once lead enters into the bloodstream it is distributed into different areas of our body.
They are...blood, soft tissue like the kidney, bone marrow, liver, brain, and our mineralized tissue such as the bones and teeth. Lead poisoning affects children in different ways too.

I am not telling anyone to change their PVC pipes out in their aquaponics systems. 

Rather I am providing people research material to look over and make their own decisions. In this guide there is over 12 years of studies, research and information collected. Some of the studies were done by scientists from different parts of the world. This is a free guide for you because I believe people should have the facts and truth about PVC.
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Aquaponics - Commercial aquaponics - Hydroponics - Grow bed

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