Creating An Aquaponics System
We constructed two aquaponics systems over the course of three days. Building an aquaponics system required a lot of experimentation and trial-and-error in order to determine how to best assemble the systems so that they would operate efficiently. A lot of the materials that we used were common and reusable items, such as the buckets, tubs, and tubing. Using these materials makes the system more cost efficient and easier to repair for the residents that will be using it, and it also saves money to build.
Clay Bed System:
A group of students was in charge of the task of crushing large pieces of red clay for the Clay Bed System. Once we crushed the clay into smaller pieces, we washed them in buckets of water to rid the clay of the dust that had accumulated on them. This is so that the dust will not clog the system. We then placed the clay into a large rectangular container at a downhill slope. The reason we sloped the clay downwards is so that when the water enters the clay bed from the sedimentator and the collector, it will easily trickle down and exit on the other side. We also placed plants into the clay so that they will receive nourishment from the water. The fish-rearing tank, sedimentator, collector, and clay bed were all connected to each other with tubes to allow the water to flow through all of the parts in the system. The water continually flows out of the fish-rearing tank and into the clay bed where it is filtered. The water is then recycled back into the tank.
Nutrient Film Technique System:
The Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) system involved more experimentation than the clay bed system in determining how to best connect the various parts together. The first step in building this system involved assembling the smaller parts together. In one of the filtration buckets, we filled the bottom with large rocks and put a large sheet of cotton over it, then layered smaller gravel on top of the cotton, put another sheet of cotton on top of it, and so on, until the bucket was filled to the top. This allows the water to filter through the bucket. We also altered many of the materials in order to fit the various parts of the system together. We cut holes into the tall white tubes with scissors, which was a difficult task, so that we could fit and connect the pipes through it. We also had to cut the pipes with a saw so that they would fit with each other.
Once the NFT system was assembled, we experimented with how to best arrange all of the parts together, similar to putting together the pieces of a puzzle. When we turned the system on and the water began flowing through, we discovered some leaks in the system, but were able to fix them by raising or lowering the buckets or by patching up faulty holes in the pipes. In the final step, we placed the clay pieces that we crushed earlier into plastic cups and put seedlings on top of it. We then placed these cups into the holes in the large pipe. The water flows through this pipe and the clay cleans and filters the water, while the water sustains the small seedlings. Similar to the clay bed system, the water flows out of the fish-rearing tank and through the various parts of the system, where the water is filtered and goes back into the tank.
Finally, and most importantly, the aquaponics system involves raising fish! The tilapia was kept in a large tank indoors. We used a large net to catch them in order to weigh them and calculate the starting weight of the fish. The younger tilapia was kept in tanks outdoors with netting over the top to prevent them from jumping out of their tanks. They are fed about once every two to three hours, except during the night, to ensure continued growth. Once the systems were completed, the tilapia was brought over and put into the large tanks, where they will be reared to provide food for families.
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Clay from old water filters is used as the media inside of the clay bed system. |
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| Lisie, Allie, June, and Amanda hard at work breaking apart fibers to be used as media in half of the cups of the NFT system. |
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