Industry Sponsor: Thomas Grimm, OC Great ParkFaculty Advisors: Dr. Vince Mcdonell, PhD, Dr. Farzad Ahmadkhanlou, PhD

Students: Darren Zack,Teresa Nguyen,Henry Gomez,Mark Annevelink,Lee Tea

2

Project Goals

Design an aquaponics system for use in an educationalenvironment. The model should include a 10ft. By 10ft.greenhouse, a composting unit, house freshwater prawnsand 2 types of fish, grow plants and seedlings, and collectand store rainwater.

3

New System

4

System Components• Greenhouse

• 10 feet x 10 feet, designed to be easily expanded

• Rainwater Collection and Storage• Rainwater is collected and used to replace evaporated water

• Compost Box• Drawers with a removable front panel

• Seedling Box• Drawers with slotted trays

• Fish Tank• Two tanks with tilted bases, circulated with air pumps

• Grow Bed• Two ebb and flow grow beds with nitrogen fixing plants

• Grow Tubes• Multiple tubes hung above the grow beds for added plant capacity

• Control system• Digital controller to monitor sensors (O2, temperature, etc.)

5

Greenhouse

6

● Base unit is 10 feet x 10 feet x 10 feet● Side panels can open and close for access to hard to

reach areas● Can be expanded to create a rectangular shape, that is

longer than wide

Rainwater Collection System

7

● Rainwater collected in gutters● Stored in tank at rear of greenhouse● Elevated so water flows into greenhouse without

using a pump

Compost Unit● Grow worms to feed fish● Time for composting to finish

● Worms: 1-3 months● Black Soldier Fly: 3 weeks

● Design of clear drawers to allow children to see the composting in action

● Drawer pivots on central axis for easy compost removal

8

9

Downselect of Compost Design

10

Seedling Unit● Replace mature plants with new seedlings● Clear trays allow students to see root growth● Sell seedlings for profit

● Seedlings grown from seed or clone

11

Fish Tanks• There are two tanks, one for koi and the other for striped bass• They have tilted bases to facilitate the collection of wastes• Circulation is done through an air lift• Water is pumped to the growbeds and grow tubes with a water

pump• The prawn cages are located within the fish tanks (not pictured)

12

Grow Beds• There are two ebb and flow grow beds

• Bell siphon used to control ebb and flow

• Water drains directly into the fish tank below

• Gravel used as a grow medium

13

Grow Tubes• 3 tubes are suspended above each growbed

• Continuous water flow

14

Control System• A digital feedback system that allowing monitoring of

system parameters

• Examples: Dissolved O2, pH, Humidity, Temperature, Water Level

• Incorporation of controllers to simplify maintenance and allow remote monitoring

• Integration of a control system is vital for realization of commercial Aquaponic systems in practice

Atlas Scientific Dissolved O2 Kit (Audrino Compatible)

Audrino Environment

15

• 256K Flash Memory• 54 Digital I/O pins• 16 Analog Inputs

• Capable of running controllers / sensors in Aquaponic systems

• Open-Source• Allows greater

collaboration with project community

• Simple programming suited for beginners/students

Audrino Mega 2560 R3

Considerations to Aquaponic Control Systems

System will have to have redundancy due to the system being continuously run

The maintenance and building of a control system circuit may be integrated into school curriculums

Power consumption will increase , adding to the total annual power cost

Water-based Ammonium sensor must be regularly replaced

Ammonium BNC sensor deemed too costly

Upwards of $2000 in cost

16

17

Additional Components• Table for pumps and other equipment located in the

back left corner

• Pipe circuit located on the inside of the greenhouse ceiling – water runs through and is heated by sun (not shown)

Lifeforms in Our System

18

Life formsLiveable

ConditionsBreeding Feeding

Striped Bass

• Temperature range

around 80 F

• 7-8.5 pH

• Three Phase growth

• 12-16 months for harvest

• Require varying levels of

protein across phases

• 1.5-2% of body weight per

day

• 50% protein , 12% lipids

for brooding fish

Koi• 59-77 F

• 7-8.5 pH

• Harvest time varies

• Most successful

reproduction after 2 years

but can reproduce after 1

• Protein content around

30% with supplements for

carbohydrates

Shrimp/ Prawn

• Prefer temperature ranges

of 75-81 F

• 7-8.5 pH

• Hydrogen sulphide and

chlorine absense

• Will reach 1/10 lb in 4

months , 2-3 annual crops

• Bottom feeders, will eat

leftover fish food and

waste in the system

Worms

• 59-77 F

• Can survive at 10 c but

30C and above will harm

them

• 2-3 weeks hatching

• 6 weeks until reproduction• Feed best at 15-25 C

19

Growth Phase 1- from hatching to fingerling size

Raised in sump tanks or hatchery beds 30-45 days before size grading Will feed on zooplankton in this stage

Phase 2- from fingerling to 525 g Grown to 125g before regarded and grown to

525g

Phase 3- 525g to market weight Growout to 725g (~1.75 lb)

Harvest occurs in 12-16 months

Striped Bass

20

Breeding Bred as show fish Best reproduction occurs after 2 years of

growth, but can reproduce after 1 Selective breeding can be used to

increase the quality of their coloration. Harvest Cycle

Eggs should be harvested immediately after spawning

Longer harvest cycle since they are bred for show

Koi

21

Special Traits and Qualities Will clean out unwanted waste in the system

Territorial, need horizontal room to prevent fighting

Must be partitioned from fish

Higher water flow will also prevent fighting

Reproduction and Harvest cycle Cycle Require brackish water for first 30-45 days

Growpools with mixed freshwater and brine

After brackish water period they are moves to larger tank for growout

Will reach 1/10 pound in 4 months, 2-3 crops annually

Shrimp and Prawn

22

Prawn Partition● The prawn will be partitioned

from the fish with mesh wire

along the rear gate

● Layers of netting will be strung

between each vertical layer

giving the prawn horizontal

space to claim their own space

reducing territorial disputes

● The horizontal layers serve to

reduce fighting between the

prawn and maximize the

efficiency of the space allotted

for the spawn

23

Vermicomposting● The Process

● Worms are put into compost in order to tun the compost to worm casting● Castings are a potent fertilizer and soil conditioner

● Castings and harvested and compost is replaced ● worms will feed on the compost and reproduce in a 6 week

cycle

● The Benefits● Provides worms and castings as two additional system products● Produced worms can be used as protein sourrce for the fish● Castings can be marketed as a high potency fertilizer

● Worms of Choice● Red Wigglers (Eisenia Fetida)● English nightcrawler and white worms are also viable choices

24

Cost AnalysisSystem

AspectPart List SKU/Serial # Quantity Price Per Part Cost

Control

System

Atlas Scientific

Dissolved Oxygen

Sensor Kit

SEN-11194 1 $189.95 $189.95

BNC pH Audrino

Sensor ShieldP-0010 1 $38.55 $38.55

RHT-22

Humidity/Tempertur

e Sensor

SEN-10167 1 $9.95 $9.95

Barometric

Pressure Sensor -

MPL115A1

SEN-09721 1 $12.95 $12.95

Pacific Sentry

Ammonia Aqua

Sensor

5 $8.99 $44.95

G1/2" Water Flow

SensorPOW110D3B 1 $9.50 $9.50

Water Level Switch SEN134B3B 1 $5.50 $5.50

MR-W1-P Flow

SwitchSEN104A2B 2 $12.99 $25.98

Serial Camera Kit 815001001 1 $29.90 $29.90

8" eTapeLiquid

Level SensorSEN-10221 1 $39.95 $39.95

Graphic LCD

128x64 STN LED

Backlight

LCD-00710 1 $19.95 $19.95

Arduino Mega 2560

R3DEV-11061 1 $58.95 $58.95

Wires/Connectors Various $50.00

Total Cost $536.08

25

Cost AnalysisSystem

AspectPart List SKU/Serial # Quantity Price Per Part Cost

Plant/Fish Main Tank 2 $400.00 $800.00

Caster Wheels McMst. 9008T48 4 $116.00 $464.00

Glass Window ACRYCLR0.750PM24X48 2 $174.60 $349.20

Growbed 2 $250.00 $500.00

Growbed Stand 2 $200.00 $400.00

Total Cost $2,513.20

Seedling Box Housing & Drawers 1 $170.00 $170.00

Seedling Holder 9 $1.50 $13.50

slide McMst.11435A28 9 $20.57 $185.13

Total Cost $368.63

Compost Box Housing & Drawers 1 $160.00 $160.00

Total Cost $160.00

Greenhouse Aluminum Bars Metals Depot P412-6061 2 $1,261.44 $2,522.88

Polycarbonate

PanelingEnco 319-5055 34 $126.77 $4,310.18

Hinges McMaster 8401A17 13 $13.17 $171.21

Screws McMaster 91465A128 184 $6.07 $111.69

Total Cost $7,115.96

Shrimp Box1-1/2x20 SCH40 PVC

PipeUPC: 038561301298 1 $15.39 $15.39

4x7 feet nylon fish

netting2 $19.99 $39.98

1" PVC Sch. 40 90°

ElbowSKU:413-010 16 $1.85 $29.60

4 square feet mesh

bird wire1 $9.97 $9.97

Total Cost $94.94

Cost of System: $10,788.81

Continued Development In order to create a profit margin on this product we

would need to find a way to find cheaper materials for the system.

Research how to automate a response to a system failure. No human interaction required.

Changes required to the product based on desired location of use (eg. Heating, cooling, ventilation)

Other markets for similar product (eg. Red Cross, Peace Corps., restaurants)

26

Conclusion

We have designed a concept for use by young students to gain greater knowledge on food health, water use, and space efficient growing methods. Our system is designed to require minimal human input while maintaining a highly functional system with substantial output of fish and food products.

27