To revolutionize agriculture

History of Aquaponics

A system that's been around for thousands of years.

The peoples once living in Mexico such as the Aztecs, Mayas and Incas had developed a system close to aquaponics under the name of chinampa. They planted plants by the rivers. The fish produced waste that was then transformed by bacteria into nutrients. When it rained, the nutrient-rich water overflowed and watered the plants. Thanks to this technique, these people managed to harvest four times a year.

Today, many chemicals like pesticides and insecticides are used in agriculture. In some countries like the United States, plants are genetically modified, but we do not know the risks of this process. We must look back at the techniques of our ancestors.

What are aquaponics?

aquaculture + hydroponics = aquaponics

Aquaponics is a cultivation technique that involves recreating a balanced ecosystem in which fish droppings serve as natural fertilizer. The water circulates in a closed circuit and is fully recycled.

Explication

  • Design

    Design is important. We've created an efficient, cheap and easy to build aquaponics. We use the same technique as substrate aquaponies. Each plant is positioned in these bottle halves which are hung on each side on wooden sticks. Our system grows six plants in length, four plants in width and four plants in height. Therefore, we can grow 96 plants at a time! This system can be made with recycled bottles and pieces of wood. The system will be placed on a two-tier garment rack on wheels, so that it can be moved.

  • Design

  • Fastening System

    To be able to hang our bottles, we created a part to be 3D printed. To install it, we must first drill a hole in the wood at the height where we want to place our bottles containing the plants. We then slide the printed piece onto the wooden stick until we reach the hole. Then, we slide a metal bar to hold the piece in place. We just have to place our half-bottles, and everything is in place.

  • Système de fixation

Fish

Tilapia are primarily freshwater fish inhabiting shallow streams, ponds, rivers, and lakes. Historically, they have been of major importance in artisanal fisheries in Africa and the Middle East, and they are experiencing significant growth in aquaculture and aquaponics. They have sizes that vary between 5 and 50 centimeters. They weigh between 2 and 4 killograms and live about 10 years.

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Why Tilapia?

Tilapia are used in aquaponies because they reproduce easily and grow rapidly. They can also withstand very bad water conditions which make them adaptable to almost any medium containing unsalted water. They are a good source of protein and are popular with both artisanal and commercial fish industries, so we can eat them.

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Fish Food

We use floating foods that contain around 30% protein, 6% fat and a size of 3 millimeters. We feed our fish three times a day, in the morning, at noon and about an hour before dusk. When we first feed a group of new fish, we start by feeding them a little at a time until we are sure how much the fish will eat.

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Fish Requirements

A tilapia needs to live in a space containing at least 15 liters of water. We have three fish, so we have a 45 liter (12 gallon) water tank.

  • Plants We Grow

    There is nothing healthier than a mixture of different foods. Here is what we offer:

    • Lettuce
    • Spinach
    • Aragula
    • Kale

Location

We have found that the best place to place our aquaponics in our school is inside the Innovation Lab near a window. As our fish need hot water, this place is perfect. Plants can also benefit from the lights in the room.

Prices & Components

The advantage of our aquaponics system is its affordable price of $300 and its easy to assemble components.

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