Video Tutorial: Convert an IBC for Aquaponics

2011-10-10T06:00:00.000-10:00

Not my tutorial (obviously), but it's a very clever means of reusing an old container for a complete aquaponics setup. Bravo!

Down The Rabbit Hole I Go

2011-10-07T15:51:00.000-10:00

Who, Me? I'm No Green Thumb!
Truth be told, I've probably killed more plants than I really care to admit. Forget to water the plants. Over-water the plants. Insufficient soil fertilizer mixture. Whatever. I'm definitely not as good at growing plants as Grandma ever was. So why do I think I can succeed with Aquaponics?

SCIENCE and TECHNOLOGY. I'm a geek. I know how to build automation systems, work with various sensors, trigger web cameras in a time-lapsed manner, and create all sorts of pretty graphs of data acquired along the journey.

I'm reading up as much as I can about the Nitrogen Cycle, where waste product from fish (ammonia) gets broken down by two beneficial bacteria cultures until it's usable as fertilizer for plants.

Most of the ideas shared on the web are built to support this Nitrogen Cycle -- from biological elements such as adding worms or urine (no kidding!), to automated drain-fill cycles with toilet valves and counter-weights, to very sophisticated high-tech approaches involving solar-powered pumps, sensors, and data logging.

Gadgets, Sustainability, and Renewable Living? Now I'm interested. Very interested.

My current plan is to use an Arduino-compatible device known as a Teensy++ (available at pjrc.com) to orchestrate and automate everything about this setup. I absolutely love these little devices versus normal Arduino development boards for two reasons:

The Teensy is MUCH smaller than a typical Arduino (thus, it can fit inside an enclosure); and
Teensy++ has Native USB Support, whereas the typical Arduino communicates via RS232 -- the "USB Port" on a plain-old Arduino is merely a USB-to-Serial (RS232) adapter. Native USB might come in handy for sensors, USB webcams, and whatnot. I'd rather have it and not need it, than the other way around.

(with 46 digital I/O pins, 8 analog I/O pins, and
Native USB Support, the Teensy++ kicks the Arduino's ass)

In addition, I will be using various sensors, incuding water level sensors (float switches), temperature sensors, and possibly a pH sensor to ensure the Nitrogen Cycle is balanced.

Best of all, because the Teensy has such low power requirements, I can run it on Solar Power -- possibly through a solar-charged battery.

If all goes well, I'll have a modest-sized Aquaponics configuration on a patio rooftop for the plants, and the fish tank located somewhere below the patio for shade. If it all goes *REALLY* well, I'll either have a streaming WebCam configured, or a time-lapsed, animated image or video showing the plants' progress.

(Lots of space on a patio roof I need to remodel anyway..)

Next Steps . . .
I am currently doing research on Best Practices -- in particular, a PDF document published by the University of Hawaii: On-Farm Food Safety .

For plants.. I'm leaning toward starting out with non-Produce plants such as water hyacinth and duckweed, to ensure the Nitrogen Cycle is operating as it should. These are pretty robust plants that grow well in ponds anyway, so I'm thinking they should hold up well as starter plants in an Aquaponics setup.

Eventually, I'd like to grow produce for consumption in my own household. Ideally, something besides plain old lettuce. Maybe an herb garden?

For fresh-water fish.. I'm looking into all the options that can be grown for human consumption. Sure, tilapia is a robust fish ideal for this application (and is a fish that some restaurants serve).. but to be brutally honest, I can't shake the stigma of tilapia being the "dirty fish" found under canal bridges and in harbors.

For water level sensors.. I'm looking into various float switches, versus building my own switches from reed switches and magnets mounted onto cork. As long as the float switches have a long life, and can be sourced for under $10 apiece, I doubt I'll go the DIY route on these.

For temperature sensors.. many options to choose from. The easiest would probably be the LM34 Precision Temperature Sensor. There's no real need to go overboard with a K-Type Thermocouple, as there are no extreme temperatures involved.

I'm still looking into glass electrodes for pH sensors; but they require calibration and don't have a very good shelf life. Same goes for hacking into the logic-board of an off-the-shelf pH probe. As the electrode is the most fragile component, I may need to keep it "parked" in a protective housing, and use simple robotics to dip it into the water (and rinse with distilled water when done) on demand when a measurement is necessary.

The stuff involving pH sensors and whatnot is speculation at this time. Ideally, there's a sensor for ammonia levels, but I haven't found any.. certainly none at consumer (or hobbyist) friendly prices.

Down the rabbit hole I go...

Aquaponics 808

Video Tutorial: Convert an IBC for Aquaponics

Down The Rabbit Hole I Go