Aquaponics Sustainability and

Closed Ecosystems Challenge

Figure 1. This is a picture of our Aquaponics tank; plants growing on the top, and
our beta fish swimming in the bottom.

Evan Fedea
TR Finance
Spruce Creek High School
4/14/2014

Aquaponics Sustainability and

Closed Ecosystems Challenge

Evan Fedea
TR Finance
Spruce Creek High School
4/14/2014

Abstract
The challenge of this experiment was to create, execute and monitor an Aquaponics
system, as well as to discover if it would work. The Aquaponics system would ideally be
implemented in both third world countries and first world ones. The hydroponics system
is a self contained ecosystem, which grows crops in water, and therefore, crops can be
grown in areas where either water is at a shortage, or soil nutrients are lacking. The
biggest drawback of this method is that without soil, the grower needs to produce the
nutrients that the plant needs to grow, which can be expensive. In addition, water needs
to frequently be changed or filtered out to provide stable growing environments.
Aquaculture gained popularity when environmental conditions for raising healthy fish
are favored. In this system, when the humans consumed fish, there would be no chance
of ingesting pollutants. Combining the aquaculture technology with hydroponics resulted
in Aquaponics. As a self contained ecosystem, the plants and animals in the Aquaponics
system create a continuous cycle of nutrient waste which the other feeds off of. Plants
are able to grow in a water system at a high rate. The waste that the plant produces
serves as nutrients for the fish in the environment. The fish consumes these nutrients,
and then produces waste, which in turn feeds the plants. The fish are therefore able to
thrive in the plant and water environment, while the fish are a cleansing filter for the
plants to flourish in. This relationship was the focus of the study, proving that in a third
world country, this would be an effective and cost efficient method of both food, from
both the plant source and the fish, and would be a good method to meet the nutritional
demands of the population.

Table of Contents
Abstract
Table of Contents

ii

Introduction

Methods

Finance

1&2

Plants

Engineering

Results

Science

Discussion

Conclusions

ii

Introduction
For our challenge we were split up into two groups, Team AI and Team TR, our
challenge was to help a first world country and a third world country with Aquaponics.
For this challenge we purchased an Aquaponics kit off E-bay, assemble it, and planted the
wheat grass seeds, and below the plants was water. So we purchased a fish to complete
the eco system. With this the idea of an Aquaponics kit is that all the organisms living in
it help each other. The third world country we chose that needed Aquaponics was the
Democratic Republic of Congo. This country is not prone for drought problems but they
dont have the means for any transportation so food is limited to what they can grow.
With the help from Aquaponics they would be able to grow crops much easier and faster.
The Aquaponics plants we would provide would be in kits so that it could be easily
planted and that there would no harm to the people or the environment would come from
the kit. It will be so simple having an Aquaponics kit in every home so everyone can have
access to it. Also with the kits we will have a device with it called Raspberry Pi board
that will make the whole kit work.

Methods
Finance
Name Of Product

Price

Back to the roots Aqua farm

$61.74

Aqueon Betta Food

$2.24

Hydor Slim Heater

$11.99

Zoo Med Betamatic Automatic

$16.98

Fish Hammock

$3.64

Wosang Bread Board

$7.75

Jumper Wires Premium 6

$5.45

Utilitech 15-Amp 2-Outlet Residential

$16.97

Total: $ 126.76

1
Finance
It would cost 12,600 USD for a larger Aquaponics kit this would be 200ftx120ft and
would be able to produce enough Wheat Grass in this case for one small city.

PLANTS
The plant we picked had to be something that would grow fast, and could be stocked
up easily, be cost effective, and also be healthy for the people, it also had to be able to
grow in that area. The wheatgrass contains Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E Vitamin K,
Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin, Pantothenic Acid, Iron, Zinc, Copper, Manganese
and Selenium, and has little amount of protein. Wheatgrass has all the properties needed
to grow in the Democratic Republic of Congo the grass itself is very healthy but also it
can be made into many different kinds of dishes such as bread, wheat flour, and pasta.
Another way you can consume it is to make it into a juice. With our Aquaponics plant in
the Democratic Republic of Congo the benefits would be great because they are in dire
need of produce, such as wheat so they can make many different kinds of food so they
wont starve to death.

Engineering
For our group's technology we are using a Raspberry Pi model B. The Raspberry Pi is
able to do everything the Arduino can do, but the Raspberry Pi has a operating system.
What we are going to do with our Raspberry Pi is make it so that the lights automatically
go on and off. We the parts we are going to use are wires, bread board, two single-pole
double throw (SPDT) relays, two N-channel MOSFETs, and one Utilitech 15-Amp 2Outlet Mechanical Residential Plug-In Lighting Timer. We are going to make it so that
the Raspberry Pi sends a signal to the remote for the timer, and in return the remote will
send a signal to the device witch will turn on the device so that the light will turn on for
the fish at certain times in the day and off at night.

2
Results

Aquaponics system produced tremendous results. The wheatgrass was able to have
steady growth with the nutrients provided from the fish. The fish waste is recycled
through the system with a hole on top of the container that is then converted by special
rocks which absorb water. The water is filtered through these rocks and to the plants,
providing clean water for the fish to grow and flourish, and nutrients through which the
plants can grow. The overall growth of the wheatgrass was 10 cm tall over the course of
the experiment, which had a time period of 5-6 weeks. Both the fish and plants were
healthy and would be able to be used as nourishment. While other herbs can be grown,
the wheatgrass produced good results. It can then be made into a very healthy juice for
human consumption.
Financially, the cost of the experiment determined if this system would be affordable
for many different economic situations. The budget for this experiment was $150. The
Aquaponics system was purchased through Amazon Prime, and Raspberry Pi and timer
were purchased at Lowes. In total, everything cost $126.76, leaving a remaining budget
of $23.24.
The Raspberry Pi system did not work. A remote was purchased with a different circuit
board than was necessary for the system, only showing 5V on the button and not an off
button. The breadboard was set up and the Raspberry Pi code working. The main
problem was a missing pin was not available to solder a wire which would have
completed the light switch. Therefore, the Raspberry Pi system was only able to turn on
and off manually.
An enlarged Aquaponics tank would be able to be put into a community in both the
United States of America and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, allowing
communities in either economic situation to eat more than they do now and to produce
their own food locally, without the use of potentially harmful chemicals. This would help
specifically in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which does not have food as
readily available. The economic situation there is much worse than in the United States,
where they desperately need food which is nutritious, low cost, and easy to grow in soil
that is not as nutrient rich. While this would be most beneficial there, it would also help
in the United States, where every community could produce fresh healthy food in a cost
effective way, enabling local communities to invest their resources elsewhere.

Figure 2. This is a picture of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where we are going to
put our Aquaponics system.

Science
In any environment where multiple organisms exist together each organism has a
relationship with all other organisms. All organisms are connected to one another, but the
relationships are sometimes different. Some relationships benefit both organisms
(mutualism), some benefit one and harm one (predator/prey), and some benefit one
organism while neither harming nor helping the other (Mutualism). In an Aquaponics
system, both organisms benefit from the presence of the other organism. The Wheat
grass gains energy from the sun, as well as nutrients from the water and fish waste,
allowing it to grow. The beta fish is able to also gain nutrients from the plant, which also
helps to purify the water in which it lives. This symbiotic relationship allows both
organisms to flourish. Organisms in an ecosystem are interdependent because they rely
on the balance each organism provides to maintain a certain way of life. In the
Aquaponics system, the beta fish would not have the nutrients or clean water without the
presence of wheatgrass. In turn, without the beta fish, the plant would not be able to
grow. Any ecosystem relies on the presence and balance of each organism to sustain the
cycle of life. If a plant is suddenly gone from an ecosystem in which carnivores prey on
herbivores, the herbivores would die out first, eventually leading to the death of the
carnivores. Each of these organisms would be affected. The Aquaponics system would
most likely have a positive effect on an environment, because it provides growth
opportunities for each organism. It would also help eliminate more environmentally
damaging methods of farming and producing. It also may be more cost efficient, which
would help to encourage other environmentally beneficial practices to be put in place.

Discussion
The Aquaponics system experiment was fairly accurate to what would be done in a
real world trial. One of the main differences would be the environment in which the tank
would be in. In this project, the tank was inside and did not receive direct sunlight or
fresh air, as it would in a real world experiment. In a real life experiment, the Aquaponics
system would also most likely be carried out on a larger scale which would be more
suitable for a population's nutritional needs. In this project, the rocks used were not
suitable for the project, as they were not sturdy enough to support proper plant growth.
In this project, they grew all over the place instead of straight up and down. This hinders
the way the plant would be cut to make it into juice. The Aquaponics tank was made to
be a self contained system in which the plants would grow by using the waste of the fish,
and vice versa. Both the fish and plants are healthy organisms. One thing that would be
changed in a future experiment would be to use a better pump, Raspberry Pi, and lighting
systems.

Conclusions
In conclusion the Wheat grass grew strong and steadily as you can see
in Figure 2 on the page before this. The Wheat grass was healthy; exhibiting a rich green
color and healthy grass. The length of some of the grass almost touched the floor. The
water that our plants were using remained clear and bright, as well as maintaining a
healthy fish. The transparency of the water in this photo demonstrates the health of both
the fish and the water, while the rich growth of the plant exhibits positive growing
conditions.
Occasionally when the Wheatgrass reaches a length of four inches tall, it is
usually harvested. So by looking at our picture, it may appear that the Wheatgrass
appears thinner than those samples seen in retail stores. However, we were growing our
sample for maximum results of the experiment, not for the consumption and use of the
Wheatgrass for our own personal use. Noting this, our crop could have been harvested
more than once during our grow time. In fact, the longer that you let the Wheatgrass
grow, the more it is able to seed and then produce more Wheatgrass.