Intent 3 – MatthewB
This project was a bit more difficult to come up with an interesting, affordable, yet purposeful project. I did a lot of research on a lot of different things, but something that interested me the most was the capabilities of aquaponics. This system could be the next way we farm, when we run out of land, and perhaps even suitable soil.
The definition of aquaponics is; “a system of aquaculture in which the waste produced by farmed fish or other aquatic animals supplies nutrients for plants grown hydroponically, which in turn purify the water.” My Idea is to make a miniature, one-fish, aquaponics system. Something that is small enough to house in a smaller room, yet capable of growing small crops such as lettuce, or herbs. I want to make this something that is somewhat attractive to look at but it will still have its purpose.
The general list of tools and things I will need is;
- A tank for the fish: 3-20 gallon, glass or plastic container ($5 – $20)
- Gravel: 2.5 lbs. of gravel for every 5 gallons of water in the fish tank ($2 – $5)
- Water pump: 3-4 watt pump capable of lifting 18” – 54” at 30 – 100/gal/hour (small circulation or fountain pump is ideal) ($19 – $40)
- 3 ft. of plastic tubing that fits the outlet on your water pump ($1 – $2)
- Aquarium air pump sized for the number of gallons in your fish tank ($8 – $16)
- Air stone (1” – 3”) ($1 – $2)
- 3 ft. of air tubing to connect the air pump to the air stone (must fit the air pump outlet) ($ 1)
- Grow Bed: must sit on top of fish tank and be 3” – 8” deep ($5 – $20)
- Growing Medium: enough pea gravel, perlite, coconut coir, expanded clay pebbles or peat moss to fill the grow bed ($2 – $5)
- pH test kit and, depending on the pH of your water, pH down or pH up ($5 – $15)
- Fish and plants
- Drill with 1/4” or 3/16” bit and 1/2” bit
- Scissors
- Electrical tape
Sans plants and fish the cost is around 90$ if I buy mid-range products.
I did some research as to what fish is applicable to the aquaponics systems, many forums recommended warm-cool freshwater fish. I did some research and the easiest to acquire would be either
- fancy goldfish @ ~$5.99/fish
- tetra’s @ ~$1.99/fish
- red-bellied Pacu’s @~$5.99/fish
The cost for seeds is around 5$ in total whatever I decide to go with.
If I make this I may go with a small school of tetra’s or similar ornamental fish, as they would produce more soil to enrich the growing soil.
This project would both benefit the community, growing self sustaining food, showing off the natural beauty of fish all in an enclosed system.
One thought on “Intent 3 – MatthewB”
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Concept:
This project sounds like it uses a one-to-one strategy. Having a miniature aquaponics system that’s small enough to fit in a moderately sized room, especially if the system has just one fish, I think makes it more possible to have complete individual control over the system. I also like how this project touches on the issue that we might one day run out of land or sustainable soil to farm on, and I think this sounds like an interesting and pretty solid solution all around.
Design:
Judging by the 2 photos used to help visually describe what this system could look like, I’d say the design is pretty clear and very fitting for this kind of project, drawing a lot of attention to how this project could work and how other people could potentially make their own as well.
Technical:
The use of a tank with tubing, air and water pumps, is obviously appropriate for this kind of project. Adding everything together though, it sounds like this project would be a little expensive for most people. I added everything up in the budget and it seems like it could either be really efficiently priced, or really expensive for people. I added everything up, and it sounds like at the lowest this project would cost $150, which isn’t too bad. At the highest it sounds like it would be $230 though, so it could potentially be too expensive as well. It depends on how much money someone wants to spend on this I guess. It doesn’t sound too bad to me though. I think it would be very sustainable for the planet though.
Audience:
It sounds like the intended audience is supposed to be anyone that is interested in farming, aquaculture, as well as people interested in farming. I think it would be especially challenging for members of the latter audience as they would be farming in a much smaller space than they’re used to.
Creativity:
From what I can tell, this concept highly stems from a passion that this creator has.