Aquaponics

Hey Aquaponics People!

I hope you are having a fun time working in the aquaponics tank. It is a really important job because the fish need to be monitored closely. It is CRUCIAL that you take the pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate tests each time you have class in the greenhouse. I don't do it- I leave it for you to do, so if you don't, then we don't have data. Also, PLEASE make sure to record it. You can either write it down in the book for the system, or type it into the computer log. Here is the link: greenhouse log We need to look at the data and compare it, so if you forget to include it, we don't know how the fish are doing. Great and then you can have some fun cleaning the tank (one half bucket per person; otherwise we risk bringing in too much freshwater when the rainwater valve automatically refills the same amount of water that you have taken out). What else can you do? Info on aquaponics tanks: aquaponics in hawaii video aquaponics overview Info on the plants system: lettuce kale swiss chard WATER CULTURE The water culture system is the simplest of all active hydroponic systems. The platform that holds the plants is usually made of Styrofoam and floats directly on the nutrient solution. An air pump supplies air to the air stone that bubbles the nutrient solution and supplies oxygen to the roots of the plants. Water culture is the system of choice for growing leaf lettuce, which are fast growing water loving plants, making them an ideal choice for this type of hydroponic system. Very few plants other than lettuce will do well in this type of system. This type of hydroponic system is great for the classroom and is popular with teachers. A very inexpensive system can be made out of an old aquarium or other water tight container. We have free plans and instructions for a simply water culture system ( click here for free plans ). The biggest draw back of this kind of system is that it doesn't work well with large plants or with long-term plants.
 * scrub the raft with a small blue brush (found in the blue bucket next to the aquaponics water table)
 * check on the plants growing- are there any dead leaves? are there any aphids?
 * help label the plants
 * make a plan for what will go into the aquaponics water table (we eat these plants, as opposed to the ones in the raft)
 * make a plan for what will go into the floating raft when the plants there are big enough to harvest
 * sweep around the aquaponics tank (or anywhere)
 * if the tank has spilled any water, please get the vacuum to clean it up
 * if there are any dead fish, you can weigh them and measure the length or even dissect them using this lab:tilapia dissection
 * Learn here about tilapa dissection How to dissect tilapia

video of plants growing