All Discussions Tagged 'microorganisms' - Aquaponic Gardening2024-03-28T20:34:58Zhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/forum/topic/listForTag?tag=microorganisms&feed=yes&xn_auth=noHow can I learn more about bacteria and microbiology in the system?tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2014-02-09:4778851:Topic:5465882014-02-09T14:27:29.681ZCarlos A. Gorrichohttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/CarlosAGorricho
Hi all!<br />
<br />
I am very interested in understanding the microbiology of AP systems. I would greatly appreciate if you shed some light or point me in the directions of info sources for this.<br />
<br />
In my understanding, AP systems work ONLY because of the presence of nitrifying bacteria and other microorganisms. These create the bridge between the fish and the plants, which could not symbiotically coexist otherwise in a closed system.<br />
<br />
This makes me think of AP as a biotechnology based process or…
Hi all!<br />
<br />
I am very interested in understanding the microbiology of AP systems. I would greatly appreciate if you shed some light or point me in the directions of info sources for this.<br />
<br />
In my understanding, AP systems work ONLY because of the presence of nitrifying bacteria and other microorganisms. These create the bridge between the fish and the plants, which could not symbiotically coexist otherwise in a closed system.<br />
<br />
This makes me think of AP as a biotechnology based process or system.<br />
<br />
One can draw lessons from other biotech processes, like ethanol (drinking alcohol) production. In ethanol production yeast consumes sugar, producing ethanol and CO2; this is the fermentation phase. Water and alcohol are then separated; this is the distillation phase.<br />
<br />
I will highlight two types of systems:<br />
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1) home beer brewing and wine production kits. If you follow the instructions you might end up with drinkable stuff. Overall fermentation & distillation (F&D) efficiencies could be between 30% to 50%. But, hey, who cares if you have some friends over and the stuff even tastes good?<br />
<br />
2) industrial grade ethanol production facilities. These are complex large-scale industrial plants attached to sugar mills (corn, beet or sugar cane based). Overall E&D efficiencies are between 80 and 90%.<br />
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Industrial scale ethanol plants would not be economically feasible operating at home scale E&D efficiencies.<br />
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My question then is: are current AP systems operating at "home scale" or "industrial scale" efficiencies, or both?<br />
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I read and interesting post from Vlad stating that you could have efficient ("kick-ass") systems from inception. Also that the operator had it's part in it.<br />
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This is obviously irrelevant for home AP systems. You can even match them up with home wine making kits and have a great tilapia, salad and wine dinner!<br />
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But I think the question might be of interest for commercial AP systems, leading to some other questions:<br />
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Can the rate at which bacteria produce nitrites/nitrates be improved?<br />
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Would this improve the AP's fruits and veggies production capacity? Or otherwise, could fish density be improved?<br />
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What other kind of microorganisms are present in AP systems? Do these improve or reduce bacteria performance?<br />
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Are there different types of nitrifying bacteria? Which one is best for a given combinations of fish and plants?<br />
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George mentioned in the "Why does my system take so long" thread that it would be interesting if several systems could be setup to try different combinations out. IMO we have all what it takes to do this. Forum members have systems (probably in the thousands) operating in various different conditions: latitudes, water conditions, fish/plant combinations. We also have aquapons from all origins: researchers, commercial, hobbyists, etc.<br />
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I would love to hear about experiences on this front and am ready to collaborate on a larger scale research project.