Japan Aquaponics - Micro System 4 - I think we might have cracked it!

[Japan Aquaponics - アクアポニックス 日本]

Hello everyone,

 

I have just looked at the front page and I have to apologise for seeming to take up half of it with various photos, videos, updates etc... it seemed they were everywhere so sorry for hogging the white space!

 

As you may have gathered from previous posts, I am trying very hard to put together a micro system that could be used in schools in Japan, but particularly we want to donate them to schools in the regions that were severely affected by the earthquake in March of this year.  We had certain criteria for these systems... they had to be:

 

• Cheap!
• Using readily available materials
• Sturdy enough for school life
• Attractive enough to be a good representation of aquaponics
• Simple enough for a 4 or 5 year old to manage!

 

Aquaponics really does not exist in Japan in any recognisable form and so we are also hoping that these units will be helpful to demonstrate the principles of aquaponics easily.

 

The latest model is one that I am particularly pleased with.  It is made primarily from a product that is available in a big retailer here in Japan - already tested and certified - and once modified seems to do the trick really well.  It is very easy to set up and maintain... and the price we estimate will come in at less than $150 (US) for the complete system.

 

This system we tested today and it worked absolutely beautifully.  The siphon went on and off like a charm, although it should be even better when we add a T-adapter at the bottom elbow, and a ball valve to regulate the flow to the grow bed and the remaining water splashing back into the tank.

 

Here is a video that I put together for this system as well:

 

 

Please do let me know what you think of this model, and I very much welcome any suggestions the forum might have.  We are currently trying to find out if there are any available grants to be able to donate as many of these as possible - we will also be soliciting donations from friends, family, colleagues etc to try and raise more money to send these to schools, teacher and kids who might value them.

 

Thanks for reading, and please do leave a comment letting me know what you think.

[Japan Aquaponics - アクアポニックス 日本]

Here are some updated photos of the micro system... PH, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate levels are all holding to where they should be and growth is looking good.  These plants were transplanted about 2 or 3 weeks ago and have seen good growth since then.  The rescued fish (weak little feeder goldfish) are happy now and enjoying their new home:  The added clear tubing is just added sometimes to help swirl the water and make sure any detritus is moved to where the pump can take it up:

[Japan Aquaponics - アクアポニックス 日本]

now that the little goldfish are in I adjusted the plumbing and the new pump arrived so we could get everything running properly.  This is the slightly amended plumbing that has a return to the tank.  Even with these tiny pumps the water flow is too much for the growbed and siphon, and so the bypass is necessary (and helpful for aeration of course)

The baby bell siphon is working beautifully (13mm piping with a 25mm reducer and a 50mm bell).  Turns on and off very quickly and gurgles like a baby breaking wind when it stops.

Added a sponge filter from an established system to help bacterial growth and rainbow chard seeds going in tomorrow, along with chives and rosemary.  

[Japan Aquaponics - アクアポニックス 日本]

Thanks Teresa... I am going to take a video soon of my daughter explaining aquaponics... she is 4yrs old... it is very cute to listen to hear talking about the aquaponics cycle!

[Teresa N Florida]

Aragon, your daughter  is awesome!!

[Japan Aquaponics - アクアポニックス 日本]

Today we went to the store to buy some fish and my daughter saw a tank full of tiny little goldfish all looking a bit sad.  The man explained that these were much smaller than the others and so they sold them very cheap so that they could be used as food for bigger fish.... my daughter was horrified and insisted that instead of the fish I meant to buy,... that we rescue many of these ones instead.

I am now the dubious owner of 25 tiny little sacrificial goldfish... and the increasingly proud father of one compassionate little buddhist daughter!

[Japan Aquaponics - アクアポニックス 日本]

Brian,

I found this as well about the different plastics... looks like PP should be fine:

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/which-plastics-are-safe.html

[Japan Aquaponics - アクアポニックス 日本]

Hi Brian,

The plastics issue is a tricky one - the PP denomination is not in itself the end of the question as there are varying qualities of each of the containers that use this type of plastic.  PP is commonly used in things like margarine tubs and microwaveable fast food containers... but as soon as you get in recycled territory it becomes harder to know exactly what is going in to the mixture!

The reality is that unless they are stamped as being "Food Grade" quality, then there is always going to be a question-mark over any container you choose to use.

One thing, the plastic containers you looked at... were they the model that comes in black or white?  I saw some of the size you mentioned - but when I held them up to the light I found they were slighly opaque.  This would likely be more of an immediate problem because of the UV and algae growth.

For containers it might be better to go to the Hardware store... I am only going with this IKEA system because it all fits together perfectly, it is just a simple matter of repurposing of the kit.  If it didn't all fit together this way, then every other micro-system I have built, I got the equipment from the DIY store.

Good luck with your system though.

[Brian]

I visited iKea today. I found some nice size totes for building an indoor system. They have a 34 gallon suitable for a fish tank and a smaller one that would make an excellent grow bed. I don't remember the exact capacity, but I know they were at least 15 gallon. I might try to build a system with the fish tank and two grow beds. It would produce plent of veggies for me and my wife. I already have an indoor hydroponics system with 4 deep water culture tubs (10 gallon each).

The only reservation I have about the iKea totes is the plastic material. It was stamped PP-R, which I think means Polypropolene Recycleable, but I am not 100% sure. I did a little research and found that much of the water pipe used in many other countries is also PP-R, but I couldn't find much U.S. sourced information on it quicklly.

Does anyone else know more details about PP-R? I wish they were HDPE because I'd feel better about them. That's the only reason I didn't buy them already.

[Japan Aquaponics - アクアポニックス 日本]

Hi Dino,  you are right, the main frame and the baskets are all an IKEA unit called "Antonius".  The weight is fine because you have the metal frame basket underneath the plastic ones and so it supports it fine - there is of course a little bit of give in both, but nothing that impedes the system.

Just need to go to the DIY store then and get the plumbing, the water pump, an air pump, and the hydroton or lava rock... and you are very nearly ready!

If you have a go, please do send me some photos of it in action, and if I can answer any other questions then dont hesitate to ask... you can find my email on:

www.japan-aquaponics.com

[Dino Pantelidis]

Really cool! I'm assuming IKEA sells these pieces? What were the bins meant for originally? can they handle the weight of the water? I'd love building one of these for my restaurant.. very attractive looking!