Aquaponics News #1

Aquaponics Company Celebrates Achievements, Growth in 2010

2010 has been a year of achievements, milestones and growth for Nelson and Pade, Inc, a Wisconsin-based company specializing in aquaponics. Aquaponics is a sustainable method of food production that combines aquaculture (fish farming) and hydroponics (soilless plant culture) to efficiently grow both fish and plants in one recirculating system.

Montello, WI, USA (Vocus/PRWEB) December 07, 2010 

2010 brought exciting new growth and substantial achievements for Nelson and Pade, Inc., a Montello, WI-based company that specializes in aquaponics and controlled environment agriculture. Aquaponics is a sustainable method of food production that combines aquaculture (fish farming) and hydroponics (soilless plant culture) to efficiently grow both fish and plants in one recirculating system. The fish waste provides an organic fertilizer source for the plants and the plants help to purify the water for the fish.

Nelson and Pade, Inc., a 20+ years-old company, offers complete aquaponic system packages for all applications, consulting and project planning services and comprehensive training workshops and learning programs. In early 2010, the principles and staff of Nelson and Pade, Inc. were busy settling into their new, much larger location, which provides expanded office space and over 8,000 sq. ft. of shop and warehouse space for manufacturing and system assembly.

Rebecca Nelson and John Pade, owners and Internationally-renowned aquaponics consultants, spent early March in Singapore, where they were invited to speak on aquaponics at the International Conference on Soilless Culture, sponsored by the International Society of Horticultural Sciences. The 5-day conference included 15-20 minute presentations from scientists hailing from 36 different countries. Nelson and Pade were given a 4 hour time slot to introduce aquaponics to this influential group from the horticulture and agriculture communities around the world.

In April of 2010, Nelson and Pade, Inc. resumed their popular aquaponics workshops and during the year taught aquaponics to over 200 people from 28 states and 12 countries. These comprehensive, hands-on workshops are very well received by attendees and are often the impetus for post-workshop developments in aquaponics. A 2010 workshop attendee, Stephen Mathews, Muskogee, OK, commented: “What can I say but thank you to the entire team. Thank you for creating a learning environment that was fun and relaxed. I have been to many conferences during my career as an educator, and this conference was the best I have ever attended."

So far in 2010, Nelson and Pade, Inc. has built 20 complete Clear Flow Aquaponic SystemsTM for commercial growers, hobbyists, mission groups, Universities and schools. These systems have been installed in locations throughout North America, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia. Cumulatively, Nelson and Pade, Inc. has built systems that cover over 2 acres. David Hamlin of Palmetto, FL recently purchased and is operating one of Nelson and Pade's Clear Flow Aquaponic SystemsTM. He shares: “With Nelson & Pade, you get excellent access to leaders of the industry, timely comprehensive answers to your questions, a superb staff and a system without equal.”

A milestone for Nelson and Pade, Inc. in 2010 was the design, assembly and delivery of the first Living Food BankTM aquaponic system to the Northwest Haiti Christian Mission. Nelson and Pade travelled to Haiti in October to assist with the construction of the tropical greenhouse and the installation of the aquaponic system. The Living Food BankTM will provide fresh fish and vegetables to the mission and the people in Northwest Haiti.
In November, 2010 Nelson and Pade, Inc. completed the construction of their new 5,000 sq. ft. demonstration greenhouse in Montello, WI. This controlled environment greenhouse is home to a variety of Clear Flow Aquaponic SystemsTM and demonstrates aquaponic techniques, various crop choices and the latest developments in aquaponics technology. Attendees of Nelson and Pade, Inc.'s workshops, tours and Extended Stay Learning Program have the opportunity to learn about aquaponics first hand in this new, innovative aquaponics greenhouse.

Rebecca Nelson and John Pade's experience in soilless culture and controlled environment agriculture dates back to 1985, when they built the first large hydroponic greenhouse in Wisconsin and they wrote and produced the first video on hydroponic food production. Since then, they have worked diligently to develop soilless and aquaponic technology through their self-funded research. They have generously shared results and information on their website http://www.aquaponics.com (established in 1996), in the Aquaponics Journal, which they publish (started in 1997) and in writing and publishing books, videos and curriculums on aquaponics. The 2008 introduction of Nelson and Pade's book, Aquaponic Food Production, was the first comprehensive text written about aquaponics.

While there is a lot of talk about aquaponics, Nelson and Pade, Inc. is out there making it happen, supplying aquaponic systems, technology and training for people in developed and developing nations. For more information, visit their website at: http://www.aquaponics.com or call 608-297-8708. A new blog at http://www.aquaponics.com/blog/ provides perspective, information and updates on Nelson and Pade Inc.'s projects, news and events.

Read more: http://www.benzinga.com/press-releases/10/12/p673419/aquaponics-company-celebrates-achievements-growth-in-2010#ixzz1GjC3oJ6j

Aquaponics in Space

Two years ago, a NASA Engineering Design Challenge asked students to think about the possibility of growing plants on the moon and then to design, build and test lunar plant growth chambers. On future long-duration missions on the moon, fresh-grown plants could be used to supplement meals.

A group of high school students from New Jersey not only came up with a unique way to grow plants, but their plant growth chamber also includes an idea for providing a source of protein for lunar astronauts. The project by students at the Atlantic County Institute of Technology in Mays Landing, N.J., uses aquaponics -- plants and fish in the same environment.

Aquaponics combines aquaculture (raising fish) with hydroponics (growing plants without soil). The system designed by the New Jersey students combines bluegill fish and plants in the same tank. The fish live in the water in the bottom of the tank. The plants grow in the top half of the tank.

The seedlings are grown in rock wool, which is a type of mineral wool used in hydroponics. The seedlings are then suspended in a plastic pipe in the top half of the tank. The water is pumped from the bottom of the tank through the pipe, then back into the tank. The roots of the plants are exposed to the water stream as it flows through the pipe. As the plants absorb the nutrients in the water, they also filter it.

"The system is a symbiotic relationship between the plant and bluegill fish," explained the students' science teacher, Melissa Hannan. "The fish provide nitrogen and phosphate for the plants, while the plants provide beneficial bacteria to convert ammonia."

 
The system designed by a group of New Jersey students is an aquaponic system, which combines fish and plants in the same environment. Image Credit: Atlantic County Institute of Technology
Plants receive light from light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, under the wooden canopy on top of the tank. The lights are powered by solar panels. Reflective material on the sides and back of the tank enhances the solar-powered lighting, Hannan said.

Students researched bluegill fish, different mediums to grow seeds, and the chemical conversions taking place in the tank. They used three-dimensional design software to create a computer model of their tank design before building it.

They also experimented with the angle of the pipe and the water pressure to achieve the best results. "Our final product is quite different from our original product," Hannan said. "It was a lot of trial and error, which is exactly what science is."

Bluegill fish were chosen because of their small size and the constraints of the 45-gallon tank. However, Hannan said students are testing the same concept with freshwater bass in a 12,000-gallon tank in the school's greenhouse. In the small tank, students grew cinnamon basil seeds that had been flown on the STS-118 space shuttle mission in 2007 and distributed as part of the design challenge. In the larger greenhouse model, they are experimenting with growing herbs and lettuces.

Atlantic County Institute of Technology students Alex, Jack and Marco received a second-place medal for their project in the 2009 New Jersey SkillsUSA technology competition. Image Credit: Atlantic County Institute of Technology
"They thought it (aquaponics) would be a good idea for the astronauts on the moon because it's a self-contained system to provide protein and vegetation," Hannan said.

Students received a second-place medal for the project in the New Jersey SkillsUSA technology competition earlier this year. Hannan said judges were impressed with the construction of the system.

"What they (students) are really taking with them is hands-on experience," Hannan said. "They're learning what it's like to start a project, hit some problems and actually solve the problem, solve the issues, and refine your system and make it (work)."

The Engineering Design Challenge: Lunar Plant Growth Chamber project supports NASA's goal of attracting and retaining students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines.

link: http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/9-12/features/aquaponics.html

Aquaponics Misconception

Mythconception #6 – Aquaponics is Easy
October 26, 2009
By gary, http://www.microponics.net.au/?p=322

There are some people who would have you believe that operating an aquaponics system is just…..easy!

The people most likely to tell you that aquaponics is easy are those who want to sell you aquaponics kits or equipment – so their interest is fairly obvious. You’re much more likely to sell something to someone if you can convince them that it requires little or no effort or learning to operate.

Others like Dr Mike Nichols (a horticultural research scientist at the College of Sciences at Massey Universtity, Palmerston North NZ) have a different view.

In the March/April 2009 issue of Practical Hydroponics and Greenhouses he reported:

“Sadly, I must report that aquaponics may be too difficult for many people. Theoretically, it should involve an equal marriage of aquaculture and hydroponics in which the two separate disciplines respond synergistically, and the nutrient waste from the fish is ‘purified’ by the bacteria and the plants and the clean water is then returned to the fish. In fact, because of the difference in the skills required for aquaculture and for hydroponics, it would appear that in many cases the synergy does not exist.

The majority of the income from aquaponics comes from the horticultural component, but as the majority of aquaponics projects evolve from aquaculture there is a distinct lack of horticultural knowledge by the participants. The result is that the aquaponics producer has to compete with the specialist hydroponics grower, but without the necessary skills base. It is my view that aquaponics (except on a very small scale) requires two specialists, an aquaculture specialist and a hydroponics specialist. Without this any large project would appear to be at risk.”

While Dr Nichols makes it clear that he’s talking about commercial aquaponics systems, I believe his contention is just as applicable to any aquaponics system – large or small.

While I acknowledge that the financial cost of incompetence may be far greater in a commercial operation, the practical outcome is the same….dead fish and plants that fail to thrive…..regardless of the size of the operation.

I guess I’m puzzled (and faintly suspicious), therefore, at how quickly many people (who have no previous experience of either aquaculture or hydroponics) develop confidence in their ability to undertake aquaponics.

Their excitement and confidence is understandable when you realise that it is the product of what they are told – that that the mere combination of these two disciplines creates something which is somehow easier to comprehend than either of the component parts.

They’re told that “the fish produce waste that the bacteria convert to plant food. The fish feed the plants and the plants clean the water for the fish.”

“It can’t be that simple” say the interested onlookers. “There must be more to it than that.”

At this point, the kit maker or their agent produces a few ”guidelines” – sage little wisdoms that are easy to remember and which still leave the novice with the illusion that aquaponics is easy to do.

The ”guidelines” include:

• True aquaponics requires that the water recirculate from the fish tank through the growing system and back into the tank. See Recirculating or Open Loop?
• That you stock the system at the rate of one fingerling per 10 litres of water (according to one kit maker). See Mythconception #1 – Stocking Density
• For each litre of water in the fish tank, you must have one litre or two (depending on the source) of grow bed volume. See Mythconception #2 – Component Ratio
• Grow beds must be 300mm deep. See Mythconception #3 – Grow Bed Depth
• That you don’t need to clean out your aquaponics system because worms will turn all of that fish poop into plant nutrients. See Mythconception #4 – Removal of Solid Wastes.

Tart these ‘guidelines’ up with a few exaggerated claims about sustainability (see Mythconception #5 – Sustainability) and productivity and our onlooker is (with pen poised over the order form) rushing headlong into a Damascus Road conversion to aquaponics.

While the symbiotic relationship between fish and plants is the essence of aquaponics, the simplistic fish/plant dialogue trotted out by some vested interests is a very long way from explaining its intricacies.

My own experience of small-scale food production spans 30 years. In that time, we’ve kept all sorts of birds and animals and attempted to grow many types of plants using a variety of production systems and achieving proficiency in aquaponics has been as big a challenge as any of them…..and it is ongoing.

Now, having spent this time attempting to convince you that aquaponics is not as easy as some people would suggest, I don’t want you to believe that it’s beyond those who are prepared to make a reasonable effort to learn.

Aquaponics will, of itself, offer a reasonable return on your investment of time and money. Like any other investment, however, aquaponics may prove risky for those who are too lazy to do some basic research.

If your interest is in small-scale aquaponics, there are several books available. My personal favourite is The Urban Aquaponics Manual – 2nd Edition. While I confess to a certain bias (I wrote it), it is also the most up-to-date publication of its type in the world.

If you’re still itching for more on recirculating aquaculture – and if you’re well-healed – I’d recommend Recirculating Aquaculture Systems by Timmons, Ebeling, Wheaton, Summerfeldt and Vinci. It even contains a 40 page section on aquaponics.

Couple that with some reading about hydroponics. I recommend:

• Hydroponic Food Production by Howard Resh
• Commercial Hydroponics by John Mason
• Hydroponic Crop Production by Joe Romer

By the time you’ve digested these books, you’ll be in the top 2 percentile (in terms of your knowledge of aquaponics) in the world.

If you’re just starting out in aquaponics, you will have a distinct advantage over those who have gone before you. Notwithstanding the hocus pocus, there’s more information out there than ever before. You’ve just got to sort the wheat from the chaff (like this little gem from another kit maker)……..

“Running an aquaponic system CAN be easy… I know of people who had no idea about fish keeping and no idea about growing plants yet with a few simple guidelines they are producing and harvesting their own produce from their systems.”

And here’s my point…..everything is easy until something goes wrong. When that something happens, the simplistic little guidelines don’t prevent the fishkill……or the subsequent anguish and the inevitable loss of confidence that occurs.

Forums like www.aquaponicshq.com/forums chronicle the trials of many people who have taken such advice and had bad experiences. But for these forums, and the technical support (and the occasional bit of group therapy) that they provide, such people would simply founder and drift away from aquaponics.

To summarise, aquaponics will provide:

• crops of plants and fish for the same amount of water that it would normally take to just grow the plants.
• clean, fresh, affordable food for you and your family.

…..but, like any worthwhile pursuit, your rewards will be commensurate with your efforts. The more you know; the more you grow!

Aquaponics DVD

Aquaponics Made Easy (2009) DVD
by Murray Hallam

Grow fish and vegetables together in your own backyard the easy way. Whether you want to build your own system from bath tubs or assemble a ready-made kit, Murray Hallam will guide you through every step, so you can enjoy fresh fish and organic vegetables at your place.

If you’re worried about using commercially made fish pellets, Murray will show you how to grow your own fish food – the natural way.

Everything you need to know to get started in your Aquaponics adventure is packed into this educational DVD.

Over 90 minutes of quality information:

* Assembling a kit system

* Grow Beds, Tanks, Gravel Media explained

* Flood and Drain, Auto Siphons

* Fish Aeration, pumps, filtration, backup systems

* Growing plants successfully

* The Nitrogen Cycle, Fishless Cycling

* Testing your Water

* Maintaining a balanced system

* Choosing suitable fish for Aquaponics

* Batching your fish for endless food

* Dealing with pests

* Feeding your fish – Growing your own fish food

* Building your own Bathtub Aquaponics system

* Solar powered systems

* Essential checklist summary