Aquaponics
Problem
This will be our first project of the year. Aquaponics is any system that combines conventional aquaculture with hydroponics in a symbiotic environment. We must be able to create a system in which plants and fish create a cycle to survive. There's really no constraints for this project. Our only objective is to make a sustainable environment for our plants.
This aquaponics project will be finished by the end of the 9 weeks and will be observed throughout the next semester. We will see our results and see if our plants manage to survive in our little ecosystem.
Solution
I managed to build my aquaponics project using a fish tank. The fish tank had a plastic cover and the plastic cover had holes in it to put in my cups to places my plants. My plants will have direct contact with the water to get their nutrients. I also bought 4 fish to help me grow my plants. It's a pretty easy setup.
I am also using a tube and an air pump to give oxygen to my fish. This will allow the fish to survive. I also won't use a filter because I need the fish feces to grow the plants. I also need all the germs in order for my plants to be healthy. I used mint plants because I researched and it told me that they were pretty easy to grown. I also use clay pellets as my medium.
Evidence
Sources
This project was pretty easy to build but it's hard maintaining the project. It needs a lot of maintenance. For example, you need to clean your tank once in a while, or else your fish will die. You also need to keep feeding your fish two times a day once in the morning and one last time at night. I also need to make sure to keep my plants alive. They need enough sunlight to survive and need nutrients.
This project was also very expensive. I tried to minimize the cost of the project but it still ended up being a lot of money. This project is also smelly. Not putting a filter does make a huge difference. Other than that I had no other problem for my problem.
Week 1
In my first week of finishing my project one of my fishes died. I'm not too sure what caused his death but I don't think it was my fault because it wasn't really moving when I bought them from the fish store. My plants also look very healthy and they look like they're growing slowly but surely.
So far everything looks pretty good. I hope I don't encounter any problems in the future. I will try to look into different types of plants that I could use for my aquaponics if the plants that I'm using right now aren't working or are dying very fast.
Week 2
I moved my aquaponics project from my room because it started to smell. The smell was really bad. My plants kind of started to die. It was a big mistake but it was worth it in my opinion. Other than that everything looks fine.
I'm trying to think as to why my plants began to dry up. It's either a lack of sunlight or a change in temperature. I'm not quite sure what's the problem but I'll try to figure it out.
Week 3
M0st of my plants are dead. I will plant new plants. I'm still going to be using mint. I'm not too sure what caused them to die. I will begin my research as to why they died. I will also research if there's another plant that is easier to grow. I'm not quite sure but if I was to guess it will have to be something like lettuce.
Another problem that I had was the amount of waste that the fish created. The fish created a good amount of fish waste which made the fish
My fish tank got really dirty and murky. I think I overfed my fish which caused the leftover fish food to stay at the bottom. I cleaned my tank and now it looks crystal clear. One of my fish died, I think because the tank was really dirty. My plants look to be the same size as when I planted them.
Week 4
Week 5
Not much has occurred since my last update. My plants look to be the same size. Some of them look a bit dead and some look green and healthy. Other than I don't have much to say. I now have 2 fishes and they look fine. I'm also looking to improve my aquaponics. I'm researching things that can help improve my aquaponics.
Week 6
I changed my plants. I replaced them with newer and healthier-looking mint plants. I want to change the plants to lettuce but, I don't I will immediately. I want to look at the progress that my new plants do first. I'm also thinking about buying a light because I don't think my plants are getting enough sunlight.
Week 7
I realized that after every 2 weeks I should clean my fish tank. My tank turns really murky and nasty because of all of the fish food and the fish waste. My plants have dried up and died so no progress there. I'm not quite sure what I'm doing wrong. I feel like I'm doing good but the results don't show that.
Week 8
My fish look clean and healthy. They look like they're in good condition. My plants on the other hand are completely dead. I tried doing research and it could be due to low nutrients or they don't get enough sunlight.
Week 9
At this point, my aquaponics project was a total failure. Little to no progress on my plants throughout the 9 weeks. I'm still not sure where I went wrong. I also managed to keep my remaining 2 fish alive and healthy. The plants on the other hand died early on.
