Open Source Engineering Designs for Aquaculture/Aquaponics systems producing 500, 5,000 and 50,000 lbs of fish per year

Demand for locally grown, farm-raised fish is rising as the public becomes increasingly aware of the health benefits of eating safe, nutritional, seafood.  For the past decade or more, aquaculture has been the fastest growing segment of agriculture, providing consumers with a locally grown, healthy product, produced utilizing sustainable methods.   In addition, aquaponics, the integration of aquaculture and hydroponics, has recently gained increasing attention, because it utilizes the nutrient-rich water from aquaculture production of fish as a source of nutrients for growing plants and vegetables.  

Over the past several years, a family of open source engineering designs have been crafted by the authors to promote aquaculture and aquaponics covering a range of production goals, operating systems and resource availability.  Three of these aquaculture designs are presented covering production goals for home/schools (500 lbs per year), small farm/ urban (5,000 lbs per year) and commercial aquaponics systems (50,000 lbs per year).  In addition, each can be combined into an aquaponics systems  utilizing a raft hydroponic system,  NFT system or media bed system for plant and vegetable production, i.e. fancy lettuces, tomatoes, basil and other leafy greens. Currently each of the systems have been build and have successfully been operated for several years.  The open source designs include an engineering design spreadsheet for component sizing and selection, details drawings of system layout and construction details, equipment lists and specifications, and estimates of equipment costs.  

The three systems presented in detail include Tanque Verde High School, Tucson AZ, (www.facebook.com/Tucson-Aquaponics-in-Schools-and-Homes-753814521389793), Merchant's Garden. Tucson AZ (www.merchantsgarden.com) and Ripple Rock Fish Farms, Frazeysburg, OH (www.ripplerockfishfarms.com).  In addition, these open source designs include several other sizes, both smaller and larger.  All of the detailed designs, equipment specs and cost estimates will be available from Aquaculture Systems Technologies, LLC web page, www.ASTFilters.com.