A Sustainability Study into Aquaponics Amy Hill B.S. Candidate, Department of Biological Sciences, California State University Stanislaus, 1 University Circle, Turlock, CA 95382 Received 9 May, 2020; accepted 15 May, 2020 Abstract Traditional farming methods have grown significantly over the centuries, but many of these are still environmentally due to inefficient utilization of natural resources. In recent years, people are becoming more informed on the status of our natural resources, leading to a rise in research into sustainable methods. One of these growing methods is aquaponics. In aquaponics, plants are grown in a porous substrate through which nutrient rich water is pumped up from a fish tank that is seated near or below it. Aquaponics uses six times less water than traditional farming methods, making it more ecofriendly. The majority of research into aquaponics is specialized to large systems, even though systems can range from all shapes, sizes, and styles. For this experiment a 10-gallon aquarium will be used to determine at what size system becomes cost effective and worth the investment of setting up and maintaining. The system will use the media-based grow bed method. The produce being considered for this experiment include, pak choy, basil, romaine, and wheatgrass. The system will use 7 goldfish to help fertilize the plants. The current size of the system is not expected to be very efficient, but data can be gathered to determine how large the set up would have to become in order for the cost of set up and maintenance on the system to be justified by money saved on produce for a family of four. The information gathered through observations and produce data will be applied for a sustainability study analysis on how an aquaponics set up can be made universal and expanded to fill a niche in urban agriculture and decrease food desert areas in large urban centers. Introduction examined where aquaponics could fit in an urban From as early as 9,000 BC, farming has played setting, stating that abandoned industrial buildings an essential role in the history of man (Lambert 2019). could become an effective housing area for aquaponics Although farming methods have evolved and setups. This could decrease the cost of the produce due diversified in the last century, most can stand to become to the decreased value of the property itself. Along with more environmentally sensitive. The methods used in research done by scientists, individuals in Europe, the traditional farming, wastewater and damage the land. In United States, and many other countries worldwide are addition to being wasteful and harmful, crops grown undertaking aquaponics as a hobby (König 2018). with traditional farming methods are incredibly In today’s society, it is becoming more expensive to maintain. They are also grown with the use expensive for families to purchase food that is of chemicals that carry cancer causing carcinogens and considered healthy from a grocery store that they can chemicals that can cause severe environmental damage, prepare at home, then it is for them to eat out. A family such as ground water pollution and nutrient deficiencies of four will end up spending anywhere between 856 to (Saha 2019). These negative aspects of traditional 1297 dollars per month just to feed themselves (United farming have led to an increase in research into other States Department of Agriculture (USDA 2019). This potential methods of farming. One of the most popular does not include the five percent of the household alternative farming methods being researched is income that is solely dedicated to what the family may aquaponics. Aquaponics is the combination of spend on eating out in addition to their grocery bills aquaculture (the process of raising fish) and (USDA 2019). The major downside to this eating out hydroponics (the process of growing plants in a soilless habit, is the toll it takes on the overall health of an medium) (T. (Ed.) 2017). In recent years, aquaponics individual. Foods that are consumed when eating out are has grown in popularity amongst the scientific much richer than most foods that are community, although most scientific research is done on prepared at home (Lampreia dos Santos 2016). a large scale, with the focus of making commercial use The food consumed at restaurants is designed to have more profitable. One study aimed at analyzing the more salt, fats, and sugars due to the addition of these potential of aquaponics as an effective system for urban ingredients producing a stronger taste (Lampreia dos agriculture (Lampreia dos Santo 2016). This research Santos 2016). Due to a growing interest in eating healthier, the prospect of growing one’s own food is on to late January. Once these steps were completed the the rise. Evidence has shown that when individuals experiment pretty much ran itself. The main input into grow their own food, they are more likely to eat fresh the system was feeding and some external light in order fruit and vegetables that are healthier, and that by growing one’s own food, individuals have more control over the pesticides that encounter their produce (Godman 2012). In one study, the potential of aquaponics as an effective system for urban agriculture was analyzed (Lampreia dos Santo 2016). One outcome of this research examined where aquaponics could fit in an urban setting, stating that abandoned industrial buildings could become an effective housing area for aquaponics setups. This could decrease the cost of the produce due to the decreased value of the property itself. In addition, using aquaponics in Urban centers could decrease the prevalence of food deserts. These food deserts are areas where either it is difficult to buy affordable, good-quality fresh food or where there is too much distance between grocery stores (Crow 2018). Methods for observations to take place. The blueprint for the This experiment began with the collection of experiment (Fig. 1) demonstrates the plan for how the literary research on similar experiments. Research was system was set up. The cost of the system deviated done into which plants would work best in a media- slightly from the original budget in the parts, but the based system. The use of goldfish in the fish tank are overall budget stayed the same. The status of the project best suited for the tank size and will provide the is still ongoing, but the preliminary results found that appropriate amount of fertilization. In addition to the plants were successful in the system, but due to the background research, supplies were purchased, but the size of the system very few plants can be grown at a system will still need to be constructed (see Fig. 1). The time. As expected, a 10-gallon tank was not very final setup of the system may differ from the blueprint effective for how much produce a family of four depending on the supplies that have been purchased. requires. Due to circumstances and environmental Once the model is constructed, fish will be added to factors that occurred during the experimental process, cycle the tank, officially starting the system. Then Pak most of my plants died in March. This is most likely due choy, basil, romaine, and wheatgrass will be used. to the fact that I had to completely move my project due These plants were chosen based on the hardiness of the to the quarantine and this may have caused imbalances plants. At this point, the system will be semi- in the chemicals of the tank. As for the results of the independent, the only input will be feeding the fish and analysis part of the experiment, current research being weekly to biweekly observations. Information on the done in multiple countries is demonstrating that it would growth (changes in height and appearance) of the plants be feasible for aquaponics to work in Urban will be recorded as part of the observations. Half-way environments. In areas that have food deserts, through data collection, analysis will begin. In this aquaponics warehouses in urban environments could phase the data collected will be analyzed, and a potentially decrease the prevalence of urban food guideline for comparison will need to be determined. It deserts. This would be due to the area selected for the will then be possible to see how scaling the project for warehouses and if the selected warehouses are in zones a cost-effective home system can be achieved. The where food deserts occur. Although to truly decrease guideline will then be used to see how it can be applied food deserts, smaller aquaponics systems will need to be to Urban Agronomy and filling food desert niches. encouraged in the homes of individual families. Results Discussion It took a long time to get funding for the It was not expected for a system with the base experiment, so for a majority of the time the project was of a 10 gallon high fish tank to be very effective in the just in the preliminary design stage for a large portion cost comparison, but a system this size was still be used of the time. The tank began cycling with the fish in the to gather crucial data to determine at what size the end of December so that plants could be added by mid system becomes cost effective vs the produce bill for a family of four and worth the investment of setting References up and maintaining. This system was also used as a Crowe, J., C. Lacy, and Y. Columbus, 2018. Barriers scaling point to determine how an aquaponics system to Food Security and Community Stress in an can be applied to Urban Agronomy. The main data Urban Food Desert.