Designing an Aquaponic Greenhouse for an Urban Food

Efficiency

Easiness

Installation

Backflow Maintenance

Amortization

Hazards

(oil leak)

Cost per

800 GPH

Impeller High Yes YES Low No 60 $

Airlift Low Yes YES High Yes 90 $

Peristaltic

PUMP

Very Low

For water

Yes No High No 25 $

*GPH (Gallons per Hour)
** Price amazon.com
Sources:http://chicoaquaponic.blogspot.com/2012/07/choosing-pump.html
: http://groponix.com/what-is-an-airlift/
: The Engineering Toolbox, copywriter 2005, http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/
: http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/ah810e/AH810E05.htm#5.3.1
Table 7 Advantages and Disadvantages of Pump Types

The traditional impeller pump shows the most promise for use in an aquaponic system. This pump is
used most in aquaponics and is very efficient. It is very reliable gives piece of mind since the technology
is well tested.

2.3.2.5 Filtration
Filtration is another important aspect of our aquaponics system. It IS important because it gets rid of
solid waste, cleans up the system from organic and inorganic waste, and maintains a safe environment
for the plants and fish too. The two main types of filtration are biological and mechanical.

Biological filter (Figure 25 ) regulates the growth of the bacteria and other microorganism in the system.
On the other hand the mechanical filter removes the solid and inorganic waste from the system. Those
two type of filter assure that the system is clan and the ecosystem is in appropriate parameters.

Figure 25. Biological Filter

The common types of bio filters are: trickling bio filter, fluidized bed, rotating bed bio filter. When
design a circuit we tend to choose the one that is more flexible and I suited to every situation in our
system. (Nate Storey, 2014) Biological Surface Area (BSA) is the amount of surface area inside your
system that microbes can live on. BSA is very important in aquaponic systems because these microbes
are the engines of a healthy aquaponics system. They oxidize ammonia, assist in nitrification and
mineralizes materials like iron in order to foster healthy plant growth and a healthy system overall.

Bio fouling (Stanczak, 2012) is simply the attachment of an organism or organisms to a surface in contact
with water for a period of time.

In some cases we would need more than one types of filter depending on the type of plants and fish we
would use. In these cases we would need a filter that combines well with the other biological filters.
Table 6 shows the differed between them.