Hi HN, Andrew here. I'm the AutoMicroFarm founder. Really happy to finally have this prototype finished, and available. Let me know if you have any questions!
Have you gone through a winter in this area with the unit in a greenhouse? Any reports on how that worked out?
I have an HOA, as well. In our bylaws, we're allowed a garden of 50 square feet without explicit permission, so I didn't apply for an arch. request. But I'd be happy to help any customers apply.
My first prototype was in a greenhouse in Cary. I was able to continue growing through the winter, but everything (understandably) grew slower. See my previous blog posts for more detail: http://blog.automicrofarm.com/page/3
Incidentally, the first comment I received was about "farmed fish."
Your project is very cool, I think you're doing an amazing job. Keep it up!
The fastest-growing fish used for aquaponics is tilapia, which can reach maturity in six months. But, they require for the water temperature to stay above 60F (15C), and really prefer water above 85F (30C). Other fish take 9 or more months to mature.
Thanks!
What numbers are you basing this on? That is, do you have an estimated yield in lbs. for what one system can produce?
If this system has similar levels of productivity, it would produce 360 lbs annually, so two systems get you 2 lbs of food daily.
A sound stocking density for tilapia would be around 50-60 kg/m3. If you keep temperatures high (28-30°C) you can have two harvests in one year. Tilapia has approximately 40% filet, so you can produce roundabout 50kg of edible fish fillet in one cubic meter fish tank.
With such a fish tank you can approximately produce nutrients for ten square meters of grow beds. A realistic estimate for the yield would be 10kg of produce per square meter per year, maybe a little higher if you take good care of the system. So that would give you 100-150 kg of produce per year with a 16sqm green house, a one cubic meter fish tank and ten sqm grow beds.
The recommended consumption of produce is 100-150 kg per year. So your system could cover your produce consumption for one person.
You still need carbohydrates (grains) and oil (rape seeds and sun flower and such) and protein. The fish will not cover your protein demand.
You'll also have to keep in mind that depending on how you run the system you'll have a lot of fish twice a year. Staggered production is not possible in one smallish fish tank.
Ideally I would like to have something like this for indoors. Are there any plans to offer a non-backyard version at some point in the future?
Edit: http://www.pompieripizza.com/Pompieri_Pizza/Fish_Tanks.html
There are a lot of indoor options available, but they are pretty small in size, and might produce a salad a week at the most. That's really not AutoMicroFarm's vision.
If you are thinking something that's larger in size, that's a possibility in the future. AutoMicroFarm would have to solve the issue of the weight (the water and sand in the current system are about 1.5 tons). Also, the cost of the LED lighting would have to come down before it is affordable.
With Colorado and Washington state (and I believe Alaska) now allowing homeowners to legally grow cannabis, I think a smaller version of this product for indoor use would have a market. It doesn't have to produce a large yield, and people would really like the aesthetic aspect of a closed cycle with fish involved.
Can you explain what makes it better than planting a traditional garden? I came away from the page with the impression that it is better, but I'm not entirely sure what makes it so.
* You get fish
* Better yield, due to items mentioned below
* The optimal watering cycle, followed by a drain cycle, means the plants get the air, water, and nutrients they need multiple times a day.
* The water being reused means you need only 10% of it
* Going organic is really easy: just feed the fish organic fish feed
* No soil diseases
* Virtually no weeds (I’ve picked ~3 weeds over the course of the 1.5 years I ran my initial proof-of-concept prototype)
* Minimal maintenance: only need to plant, harvest, prune, and feed the fish
1. Are you in California? If so, can you comment on how easy/hard it is to get Tilapia for a setup like this? I know someone living near Campbell who had trouble legally getting any of the Tilapia species that are suitable for aquaculture. The California department of Fish and Wildlife apparently considers most or all Tilapia to be invasive species. (Oddly enough, I see T. buttikoferi in pet stores every now and then, but they're too expensive to eat.)
2. Is using PVC really that bad? I've been in the aquarium hobby for over half my life now, and I can't remember ever seeing a single DIY aquarium plumbing project that didn't use PVC. PVC seems particularly ubiquitous for elbows and fittings--how hard/expensive is it to get PEX fittings at retail?
2. I haven't been able to find a lot of hard facts about PVC, other than the fact that it supposedly bad for fish you want to eat eventually. In any case, PEX piping and fittings are readily available online and in Home Depot and Lowes stores.
Also, may have missed it, but do you plant the seeds right into the sand or sprout them first somewhere else? (I know basically nothing about gardening, sorry)
Great idea, and very tempting when I get into a new house.
The easiest way to get started is by planting the seeds into the sand, just push them in with your finger. I did plant sprouts in about half of each veggie bed, but I had to wash dirt off their roots, which really put them into shock.
The climate in our house varies so much that we need a heater in the winter and a cooler in the summer to keep it habitable. An additional grow room for plants would require the same and the cost would seem to outweigh the benefits, although I'm willing to be convinced otherwise.