The Aquapioneers kit can transform an aquarium into an aquaponic ecosystem. At the intersection of hardware and ecology, the ecosystem will allow you to grow fresh and tasty food all year round. This little piece of nature, will engage and inspire you, your family and your friends. What makes the Aquapioneers kit different from other aquaponics kits, is its open source design, which was designed so that anyone can download and manufacture the kit locally in any digital manufacturing workshop, maker space or fab lab.
In 2016, I quit my corporate job to work on a personal project related to use of small scale Aquaponics for education purpose for schools and companies.
Aquaponics is an innovative farming method that combines fish culture and crop production. In short, it is a closed-loop ecosystem which recycles fish waste into organic fertiliser for plants. In return, the plants purify the water for the fish
To prototype my idea, I started the Fab Academy, a six months hands-on learning experience piloted by the MIT, where students learn rapid-prototyping techniques (i.e. 3D printing, laser cutting, CNC milling, electronics, etc) to learn how to make (almost) anything: the perfect program to kickstart my project.
I did this program at Valldaura Self-Sufficient Labs, an academic research facility focused on Self-Sufficiency, located in the Collserola Natural Park near by Barcelona.
During my first experiments at the Green Fab Lab I met Loic, who became my partner on this project. We started by improving my prototype and beta-tested it in various places in Barcelona and beyond. During the three years of Aquapioneers' adventure, I've continued piloting the improvement of the Aquapioneers Kit design & fabrication both on hardware and software aspect plus working on the Open Source part of the project while my partner was focusing on biology.
The Ecosystem uses a natural process called Aquaponics, which harnesses the relationships between beneficial microorganisms, fish, and plants to grow fresh & delicious produce. The fish process the food they receive and produce ammonia-rich waste. Microorganisms convert the ammonia into nitrates (organic plant fertiliser), simultaneously supplying the plants with nutrients and the fish with clean water!As a result of this natural process, you won’t have to clean the tank again, or worry about the freshness of your food!
Without water the system weight more or less 25 kg. Once the aquarium is filled up and the growbed full of clay pebble the entire system will weight around 100kg.
The Ecosystem’s LEDs will allow you to grow your favorite aromatics all year round. This LED just to use the right light spectrum to activate the photosynthesis while providing a reduction of up to 80% in energy consumption compared to a traditional growing light.
The Aquapioneers ecosystem is mainly use for three different purposes:
@Home to have a self-sustaining ecosystem using the beauty of aquaponics in their own home to grow, learn and discover with, all-year-round
@School The undeniable benefit of having an aquaponics ecosystem in class is the increased participation that you will get from the students as a result. Throughout the year, we will create personalised workshops to improve collaboration between teachers and students, create a sense of responsibility, etc.
@Work When people have the opportunity to interact with nature, there is a reduction in stress and an improvement in their well-being. The inauguration of an aquaponics ecosystem in the office will greatly improve the atmosphere of your company.
What makes the Aquapioneers kit different from other aquaponics kits, is its open source design (creative license CC-BY-NC 4.0), which was designed so that anyone can download and manufacture the kit locally in any digital manufacturing workshop.
The construction user manual has been divided into four illustrated reports following the Aquapioneers Ecosystem anatomy to ease its construction, assembly and use.
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Check out these links to locate the closest makerspace to your city:
● www.fablabs.io (fab la network)
● www.themakermap.com
● www.fabhub.io
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Check out these links to locate the closestMakerspace to your city:
● www.themakermap.com
● The Fablabs network: www.fablabs.io
● and also www.fabhub.io
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Check out these links to locate the closestMakerspace to your city:
● www.themakermap.com
● The Fablabs network: www.fablabs.io
● and also www.fabhub.io
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Check out these links to locate the closestMakerspace to your city:
● www.themakermap.com
● The Fablabs network: www.fablabs.io
● and also www.fabhub.io
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Check out these links to locate the closestMakerspace to your city:
● www.themakermap.com
● The Fablabs network: www.fablabs.io
● and also www.fabhub.io
A Youtube channel is available with several video tutorials to help you maintain the ecosystem with confidence
