Agriscience Students Transform Lab Into a Mini Ecosystem

Northshore High junior Beau Arieux said he knew nothing of aquaponics or hydroponics before enrolling in the school’s agriscience education class two years ago. Now he can tell you in detail how to grow plants without soil — hydroponics — and how fish wastewater can be used in an enclosed system to do the same thing — aquaponics. “To see it done and be a part of the process is a lot of fun,” Arieux said. “You learn so much but most of the work is hands-on. And it’s really common sense on how to do all this.”

Northshore agriscience teachers Paul Payne and Paul Theriot have developed and built a lab — with the help of students — that holds two 1,200-gallon fish tanks that grow hybrid bream. The facility also houses several hydroponic and aquaponic units.

It’s these unique programs that have filled Northshore’s agriscience classes despite the fact that there are few farm or rural students in the subdivisions east of Slidell who attend the suburban school. From the lab, the students learn about the latest techniques in growing plants without soil and how to farm fish, a part of aquaculture.

Tooling Up for Hydroponics

If You Feed Me, I’ll Feed You

Ken Konschel, 49, of Empangeni in KwaZulu-Natal, has won the Inventor Award from the International Foundation for Science in Sweden for his self-sustaining farm on which fish, vegetables, chicken and worms feed off each other.

A series of pipes connects a 40 000-litre fish tank to a hydroponic farm. Waste from fish is used as liquid fertiliser for the plants, which are grown in water. The roots of the plants, in turn, filter algae and excess fish food from the water. The filtered water is then pumped back into the tank.
Konschel breeds red-breasted tilapia or bream, which feed on lettuce, carrot leaves, lawn cuttings and spinach.

“Nothing goes to waste,” says Konschel, who has spent two years in the US studying the latest technology in fish farming. “The system provides fresh, nutritious fish and organic vegetables, irrespective of seasonal or climatic changes. It also uses very little water.” He also breeds chickens whose waste is used as compost in his vegetable gardens and to feed worms – which in turn are used to feed fish. Konschel says he wants to teach his methods to local people.
The Source

Tooling Up for Hydroponics

Recycled Water Put to Good Use

NORTH East Water is leading a series of scientific trials that will see hydroponic lettuces grown with recycled water. Trial co-ordinator Ms Brooke Anderson said the project would involve growing 300 plants with three different water sources: class A water which is high-quality recycled water from waste water treatment, class C which is lower quality recycled water, and river water. “We are investigating the microbiological effects of growing the lettuces hydroponically with each of the three sources of water, and aiming to prove that our class A water is a safe and reliable source for the horticulture industry,” Ms Anderson said.

“The West Wodonga wastewater treatment plant produces the class A water in line with strict EPA (Environment Protection Authority) guidelines, and it is 100 per cent safe to use on fruit and vegetables for human consumption.” She said class A water was considered cleaner than river water because it was treated with chlorine. Along with testing the water being used in the tests, the lettuce will be tested for any bacteria or viruses that may have been transmitted to the plants from the water.

The eight-week trial involves North East Water, the Wodonga Institute of TAFE, Melbourne University and Yackandandah hydroponic producer Gnangara Premium Fresh and is funded through the Victorian Governments Water for Growth.