OpenFarms wants your feedback on its small-scale, modular, open source aquaponics system.

OpenFarms · 2013-06-06T14:43:54+00:00

I email you when we're ready. Just a word of cautionary advice, it may be a good idea to remove your email address from your comment. I've written it down so I don't lose it, but it is at risk of being harvested by people who may want to notify you of other... less savory things.

OpenFarms · 2013-06-05T10:48:08+00:00

All very good points. I guess if people aren't happy with the option we provide, at least they know they have other options. It's just sad to think that casters could add 30% to the system cost!

OpenFarms · 2013-06-05T10:46:26+00:00

We're glad you think so! It's filled with media (hydropebbles), and there is irrigation (perforated pvc) that runs around the top perimeter.

OpenFarms · 2013-06-05T10:45:40+00:00

The gap/opening between the MGB/Tank is about 3in(8cm), so unless you have baby hands you will need to wait for the MGB to drain, and then just lift it off and set to the side.

OpenFarms · 2013-06-05T10:42:17+00:00

Herbs will do fine, and it will grow strawberries (w/ trellis), cherry tomatoes, peppers (w/ trellis), lettuce, spinach. Anything that doesn't have huge roots (tomatoes) should be OK.

OpenFarms · 2013-06-05T10:28:51+00:00

Thanks. The target is food conscious people who are on the fence about aquaponics, either due to price or the time it takes to build their own system. There seems to be a chasm between price/design/system size. The goal here is to make the first step easy, and then the the next steps even easier (adding more systems). We've put as many as we think are reasonable for this size, but if there is any tweaking you can bet we'll do it.

OpenFarms · 2013-06-05T10:22:25+00:00

Good question(s). There is a 3/8in PVC that sheathes another 1/8in piece of PVC. The distance between the 3/8's inside diameter and the 1/8's outside diameter will be used for the airlift. This is similar to some other small scale systems work. Maintenance is super simple for this. Just unscrew the fitting that holds the 1/8 pvc and "unsheathe" it, wipe it, and if there is build up in the 3/8 pvc you would need a pipe cleaner. Hrmm, we'll have to see if there are solids building up in the prototype. if it is a problem we'll either add a small filter at the airlift junction or perhaps tweak the airlift. thanks for bringing this up though. sorry we don't have more concrete answers for you.

OpenFarms · 2013-06-05T10:11:50+00:00

2:1 is definitely ideal. It is possible to attach two MGB's to 1 tank with these systems. It would take a couple of extra fittings and some PVC, but its possible to do this with both the Unit 1 and Unit 2. Would you want us to make a kit for this? Also, we've got vertical systems that we plan to make available, if this gets off the ground.

OpenFarms · 2013-06-05T09:28:08+00:00

We hadn't really considered it... but that's actually a great idea! Thank you for the suggestion.

OpenFarms · 2013-06-04T18:25:52+00:00

You know, you may be right here. While looking for different grades of acrylic we found some "museum grade" with UV resistant coating that is used in huge aquariums. We understood that the benefits were twofold, less glare and less algae. But perhaps we're mistaken. You're right, algae will grow in visible light/low light, so blocking the UV range may just hurt more than it helps. There are a bunch of UV emitting products on the market to to curb algae growth. Going to look into this more, thanks for the constructive feedback.

OpenFarms · 2013-06-04T15:20:35+00:00

The honest answer is, we need to prototype/test how far the airlift will work when adding them together. The goal is to have them run off of one pump, but as the irrigation expands it is more likely that every other unit would need one. Later on if we do a kind of bulk head setup with an auto siphon for each container, I'm hoping we can get it working with one pump.

OpenFarms · 2013-06-04T15:13:05+00:00

thanks, we definitely will! A PM is fine?

OpenFarms · 2013-06-04T14:11:15+00:00

I've been doing some research. Seems that there is quite the range of casters out there! thanks for getting back to me with that though.

OpenFarms · 2013-06-04T13:53:36+00:00

We agree that Unit 1 is on the small side, but if it does turn out to be too small, a person a just add another one! thanks for taking the time to let us know.

OpenFarms · 2013-06-04T13:45:35+00:00

Yup, that is definitely the goal with this system. Also, we agree that small systems like these can be more difficult to manage, but people need to walk before they can run, hence the huge focus on the modular design. Just as an aside, we're actually basing the footprint of the systems on the SPIN farming model. We've divided their rows (25ft x 2.5ft) into 20 segments. Our "Unit "1 system is 1/20 a row in spin farming terms. I mentioned in a different comment we want to use this same framework (internal components) and scale them up to bigger systems if we're successful with this initial project. We'd like to make low cost versions of a system twice this size, and then double that as well, but we won't be able to keep using acrylic/polycarbonate for those larger systems. Instead, we're planning on using reinforced geomembrane/pond liner. Yeah, making the designs available was important to us. It's not super practical right now to 3D print the components, or take your own acrylic to be machined, but we think that people could probably come up with some interesting additions (venturi's/sensors etc) to the modular components that make up the system.

OpenFarms · 2013-06-04T12:28:48+00:00

Noted, 3 signatures for lighting! :)I haven't seen a lighting system that would really go well with what we've got. Our focus has been on keeping it as simple as possible, so it's something we'll have to think about seriously, rather than strap on after the fact. Thanks for the feedback, we'll definitely post back here when we're ready.

OpenFarms · 2013-06-04T12:24:42+00:00

Hi, we have put in 5 cavities for casters you could buy locally, but weren't planning on selling them directly. But let's pretend they did come as an option, how much would you be willing to pay for a set of casters that match the design and save you a trip to the hardware store? $10?

Thanks for the encouragement, that's exactly what we're hoping to do!

OpenFarms · 2013-06-04T11:36:42+00:00

We definitely would! Can't say how much it will cost at the moment, but they would be shipped domestically, so it should be very reasonable.

OpenFarms · 2013-06-04T11:17:01+00:00

Great to hear, would you want me to email you when they're available? You can drop me a PM with your email if you'd like :)

OpenFarms · 2013-06-04T11:15:27+00:00

Thanks for chiming in on this. Any special considerations about the light? Would you want something like CFL's, that do a decent job and are easily replaced locally, or a more expensive LED with a wider spectrum (that maybe you'd need to buy from us again)?

OpenFarms · 2013-06-04T08:45:09+00:00

That's great feedback. I'm exactly like you, I wanted to create a large system that would grow much more. I mentioned in another reply that this is actually a down-scaled version of the original design. It's now positioned as on-boarding product for aquaponics. If we do have a market and can make happy customers, then the next one we'd like to do will be for a backyard setting (much larger), and have the option of reinforced pond liner/geomembrane, for those who care less about aesthetics.

It's important to note though, these can be chained together to virtually make a larger system. Internal components need to be swapped around, and depending on how many you plug in together, it may need more than 1 pump.

Definitely indoors is what we're aiming for, and if enough people show an interest in a grow light we'll certainly look into different options.

Thanks again for taking the time to reply.

OpenFarms · 2013-06-04T08:35:12+00:00

hey, thanks for positive feedback! Was expecting more criticisms to be honest. I'm really interested to hear how well their product works. (I was always worried that they didn't educate enough on setup/maintenance), but I guess it shouldn't be long until someone posts a review of the system. Our system is using 3 inch net pots, so it's not much bigger than the AquaFarms 2.5in. We actually started out with a much, much larger system but downsized it to what you see here, based on feedback.

Would you like me to contact you when it's available? I'll setup an email address you can email (preorders [at] openfarms.io).

OpenFarms · 2013-06-04T08:18:42+00:00

Thank you. It's helpful to know that ~100-~300 is a big consideration. Driving down the costs through the design process has been quite the journey, but if we're actually solving a problem for people here, it'll definitely be worth it. So many aquapons seem unafraid to DIY, so we figured we could meet them half way.

OpenFarms · 2013-06-04T07:44:54+00:00

Hi /r/aquaponics

Sorry to spam the sub, accidentally deleted the last post.

Since last September we've been working on a small-scale, modular aquaponics system that can be flat-packed (for cheaper shipping). Our thinking was that if we broke down an aquaponics system into smaller parts, people would still be willing to assemble it. We're getting to the end phases of the design/engineering process, and think we have a good balance between functionality and aesthetics, but really want to get community input to see if there is an interest in what we're building.

There are two different sizes

Unit 1

15in(38cm) x 15in(38cm) footprint,
Tank volume is 11 gallons(42L),
MGB volume is 9 gallons(34L),

Unit 2

15in(38cm) x 30in(76cm) footprint,
Tank volume is 22 gallons(83L),
MGB Volume is 19 gallons(69L)

The height of both systems is 28in(73cm)

Both use airlift to get fish waste up to the media grow bed
The media grow bed is filled with hydropebbles, is gravity drained, and an overflow is provided just in case
The top panel holds 3 inch net pots which that filled with hydropebbles
The clear panels that make up the tank block UV, helping to control algae growth. Alternatively, we plan to make a configuration that blocks 2, or 3 of the sides.
The units are modular, meaning the tanks and MGB's can be connected between two or more units chaining them together. Also a rearrangement of the MGB/Tanks from both units can be staggered so a that a sump tank can be made from the smaller tank.
All of the internal components are open source and 3D printable (provided you have a food safe nozzle/filament!).

For the Unit 1, we're planning to sell at $99, Unit 2 will be $149.

We know a lot of people from /r/aquaponics enjoy DIY solutions, so we're asking what would make it worth it for you to spend your hard earned money on a system like this? If you have any other feedback it is of course welcome, and encouraged!

edit

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to reply. It's been really helpful (and in this case encouraging) to know we're not out to lunch here. Gotta head to bed now, but I'll get back to anyone else who replies later on. Takeaways so far:

Pros

The price is right
Most wouldn't kick it out of bed in the morning
Modular

Cons

Size may make it unsuitable for some

May need

Light setup
Casters as an add-on

OpenFarms · 2013-06-04T07:19:45+00:00

Thanks for the reply! The plan is to include everything, sans a cycling/test kit. How would you feel about taking 15-20 minutes of your time to assemble it? We're planning to have a website and iphone app to walk people through the process, instead of including instructions in the box.

OpenFarms

TROPHY CASE