Open Source Ecology - User contributions [en]

Team

2012-04-18T04:28:01Z

NathanC: /* Wiki Curators */

{{RightTOC}}
* Note: The [[:Category: Team Culturing]] lists the Team Culturing Surveys of participants describing their roles and interests in this project.
* Please '''read the page''' on [[Team Culturing]] and '''fill out the survey''' (as described on that page) if you want to join one of the teams.

=Core Team=

* [[Marcin Jakubowski]] - OSE Founder and Director
* [[Isaiah Saxon]] – Media Director
* [[Adrian Hong]] - Advisor
* [[Julia Valentine]] - Resource Development, Donor Relations '''(inactive)'''
* [[Luis Diaz]] - Business Consultant
* [[Angel Rodriguez]] - Operations Manager '''(inactive)'''
* [[Elifarley Cruz]] - Web Administrator

=Board of Advisors=
* [[Judith Katz]] - Community Development
* [[Adrian Hong]] - Organizational Advisor

=Project Leaders=

- THIS LIST IS NOT CURRENT -
* [[Jershonda Baker]] - lathe component of Multimachine; joined June, 2011
* [[Eric MacNeil]] - CNC multimachine; joined April, 2011
* [[Sebastian Tsakok]] - [[Ironworker]] design and CAD, joined May, 2011
* [[Mark J Norton]] - [[Modern Steam Engine]], joined April, 2011
* [[Marcin Jakubowski]] - [[CNC Torch/Router Table]], [[Tractor]], [[Micro Tractor]] joined 2004
* [[Mark Rudnicki]] - [[Open Source Car]], Joined April, 2011
* [[Blair Evans]] - [[CNC Circuit Mill]], Joined April, 2011
* [[Yoonseo Kang]] - [[Industrial Robot]], Joined April, 2011
* [[Tim Corrigan]] - [[Universal Power Supply]], Joined April 2011
* [[Peter Koeleman]] - [[3D Printer]], Joined 2009

=CAD Team=

* [[Chris Fornof]] - Factor e Farm
* [[Mike Apostol]] - Factor e Farm - SolidWorks on a Lenovo W520
* [[Damien Gendron]] - Senior Draftsman by trade - 3D Solid Modeling - construction drawings '''(inactive)'''
* [[Rick Berry]] - fabrication drawings for CEB press '''(inactive)'''
* [[Mark Hopewell]] - AutoCAD, Modeling, Drawing '''(inactive)'''
* [[William CleaverH]] '''(inactive)'''
* [[Marcin Jakubowski]] - AutoCAD Inventor on a 2.6Ghz HP Pavilion g7-1075dx Notebook, in-house at Factor e Farm

More info at the [[Development_Team/CAD_Team|CAD Team]] Page.

=Instructionals Team=

=Fabrication Documentation Team (Factor e Farm)=
* [[Marcin Jakubowski]]
* [[Chris Fornof]]
* [[Louis Theodore Getterman IV]]
* [[William Neal]]
* [[Ryan Lutz]]

=Technical Review Team=

See [[GVCS Technical Review Team]]

=GVCS Team: Subject Matter Experts and Co-developers=

- THIS LIST IS NOT CURRENT -
* [[Tim Corrigan]] - inverter component of [[Universal Power Supply]], joined April, 2011
* [[Randy Childers]] - peltier cell option for solar thermal electric concentrator
* [[Mark Rudnicki]] - [[Open Source Car]]
* [[Rich Jergenson]] - Grid Beam vehicles
* [[Thad Getterman]] - computer vision for [[Torch Table]]
* [[Nikolay Georgiev]] - [[Crowdmap]] for the GVCS development team
* [[AJ Manoulian]] - [[Open Source Charge Controller]], joined April, 2011
* [[Sam Putnam]], [[Makerbeam]]
* [[Edward McCullough]], [[McCullough and Associates]]– Extraction of aluminum from clay
* Ben Cooper, [[Community for Tomorrow]]
* [[Andrew Langford]], [http://www.gaiauniversity.org/ GAIA University]
* [[Dan Granett]] - Precision CNC Multimachine
* [[Sid Jordan]] - fabrication and hot metal process development; prototyping & design
* [[Karl Petersen]] - modern steam engine, steam generator, gasifier burner
* [[Addie and Stefan]] - [[Nortd Labs]] - Laser Cutter, [[Lasersaur]], stepper motor controls?
* [[Paul Nonn]] - high frequency and other power supplies; Induction Furnace, Plasma Cutter
* [[George Gleason]] - Cement Mixer
* [[James Jones]] – [[CubeSpawn]] fabrication toolchain development; proposed platform for CNC Mill; prototyping
* [[Ross Wilkinson]] - moldless casting, continuous casting
* [[Brooke Lehman]] - contacts to [http://www.yansa.org/ Yansa] leadership
* [[Bill Haessly]] - plastic extruder
* [[Bryan Burgess]] - combine
* [[Sweiger]] - fabrication

* [[John Stupica]] - project management
* [[Damien Gendron]] - General Fabrication - CNC Machining

=Prototyping and Testing=

- THIS LIST IS NOT CURRENT -
* [[William Cleaver]] - LifeTrac CAD, CAM
* [[Solar Concentrator]] - Daan van Geijlswijk, McCullough contacts, Erin Rosenthal contacts, John Ellis->Tammy Tamson of Google Solar
* [[RepRap]] – Peter Koeleman prototyping of both Darwin and Mendel versions1
* [[Alex Perry]], FLOFarm - sawmill design and prototyping
* [[Maya Whitner]] -
* [[Larry Rand]] - oxyhydrogen torch metal cutting systems
* [[Brandin Watson]] - well-drilling rig
* [[Sweiger Shop]], Missouri
* [[Open Source Flour Mill]]
* [[Torch Table]] - Thad Getterman
* [[DC Battery Charger]] - Michael Sklar
* [[Zuzanna Drozdz]] - Universal Seeder
* [[Rosa Chavez-Adams]], [[David Garrett]], [[Larry Rand]] - field testing of Tractor/CEB/Pulverizer package

=Wiki Curators=

- THIS LIST IS NOT CURRENT -
* [[Elifarley Cruz]] - admin for wiki, blog, and forums
* [[Mark J Norton]] - Modern Steam Engine Curator
* [[GVCS Master Index]] Curator - [[Miquel Torres]]
* GVCS [[Proposal 2012]] Curator - [[Miquel Torres]]
* [[Lucas Gonzalez]] - Translations Curator
* [[Nikolay Georgiev]] - [[Crash Course]] and [[Team Culturing]] curator
* Looking for a [[True_Fans_Curator]]
* [[Floyd Earl Smith]] - CEB Product Page curator
* [[Marie Byleen]] - Main Page Curator?
* [[Product Ecologies]] wiki page curator, and [[Instructional Page Template]] standards development - [[Isaiah Saxon]]
* [[William Cleaver]] - LifeTrac forum moderator
* [[Floyd Earl Smith]] - ?
* [[Karl Petersen]] - 1 kW Modern Steam Engine Generator forum moderator?
* [[Lloyd Minick]] - Education Forum moderator
* [[Support OSE]] curator - ?
* [http://opensourceecology.org/wiki/User:Gregortheinventor Gregor Folouk] - General.
* [[Dave Menninger]]
* [[Nathan Cravens]]

New wiki curators should see [[Wiki Curation]] to get started.

=Forum Moderators=

* [[Elifarley Cruz]], [[Ori Shmolovsky]], [[Lucas Gonzalez]], [[Damien Gendron]] - General Forum moderators?
* [[Elifarley Cruz]] - General Discussion
* [[Julia Valentine]] - Resource Development (technical)
* [[Marcin Jakubowsk]] - LifeTrac, Torch Table
* [[Alex of Flofarm]] - Dimensional sawmill forum moderator
* [[Marcin Jakubowski]] - CNC Torch table, LifeTrac, Torch Table forum moderator
* [[Bryan Burgess]] - Microcombine forum moderator

See [[Forum Moderator Duties]]

=IT Team=
See the [[Development Team/IT Team|IT Team]] page for more information on this team.

See the list of current members at [[:Category: IT team member]]

Some of them are:
* [[Keith Weinberg]] - contacted on 4/16/11
* [[Nikolay Georgiev]] - [[Crash Course]] curator
* [[Thad Getterman]] - Facebook Curator
* [[Jeb Bateman]] - Twitter @OSEcology
* [[Marcin Jakubowski]],[[Floyd Earl Smith]] - Twitter
* [[Michael Koch]] - [[Open+Pario]] repository
* [[Elifarley Cruz]] - [http://www.linkedin.com/companies/open-source-ecology Linkedin] page for OSE
* [[David Richards]] - GVCS tools page
* [[Wojtek Szywalski]] - Web Design, TEDxKrakow

=Documentation and Video Instructionals Team=
* [[Tristan Waldroop]] - Animations
* [[Michal Napierzynski]] - Instructionals Production (from [http://dobraidea.pl/2011/04/marcin-jakubowski-open-source-ecology/ DobraIdea.com])
* [[Curt Beckmann]] - documentation dedicated project visits
* [[Rick Berry]] - professional fabrication drawings for [[The Liberator]] CEB Press '''(inactive)'''
* [[Floyd Smith]] - CEB [[Product Template]]
* [[Rosa Chavez-Adams]] - documentation of CEB construction, June-July, 2011

=Academic Research and Teams=

* [[Andrew Langford]] - development of Ph.D. programs on the GVCS at [[Gaia University]]
* [[Lloyd Minnick]] - development of holistic GVCS-based curriculum
* [[Juliet Schor]], author, Professor, Boston College - has received a McArthur Fellowship to do a case study on the development of distributive economic systems, with case study of [[Factor e Farm]]
* Lars, [[MIT Global Challenge]]

=Fabrication Team=

- THIS LIST IS NOT CURRENT -
* [[Marcin Jakubowski]]
* [[Maya Whitner]]
* [[Jefferson Howery]]

=Natural Building Team=

- THIS LIST IS NOT CURRENT -
* [[Pawel Sroczynski]]- [[Cohabitat Group]], modular housing
* [[Bjorn Kierulf]] - passive natural housing
* [[Max Vittrup]] - Big Bale

=TED Fellows Talk Review Team (4 Minutes only)=
* [[Isaiah Saxon]]
* [[Rebecca Porteous]], Strategic Networking Consultant

=Resource Development Team and Donor Relations=
; Needs a project manager
* See [[Resource Development Team]]

=Press Team=
* [[Leifur Thor]]
* [[Nikolay Georgiev]]

=Other=

==Proposal Audience==

* Bob Berkebile
* Puck Mickleby
* Tim O'Reilly and Saul
* Bill G.
* Glen Gall, Ohio branch of OSE

Village Design Integrated Proposal
* Lloyd Kahn, Shelter
* Jay Baldwin, Whole Earth Catalog
* Bob Berkebile, BNIM Architects

Subject Matter Expert Recruiting
* Micah from Kendra
* Larry Santoyo
* Sergio Lub

Bay Area Networking
* Jay Baldwin
* Sam Putnam
* Julian Nachtigal, parisoma innovation loft

* Open Source Hardware License endorser list - http://FreedomDefined.org/OSHW

== Translation team ==

Not sure if there's a specific page for the [[Translation]] team. I think there shouldn't be. I'm creating it under "others" pending validation by others. [[User:LucasG|LucasG]] See above under wiki and forum curators. Please fill out [[Team Culturing]] survey - the more we know about you, the more [[Development Process Transparency]]. Start filling in your team members here or request them to do so.

* [[User:LucasG|Lucas González]] -

[[Category:People]]

OSE@Home

2012-04-18T04:10:01Z

NathanC: /* Food & Water System */

=Overview=
OSE@Home is a package delivered to your door assembled at home with easy to follow video instructions to maintain the home self-sufficiently. No more utility bills and fuel costs!

The package includes an aquaponic farm to grow fish, beans, and vegetables. Water comes from the air using an atmospheric water generator powered by a diesel generator. The diesel generator runs on algae oil from a machine that nurtures algae growth and oil extraction. Solar and wind power components complete the package powering the home and feeding surplus energy back to the grid.

=OSE@Home Package Includes=

==Food & Water System==
* [http://opensourceecology.org/wiki/Aquaponics#Open-source_systems Food System]
** [http://automicrofarm.com/ AutoMicroFarm]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_water_generator Water System]

==Energy System==
* [http://opensourceecology.org/wiki/Solar_Panel Solar Panels]
* [http://opensourceecology.org/wiki/Wind Wind]
* [http://opensourceecology.org/wiki/Microbial_Fuel_Production Algae Biodiesel Fuel]

Eight Prerequisites for Post-Scarcity

2012-04-15T00:43:00Z

NathanC:

Fulfilling these points assure a stable 'true gift' world economic system.

* 0. Open Data
* 1. Public Resource System. Like Freecycle meets Facebook meets TinkerCAD
** Production Engine
*** Provides a design platform to create a novel design or uses ready-made designs
*** Determines where product and product parts are made
** Distribution Engine
*** Alerts automated vehicles to retrieve and deliver materials or products
* 2. Common Land. (i.e. La Via Campesina and Rajastan)
* 3. Materials Commons. Free material for product construction. Start with dumps before exploring extraction.
* 4. Industrial Commons. Places to go to make, learn, or have them made. (i.e. Open Source Ecology and Wikispeed)
* 5. Robotics Network. For transport, manufacturing, and service. Robots are divided into three types:
** Fabots - make things
** Servibots - feed materials to fabots and distribots or people
** Distribots - deliver materials to or from factory and user location
* 6. Transport Commons. Distribots are registered for non-commercial use for free to use road or rail built to last
* 7. Labor Commons. People willingly, and with a sense of purpose, work for free, and find such work fulfilling.

Eight Prerequisites for Post-Scarcity

2012-04-15T00:36:45Z

NathanC: Created page with "* 0. Open Data * 1. Public Resource System. Like Freecycle meets Facebook meets TinkerCAD ** Production Engine *** Provides a design platform to create a novel design or uses rea..."

* 0. Open Data
* 1. Public Resource System. Like Freecycle meets Facebook meets TinkerCAD
** Production Engine
*** Provides a design platform to create a novel design or uses ready-made designs
*** Determines where product and product parts are made
** Distribution Engine
*** Alerts automated vehicles to retrieve and deliver materials or products
* 2. Common Land. (i.e. La Via Campesina and Rajastan)
* 3. Materials Commons. Free material for product construction. Start with dumps before exploring extraction.
* 4. Industrial Commons. Places to go to make, learn, or have them made. (i.e. Open Source Ecology and Wikispeed)
* 5. Robotics Network. For transport, manufacturing, and service. Robots are divided into three types:
** Fabots - make things
** Servibots - feed materials to fabots and distribots or people
** Distribots - deliver materials to or from factory and user location
* 6. Transport Commons. Distribots are registered for non-commercial use for free to use road or rail built to last
* 7. Labor Commons. People willingly, and with a sense of purpose, work for free, and find such work fulfilling.

OSE@Home

2012-04-15T00:28:40Z

NathanC: Created page with "=Overview= OSE@Home is a package delivered to your door assembled at home with easy to follow video instructions to maintain the home self-sufficiently. No more utility bills and..."

=Overview=
OSE@Home is a package delivered to your door assembled at home with easy to follow video instructions to maintain the home self-sufficiently. No more utility bills and fuel costs!

The package includes an aquaponic farm to grow fish, beans, and vegetables. Water comes from the air using an atmospheric water generator powered by a diesel generator. The diesel generator runs on algae oil from a machine that nurtures algae growth and oil extraction. Solar and wind power components complete the package powering the home and feeding surplus energy back to the grid.

=OSE@Home Package Includes=

==Food & Water System==
* [http://opensourceecology.org/wiki/Aquaponics#Open-source_systems Food System]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_water_generator Water System]

==Energy System==
* [http://opensourceecology.org/wiki/Solar_Panel Solar Panels]
* [http://opensourceecology.org/wiki/Wind Wind]
* [http://opensourceecology.org/wiki/Microbial_Fuel_Production Algae Biodiesel Fuel]

Aquaponics

2012-04-15T00:11:44Z

NathanC: /* Open-source systems */

{{Category=Controlled-environment growing}}
Aquaponics is the combination of aquaculture (fish farming) and hydroponics (growing plants using water rather than soil). It is an incredibly productive means of growing food, allowing a person to sustain themselves on less than 100m2. Some people with large systems growing 5000 plants a week have reported that, once their system is set up, they earn €1000 a week spending 2 hours a day at work. Aquaponics is ecologically sound and sustainable. Scalable designs for systems are available online.

See also:

* [[Aquaponics/Research]]
* [[Aquaponics/Suggested Fish]]

==How aquaponics works==
[[File:Aquaponics.gif|center|850px]]
Edible fish are grown in a tank. Their poop enriches the water with nutrients. This enriched water is pumped into gravel beds with edible plants rooted in them. As the water flows through the gravel beds, the plants' roots and the bacteria that grow on the gravel take nutrients from the water. This both nourishes the plants and cleans the water. The water, now clean, flows back into the fish tank.

The system provides fish, vegetables and herbs for people. Some systems have grown fruit trees aquaponically, but this is still experimental.

==Feeding the fish==
*'''Commercially available fish food''' is the most common way of feeding the fish in aquaponics. The disadvantage is that your system then requires constant input of resources.
*'''Algae''' will grow endemically in nearly any body of still water. Fish will eat these, but in practice it is not possible to grow enough algae to sustain an aquaponic system. You can increase the fraction of the fish's requirements met by algae by providing a surface underwater for the algae to grow on. (Remember when you had a goldfish as a kid, and the little castle in his tank got covered with green stuff?) Use something with high surface area.
*'''[[Duckweed]]''', an extremely fast-growing high-protein pond weed, can be grown on the surface of the tank. There are species of duckweed adapted to nearly all climates.
*'''Insects'''. Herbs that attract insects can be grown in rafts on the surface of the fishtank. Mulberry and tea trees are used in aquaculture to attract insects as fish food.
*'''[[Worms]]''' from a compost heap can be fed to the fish. The worms can be fed with grass cuttings, food waste and other organic waste. Some of the compost from the wormery can be added to the water input to the gravel beds; this diversifies the nutrients the plants receive. Aquaponics combined with vermiculture is nearly a closed-loop system. Organic waste is converted into worms, worms into fish, fish into vegetables. The fish and the vegetables are converted into human life!
*'''[[Black Soldier Fly]] larvae'''. An integrated Black Soldier Fly and aquaponics system can turn 12kg of food waste into 1kg of delicious fish, plus the vegetables in the grow-beds.

Duckweed grows very fast and Black Soldier Fly larvae convert very efficiently. A system with a small duckweed tank, a wormery and a Black Soldier Fly bioconversion unit should have no problem getting by without buying fish food. This cuts operating costs to near zero. The more varied the fish's diet, the better they are likely to taste.

==System design==
A rule of thumb is that the volume of the gravel beds should be twice that of the fish tank. Gravel beds would typically be about 30cm deep.

Fish can normally be stocked at 2-3kg of fish per cubic meter of water.

The species of fish used depends on the climate.

==Water quality==
===Temperature===
The required temperature depends on the species of fish you want to grow. If you choose fish that are adapted to your local climate, you will save money on heating costs. Digital methods to measure temperatre, pH, dissolved oxygen, and possibly other parameters should be investigated as a way to gather information for system optimization, indications of system problems, and eventually labor savings.

===pH===
pH needs to be tested every week or more. A pH of around 6.2-6.4 is best, though this varies somewhat depending on the species of fish.

If pH gets too low, it could be a sign that parts of the gravel bed have developed anaerobic bacteria, which produce acids. If this happens, remove any plants with very large root systems, as these create pockets where air cannot get to.

If the pH is too high, it is generally a sign that the plant biofilters are not keeping up with the fish's production of ammonia. Plant more plants.

===Oxygenation===
Aquaponic systems require an air pump underwater. Having the flow from the gravel beds falling from a height and splashing into the fish tank will help oxygenate it too.

It is very important to keep the aerator pump running at all times. If the oxygen supply to the fish is cut off for just 45 minutes, you will have dead fish. For this reason, it is wise to have a backup air pump that will kick in if your pump fails. There can never be too much oxygen in the water; excess oxygen will bubble to the surface and escape.

===Nutrients===
A lot of aquaponic systems require calcium, potassium and iron to be added about every two weeks. If you have a wormery and add a little of the worm-compost to the water flowing into the gravel beds, this should provide these missing nutrients.

==Open-source systems==
* [http://farmfountain.com/howto/index.html Farm Fountain], an open-source, indoor, vertical aquaponic system.
* [http://www.fastonline.org/content/view/15/29/ Barrelponics] - Aquaponics in a barrel. Barrelponics definitely meets the [[OSE Specifications]]; it is a scalable, environmentally-friendly, open-source local food system.
* [http://blog.automicrofarm.com/ AutoMicroFarm] An open source barrelponics system under development.
* [http://theurbanfarmingguys.com/ The Urban Farming Guys] in Kansas City are developing a low-cost Aquaponics system. The [http://theurbanfarmingguys.com/aquaponics-how-to instructional video] outlines the principles of aquaponics. [http://theurbanfarmingguys.com/wiki/knowledgebase-2/aquaculture-aquaponics/aquaponics-system-plans/40-gallon-tote-basement-system Design for a small aquaponic system].

==Work to be done==
Aquaponics is still in its infancy and is developing every year. More research needs to be done into polycultured systems that can grow more than one type of fish. (Different fish require different water temperatures and pH, so some species are incompatible. However, tilapia and prawns - which are both delicious - have been farmed together in fish farms [http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/tilapia/prawns.php].) Another avenue of research would be to use lights or herbs to attract insects to the tank where the fish can eat them; another step towards making a more diverse, more closed-loop system.

===Concept for compost-heated, compost-powered aquaponic system===
Say you want to set up an aquaponics system. You decide to grow tilapia, because they have many advantages for aquaponics. But tilapia like a water temperature of 28-30°C (82-86°F) and you live in a climate where it gets cold in winter. Using good [[Greenhouses|greenhouse design]], you are able to stabilize the temperature year-round, but there's no way you'll get it up to 28-30° without a heat source. This will require an input of power, in addition to the power needed for the pump.

There could be a way to kill two birds with one stone: build a [[thermophilic compost]] heap against one side of the fish tank. The heat from the compost will warm the water up. It is very unlikely that you will make it too hot this way, because compost won't go much above 30°. Secondly, for the pump you keep a [[Stirling Engine with Hydraulic Transmission|stirling engine]] at the compost heap. This is driven by the heat of the composting and is hydraulically connected to the water pump. Just an idea...

==Resources==
* [http://www.fastonline.org/content/category/4/15/29/ Aquaponics info at F.A.S.T.]
* [http://www.backyardaquaponics.com Backyard Aquaponics] - Includes a thriving [http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/forum/ forum]
* [http://www.growingpower.org/ Growing Power] - a non-profit dedicated to educating people about growing food
* [http://www.friendlyaquaponics.com/ Friendly Aquaponics] - contains plans for systems
* [http://www.aquaponicsjournal.com/articles.php Aquaponics Journal articles]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquaponics#Further_reading Wikipedia aquaponics article] - Further Reading section
* [https://www.aquaponics.com/aquaponics/aquaponicsoverview.php ''Aquaponics Information'' at aquaponics.com]
* [[appropedia:Aquaponics|Aquaponics on Appropedia]]
* [http://www.windward.org/ Windward] - a self-sufficient community that uses aquaponics. They have an informative website.
* [http://socalfishfarm.com/fish/ SoCal Fish Farm] - a commercial aquaponics operation. Their website has good information on tilapia, shrimp, aquaponics and [[Greenhouses|solar greenhouses]]
* [http://passionforproduce.net/ Passion For Produce] - backyard aquaponics garden in Sarasota, FL
* [http://www.aquaponics-shop.com Aquaponics Shop] - Australia dedicated aquaponics shop with commercial assistance and research

==See Also==
*[[Animals]]
*[[Aquaculture]]
*[[Food]]

Aquaponics

2012-04-15T00:11:15Z

NathanC: /* Open-source systems */

{{Category=Controlled-environment growing}}
Aquaponics is the combination of aquaculture (fish farming) and hydroponics (growing plants using water rather than soil). It is an incredibly productive means of growing food, allowing a person to sustain themselves on less than 100m2. Some people with large systems growing 5000 plants a week have reported that, once their system is set up, they earn €1000 a week spending 2 hours a day at work. Aquaponics is ecologically sound and sustainable. Scalable designs for systems are available online.

See also:

* [[Aquaponics/Research]]
* [[Aquaponics/Suggested Fish]]

==How aquaponics works==
[[File:Aquaponics.gif|center|850px]]
Edible fish are grown in a tank. Their poop enriches the water with nutrients. This enriched water is pumped into gravel beds with edible plants rooted in them. As the water flows through the gravel beds, the plants' roots and the bacteria that grow on the gravel take nutrients from the water. This both nourishes the plants and cleans the water. The water, now clean, flows back into the fish tank.

The system provides fish, vegetables and herbs for people. Some systems have grown fruit trees aquaponically, but this is still experimental.

==Feeding the fish==
*'''Commercially available fish food''' is the most common way of feeding the fish in aquaponics. The disadvantage is that your system then requires constant input of resources.
*'''Algae''' will grow endemically in nearly any body of still water. Fish will eat these, but in practice it is not possible to grow enough algae to sustain an aquaponic system. You can increase the fraction of the fish's requirements met by algae by providing a surface underwater for the algae to grow on. (Remember when you had a goldfish as a kid, and the little castle in his tank got covered with green stuff?) Use something with high surface area.
*'''[[Duckweed]]''', an extremely fast-growing high-protein pond weed, can be grown on the surface of the tank. There are species of duckweed adapted to nearly all climates.
*'''Insects'''. Herbs that attract insects can be grown in rafts on the surface of the fishtank. Mulberry and tea trees are used in aquaculture to attract insects as fish food.
*'''[[Worms]]''' from a compost heap can be fed to the fish. The worms can be fed with grass cuttings, food waste and other organic waste. Some of the compost from the wormery can be added to the water input to the gravel beds; this diversifies the nutrients the plants receive. Aquaponics combined with vermiculture is nearly a closed-loop system. Organic waste is converted into worms, worms into fish, fish into vegetables. The fish and the vegetables are converted into human life!
*'''[[Black Soldier Fly]] larvae'''. An integrated Black Soldier Fly and aquaponics system can turn 12kg of food waste into 1kg of delicious fish, plus the vegetables in the grow-beds.

Duckweed grows very fast and Black Soldier Fly larvae convert very efficiently. A system with a small duckweed tank, a wormery and a Black Soldier Fly bioconversion unit should have no problem getting by without buying fish food. This cuts operating costs to near zero. The more varied the fish's diet, the better they are likely to taste.

==System design==
A rule of thumb is that the volume of the gravel beds should be twice that of the fish tank. Gravel beds would typically be about 30cm deep.

Fish can normally be stocked at 2-3kg of fish per cubic meter of water.

The species of fish used depends on the climate.

==Water quality==
===Temperature===
The required temperature depends on the species of fish you want to grow. If you choose fish that are adapted to your local climate, you will save money on heating costs. Digital methods to measure temperatre, pH, dissolved oxygen, and possibly other parameters should be investigated as a way to gather information for system optimization, indications of system problems, and eventually labor savings.

===pH===
pH needs to be tested every week or more. A pH of around 6.2-6.4 is best, though this varies somewhat depending on the species of fish.

If pH gets too low, it could be a sign that parts of the gravel bed have developed anaerobic bacteria, which produce acids. If this happens, remove any plants with very large root systems, as these create pockets where air cannot get to.

If the pH is too high, it is generally a sign that the plant biofilters are not keeping up with the fish's production of ammonia. Plant more plants.

===Oxygenation===
Aquaponic systems require an air pump underwater. Having the flow from the gravel beds falling from a height and splashing into the fish tank will help oxygenate it too.

It is very important to keep the aerator pump running at all times. If the oxygen supply to the fish is cut off for just 45 minutes, you will have dead fish. For this reason, it is wise to have a backup air pump that will kick in if your pump fails. There can never be too much oxygen in the water; excess oxygen will bubble to the surface and escape.

===Nutrients===
A lot of aquaponic systems require calcium, potassium and iron to be added about every two weeks. If you have a wormery and add a little of the worm-compost to the water flowing into the gravel beds, this should provide these missing nutrients.

==Open-source systems==
* [http://farmfountain.com/howto/index.html Farm Fountain], an open-source, indoor, vertical aquaponic system.
* [http://www.fastonline.org/content/view/15/29/ Barrelponics] - Aquaponics in a barrel. Barrelponics definitely meets the [[OSE Specifications]]; it is a scalable, environmentally-friendly, open-source local food system.
* [http://blog.automicrofarm.com/ AutoMicroFarm] An open source Barrelponics system under development.
* [http://theurbanfarmingguys.com/ The Urban Farming Guys] in Kansas City are developing a low-cost Aquaponics system. The [http://theurbanfarmingguys.com/aquaponics-how-to instructional video] outlines the principles of aquaponics. [http://theurbanfarmingguys.com/wiki/knowledgebase-2/aquaculture-aquaponics/aquaponics-system-plans/40-gallon-tote-basement-system Design for a small aquaponic system].

==Work to be done==
Aquaponics is still in its infancy and is developing every year. More research needs to be done into polycultured systems that can grow more than one type of fish. (Different fish require different water temperatures and pH, so some species are incompatible. However, tilapia and prawns - which are both delicious - have been farmed together in fish farms [http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/tilapia/prawns.php].) Another avenue of research would be to use lights or herbs to attract insects to the tank where the fish can eat them; another step towards making a more diverse, more closed-loop system.

===Concept for compost-heated, compost-powered aquaponic system===
Say you want to set up an aquaponics system. You decide to grow tilapia, because they have many advantages for aquaponics. But tilapia like a water temperature of 28-30°C (82-86°F) and you live in a climate where it gets cold in winter. Using good [[Greenhouses|greenhouse design]], you are able to stabilize the temperature year-round, but there's no way you'll get it up to 28-30° without a heat source. This will require an input of power, in addition to the power needed for the pump.

There could be a way to kill two birds with one stone: build a [[thermophilic compost]] heap against one side of the fish tank. The heat from the compost will warm the water up. It is very unlikely that you will make it too hot this way, because compost won't go much above 30°. Secondly, for the pump you keep a [[Stirling Engine with Hydraulic Transmission|stirling engine]] at the compost heap. This is driven by the heat of the composting and is hydraulically connected to the water pump. Just an idea...

==Resources==
* [http://www.fastonline.org/content/category/4/15/29/ Aquaponics info at F.A.S.T.]
* [http://www.backyardaquaponics.com Backyard Aquaponics] - Includes a thriving [http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/forum/ forum]
* [http://www.growingpower.org/ Growing Power] - a non-profit dedicated to educating people about growing food
* [http://www.friendlyaquaponics.com/ Friendly Aquaponics] - contains plans for systems
* [http://www.aquaponicsjournal.com/articles.php Aquaponics Journal articles]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquaponics#Further_reading Wikipedia aquaponics article] - Further Reading section
* [https://www.aquaponics.com/aquaponics/aquaponicsoverview.php ''Aquaponics Information'' at aquaponics.com]
* [[appropedia:Aquaponics|Aquaponics on Appropedia]]
* [http://www.windward.org/ Windward] - a self-sufficient community that uses aquaponics. They have an informative website.
* [http://socalfishfarm.com/fish/ SoCal Fish Farm] - a commercial aquaponics operation. Their website has good information on tilapia, shrimp, aquaponics and [[Greenhouses|solar greenhouses]]
* [http://passionforproduce.net/ Passion For Produce] - backyard aquaponics garden in Sarasota, FL
* [http://www.aquaponics-shop.com Aquaponics Shop] - Australia dedicated aquaponics shop with commercial assistance and research

==See Also==
*[[Animals]]
*[[Aquaculture]]
*[[Food]]

Productive Recursion

2012-03-23T12:19:08Z

NathanC: /* From an email by Nathan Cravens of Effortless Economy */

Production methods used to lower cost of products when simplified for rapid personal fabrication.

=Introduction=

Technological recursion means the substitution of information and productive capacity to produce something from parts or from raw materials instead of procuring an off-shelf product. An example of deep technological recursion is when one uses an induction furnace to produce useful metal from melted scrap instead of purchasing that metal from a supplier. Another example is replacing the power unit diesel engine on [[LifeTrac]] with an open source, modern steam engine. Another example is milling one's own circuit boards instead of buying the circuit boards.

The significance of this concept is the elimination of the 'consumer' and replacement with a producer. While few people today are producers, technological recursion allows anybody to become producers. This is consistent with principles of post-scarcity, the Star Trek 'Replicator', and other notions of unlimited production at everybody's fingertips. It is the limit of open source software (ready access) applied to hardware.

=From an email by [http://p2pfoundation.net/Nathan_Cravens Nathan Cravens] of Effortless Economy=

A recently adopted word, "recursion," has been useful in considering what is needed to create "a thing." Recursion is something touched on when describing casting the metal for [[LifeTrac]]. Some may want to purchase the product of the cast and save construction time. Others, knowing it is well worth the time toward the effort itself, will go "one recursion down" to reduce the financial cost of construction. The further up the constructive recursion, the greater the financial cost; the lower down in the constructive recursion, lesser financial cost follows.

As a general example, 4 hours to produce a design will mean not laboring for 60 days / 8 hours a day to purchase the same part for construction. The identification and presentation of contrast along these lines will, I am at liberty to suspect, fuel this work into a widespread revolutionary movement. This example would also further dampen Luddite critique which argues "technology as toil." Contrasting design construction time with labor market time at minimum wage in addition to stressing the usefulness of the design in diminishing toil will assure the 'technological transfer acceleration' of the OSE format.

=Summary=

The section below shows rather than paying $3000 for at cost production of the CEB press ($2k in materials, $1k in labor) - already a substantial factor of 10 lower than the competition - we intend to produce it at $1400, half of the previous cost - for factor 20 cost reduction over the industrial counterpart.''' This cost includes the labor of machine production.''' If typical industrial product is 4-6 times above cost, we are saying that we can produce items at 8-16 less cost than the mainstream industrial production. This is a hint at abundance economies, though it requires physical proof for validation - by building the item in question from scrap steel in a flexible, community-supported fabrication facility.

=Productive Recursion Formula at $25/hour Labor Rate=

Based on production rates in a foundry - $1000 per day of value generated (see Factor e Live Distillations Part 6) - and labor of $25 per hour for that time - or $200 - and one sees a 5:1 ratio of value generated to labor used.

Thus, any given device - say $2k in material costs - can be recursed to $400 in labor, or cost/5. To that, one needs to add the value of raw feedstock - say $200 if the $2k device weighs 2000lb, and we assume that scrap steel is 10 cents per pound. On top of $2k, one typically has cost/2 in labor - as for example with the CEB press, we are expecting the machine to require 20-40 hrs in labor at $25/hour - or $500-$1k.

So the price formula evolves to:

C = C_s + C_L + C_F

where C is the total cost, C_s is the cost of scrap steel, C_L is the cost of labor, and C_F is the cost of foundry labor.

We've observed that C_s is typically C_d/10, where C_d is the cost of a virgin materials for a given device - such as $2k for the CEB press.

C_L is typically C_d/2, as observed empirically from the CEB press. C_F = $200, or one day's worth of labor at foundry duty, which can produce at most 2400 lbs of cast parts per day, and can produce the necessary steel for most objects in one day - assuming say 8 shots, with multiple castings per shot.

For most electromechanical devices of low complexity (Tractors, CEB presses, steam engines, etc), the cost structure is therefore:

C = C_d/10 + C_d/2 + 200 (dollars)
= $200 + 3 C_d/5

Or more generally -

C = $200 n + 3/5 C_d

where n is the number of days to produce the steel castings.

For devices of 2000 lb or greater weight, the formula is essentially

C ~ 3/5 C_d

'''Let me put this another way: the ''open source recursion price'' of the product is lower than the cost of the very virgin materials if these are sourced from the ''mainstream industrial system''!'''

For the CEB press, we come up with C = $200 + 3/5 * 2000 = $1400 for the recursion cost where we went down to metal casting of components.

This is the most basic formula that includes one recursion, but with several recursions (say not only structural metal, but also components like hydraulics, or components of components ) - the formula may get more complicated. However, we know that the upper limit of the 3/5*C_d term is C_d - the industrial cost.

On a side note, this theory is worthless, even if the simplest case - until we gain empirical evidence. For example, we should be able to show that we can produce the CEB press at $1400 if we start with scrap steel - which would be a testable experimental proposition.

=Recursion Formula at $50/hour Labor Rate=

Based on production rates in a foundry - $1000 per day of value generated (see Factor e Live Distillations Part 6) - and labor of $50 per hour for that time - or $400 - and one sees a 5:2 ratio of value generated to labor used.

Thus, any given device - say $2k in material costs - can be recursed to $800 in labor, or cost/2.5. To that, one needs to add the value of raw feedstock - say $200 if the $2k device weighs 2000lb, and we assume that scrap steel is 10 cents per pound. On top of $2k, one typically has cost in labor - as for example with the CEB press, we are expecting the machine to require 20-40 hrs in labor at $50/hour - or $1-2k.

So the price formula evolves to:

C = C_s + C_L + C_F

where C is the total cost, C_s is the cost of scrap steel, C_L is the cost of labor, and C_F is the cost of foundry labor.

We've observed that C_s is typically C_d/10, where C_d is the cost of a virgin materials for a given device - such as $2k for the CEB press.

C_L is typically equal to C_d, as observed empirically from the CEB press. C_F = $400, or one day's worth of labor at foundry duty, which can produce at most 2400 lbs of cast parts per day, and can produce the necessary steel for most objects in one day - assuming say 8 shots, with multiple castings per shot – or assuming continuous casting using an induction furnace.

For most electromechanical devices of low complexity (Tractors, CEB presses, steam engines, etc), the cost structure is therefore:

C = C_d/10 + C_d+ 400 (dollars)

= $400 + 1.1 C_d

Or more generally -

C = $400 n + 1.1 C_d

where n is the number of days to produce the steel castings.

Since 2400 lb can be cast/worked per day, we have 400<<2400, so

C ~ C_d=C_L

For the CEB press, we come up with C = 2000, or essentially the cost of labor.

This makes sense in the most general sense, in that the cost of something is the labor required to turn raw resources into human-usable form. We are stating here that in an open source economy, each individual will have the option to generate their own wealth while bypassing the paleoindustrial complex that was born from the so-called industrial revolution.

The point to note here is that in this formula, individuals are essentially capturing the full value of their own labor - a point that would be welcome by Reds, Greens, Republicans, Progressives, Regressives, and all in-between.

=Social Dynamics=

Who organizes the method of production above? The productive agent is someone like Factor e Farm - who organizes crowd support of a fabrication facility. The price above (8-16 cost reduction) applies to turnkey products, which may be sold as kits. DIY fabrication allows one to produce infrastructure from scrap.

Who is accountable for the production facility? There is no mystery there. The producer maintains the production facility - the crowd supporters reap the benefits of its existence. But the supporters are not required to maintain the production facility, so that accountability is placed in the correct hands.

=Critique=

The [http://www.lindsaybks.com/dgjp/djgbk/index.html Gingery books] show an example of constructing an entire metal workshop from scratch. This is a sad case, however, for replicability - as it takes many months to accomplish this feat, while ending up with relatively light-duty equipment.

This is NOT what we are after.

The open source [[Multimachine]] is a more replicable example. This project is technically sound from the heavy-duty perspective - but it also lacks a level of standardization that makes the project truly replicable. So does [[MechMate]], the free router table plans - where specialized parts require a laser or plasma cutter to fabricate.

The question of recursion feasibility boils down to absolute simplification of design and optimization of casting technique to make it feasible. These are the two issues that need to be solved for the recursion formula to be proven.

In particular, what is the most effective and quick route to metal casting? Molten metal can be had, but it appears that the ability to make quick molds for casting is the limiting step. It is worth exploring whether casting can be as effective as suggested above.

=Further Details=
The discussion above does not even begin the possibilities of technological resursion down to the level of smelting minerals. A whole new frontier of ecotech has yet to emerge with materials science based on local resources, under the assumption of abundance of electric power.

=Economic Advantage of In-House Ability to Melt Steel=
We have provided calculations above that – for melting steel from scrap - the cost of labor required to generate the steel, compared to the value generated - is negligible. Therefore, ability to melt steel allows the owner-producer to capture the entire value of steel as the value of one's labor. This has the practical effect of replacing materials sourcing costs with the cost of scrap steel. Further, this provides an advantage to the customer, as it can be shown that the sales price is reduced by about 40% over the open source price of the machine by melting scrap steel compared to buying steel from outside suppliers. In absolute terms, the advantage goes from a factor of 10 cost reduction over industry standards to about 20 cost reduction over industry standards.

[[Category:OS Fab Lab]]

AutoMicroFarm

2012-03-16T18:25:19Z

NathanC:

AutoMicroFarm is an open source aquaponic device under development that will grow vegetables, fruits, fish, nuts, and beans in an area the size of a two-car garage. It is promised to feed a family and pay for itself within two years using existing commercial channels.

Official Website

[http://automicrofarm.com/ AutoMicroFarm]