Modular, insulated, plug-and-play aquaponics unit and method
There is a modular, insulated, all-in-one, plug-and-play (MIAP) aquaponics unit that includes a framework having a single base and plural walls; an aquaculture tank defined by a first portion of the single base and a first set of the plural walls; a clarifier tank defined by a second portion of the single base and a second set of the plural walls; a bio-reactor tank defined by a third portion of the single base and a third set of the plural walls; a hydroponics tank defined by a fourth portion of the single base and a fourth set of the plural walls; and piping extending through the plural walls between each two adjacent tanks for allowing water from the aquaculture tank to flow into the clarifier tank and then into the bio-reactor tank and then into the hydroponics tank and back to the aquaculture tank.
1. A modular, insulated, all-in-one, plug-and-play (MIAP) aquaponics unit comprising:
a unitary framework having a single base and plural walls;
a first portion of the single base and a first set of the plural walls define an aquaculture tank;
a second portion of the single base and a second set of the plural walls define a clarifier tank;
a third portion of the single base and a third set of the plural walls define a bio-reactor tank;
a fourth portion of the single base and a fourth set of the plural walls define a hydroponics tank; and
piping extending through the plural walls between each two adjacent tanks for allowing water from the aquaculture tank to flow into the clarifier tank and then into the bio-reactor tank and then into the hydroponics tank and back to the aquaculture tank,
wherein each wall of the aquaculture tank, the clarifier tank, the bio-reactor tank, and the hydroponics tank is fixedly attached to the single base to achieve the unitary framework,
wherein the aquaculture tank, the clarifier tank, and the bio-reactor tank are located together on, and completely covering, a first region of the single base, and the hydroponic tank is located on, and completely covers, a second region of the single base, adjacent to the first region, and
wherein the first region has the same width as the second region, but a smaller length than the second region, and the hydroponic tank has a smaller depth than the aquaculture tank.
2. The MIAP aquaponics unit of claim 1 , further comprising:
an air pump that supplies compressed air to a plant-to-fish tanks conduit, which is part of the piping, for pushing the water from the hydroponics tank to the aquaculture tank in the form of an air lift pump,
wherein a depth of the hydroponics tank is smaller than a depth of the aquaculture tank.
3. The MIAP aquaponics unit of claim 2 , wherein the piping comprises:
the plant-to-fish tanks conduit for transferring the water from the hydroponics tank to the aquaculture tank.
4. The MIAP aquaponics unit of claim 3 , wherein the piping further comprises:
a solid lifting outflow conduit that is configured to bring the water, sludge, and small, water-suspended solids from a bottom of the aquaculture tank to a top of the clarifier tank.
5. The MIAP aquaponics unit of claim 4 , wherein the piping further comprises:
a clarifier-to-reactor tanks conduit located in a wall between the clarifier tank and the bio-reactor tank and configured to transfer the water from the clarifier tank to the bio-reactor tank.
6. The MIAP aquaponics unit of claim 5 , wherein the piping further comprises:
a reactor-to-plant tanks conduit built in a wall between the bio-reactor tank and the hydroponics tank and configured to transfer the water from the bio-reactor tank to the hydroponics tank.
7. The MIAP aquaponics unit of claim 2 , wherein the air pump is located in a chamber formed within the framework.
8. The MIAP aquaponics unit of claim 2 , wherein an air input for the air pump is formed in a wall of the plural walls of the framework.
9. The MIAP aquaponics unit of claim 1 , further comprising:
a cartridge filter located in the clarifier tank and configured to remove solid waste from the water coming from the aquaculture tank.
10. The MIAP aquaponics unit of claim 2 , further comprising:
an air manifold connected to the air pump, the air manifold being directly connected to the plant-to-fish tanks conduit for providing the compressed air for pushing the water from the hydroponics tank to the aquaculture tank against gravity.
11. The MIAP aquaponics unit of claim 10 , further comprising:
an air stone located in the hydroponics tank, next to an input of the plant-to-fish tanks conduit; and
a tube connecting the air manifold to the air stone.
12. The MIAP aquaponics unit of claim 11 , further comprising:
at least one air stone located in each tank except the clarifier, which has no air stone; and
a corresponding pipe/tubing for each air stone that connects the air manifold to each air stone.
13. The MIAP aquaponics unit of claim 10 , wherein the air pump and the air manifold are located in a chamber formed within the framework.
14. The MIAP aquaponics unit of claim 10 , wherein the air pump is located in a first chamber formed within the framework and the air manifold is located in a second chamber formed within the framework.
15. The MIAP aquaponics unit of claim 1 , wherein the framework is made out of foam and the piping is made out of polyvinyl chloride.