During the short course I had the
opportunity to talk with Ken Chio, CPA of Aqua Growers. Aqua Growers is a
private facility in Michigan that promotes awareness of aquaponics.
CUAquaculture: So
tell us a little bit about your system. What are you doing with aquaponics?
Chio: Well
Aquaponics started in the Carribean, in a warm climate. We have taken it to the
extreme- we have moved it to a warehouse in Michigan. It is totally inside,
which means that there is no sun, so we have grow lights that are on tracks. We
have started a track system with a motor, so the lights move back and forth
with a sensor. There are twelve-foot plant stations, so by having the track
system the amount of electricity needed is significantly reduced. Right now we
have metal halide lights, but we have (contacted) a manufacturer who would be
willing to sell us LED lights, which have no heat and need a lot less
electricity compared to metal halide lights. Essentially we have taken a
warehouse and developed a prototype to see if aquaponics could be done indoors
in a northern climate.
CUAquaculture:
Very cool! What fish are you growing? What’s going on there?
Chio: Well, we
currently use tilapia. It was difficult to find breeders in the Detroit area so
we tapped into a high school system initially for the tilapia. What we have
recently found is that we are the only licensed facility that can sell them-
which is why I have decided to come for the course, to learn more about growing
fish on a large scale. It is very difficult to purchase tilapia out of state,
so breeding them provides us with ample opportunity. We have Mozambique (tilapia) which are very
prolific breeders.
CUAquaculture:
Did you have any particular problems while the system was starting up? Any
challenges you faced?
Chio: When the
system was starting up, we had big spikes in ammonia and nitrates. But as the
nitrosomas started to grow, the ammonia and nitrates eventually leveled out.
CUAquaculture:
Can you talk a little bit about plant production and the hydroponic component
of your system?
Chio: We grow a lot
of things. Romaine lettuce and lots of herbs- a large variety of sage, basil
and thyme. We’re even growing a banana plant, which is doing very well. We hope
to try papaya, onion chives and tomatoes. Basil is a good cash crop- you can
get up to $10 a bag, so it’s a good plant to invest in. We grow our plants
aquaponically, and supplement with organic nutrients- naturally derived organic
solutions in minute amounts. Growing plants through hydroponics is different-
the plants develop a waxier texture and tend to be less sweet. Using aquaponics
forces us to find natural solutions because anything with pesticides will harm
the fish. There are two levels and we use a raft system. At max production it
takes 35 days from germination to harvest, and five plants are grown per square
foot.
CUAquaculture:
What do you hope to do with what you grow? What are your plans for the future?
Chio: What we
really want to do is spread awareness about aquaponics. We have training
seminars to help educate the public. We’re into what’s healthy, what’s new, and
what everyone’s not looking at. We have
invested our own money into creating this large scale production, so we’re not
funded. People in Michigan try to find ways to provide locally grown food to
the community. We hope to eventually be able to provide a sustainable, consistent
supply of locally grown food year-round as well.
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