Lesson guide · Lesson 23 · Grades 3–8 · 8 min

Project: design a small aquaponics system on paper

Plan your own small aquaponics system on paper: the parts, the fish and plants, where the crew lives, and the wait.

Open the lessonPrintable worksheet

Students will

  • Name the parts of a small aquaponics system and what each one does.
  • Explain why the grow bed's gravel matters for the bacteria.
  • Plan a system on paper that matches fish and plants and includes the wait for the crew.

New words

grow bed
A box of gravel where the plants grow. Water from the fish tank flows through it.

Talk about it

If you designed a system for your classroom, what would you want to change after a few weeks?

Check questions and answers

  1. Which part lifts the water up to the plants?

    • The pump (answer) Right. The pump pushes water up the pipe to the grow bed.
    • The grow bed Not quite. The grow bed holds the plants. Something has to lift the water first.
    • The fish Not quite. Fish swim in the water. They don't lift it.

  2. Where does the crew live in your system?

    • On the gravel in the grow bed (answer) Right. Lots of wet stones give the crew lots of room.
    • Floating on top of the water Not quite. The crew sticks to wet surfaces. Think about the stones.
    • In the bag of fish food Not quite. The crew needs wet surfaces. Look in the grow bed.

  3. Why start with a small system?

    • There are fewer things to check (answer) Right. You learn how it works, then you can grow bigger.
    • Small fish make no waste Not quite. All fish make waste. Think about what you have to check.
    • Plants grow faster in small systems Not quite. Size doesn't speed up plants. Think about what you have to check.

Teacher note

A paper project; no animals needed. The printable design sheet is at /project/aquaponics-design/sheet/. If a class goes on to build a system with fish, follow the school's animal policy.

Sources

  • Somerville, C., Cohen, M., Pantanella, E., Stankus, A. and Lovatelli, A. Small-scale aquaponic food production: Integrated fish and plant farming. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper No. 589. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 2014.
  • Recsetar, M., and Kelly, A. Building a Simple At-home Aquaponics System. SRAC Publication No. 5010. Southern Regional Aquaculture Center, August 2016.
  • Mullins, C., Nerrie, B., and Sink, T. D. Principles of Small-Scale Aquaponics. SRAC Publication No. 5007. Southern Regional Aquaculture Center, September 2015.
  • Rakocy, J. E., Masser, M. P., and Losordo, T. M. Recirculating Aquaculture Tank Production Systems: Aquaponics, Integrating Fish and Plant Culture. SRAC Publication No. 454. Southern Regional Aquaculture Center; Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service.
  • Deer, C., Hu, B., Dunn, B. and Dusci, J. Nitrification and Maintenance in Media Bed Aquaponics. Fact sheet HLA-6729. Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, Oklahoma State University, October 2021.