Welcome to “The End of Malaria” and Typhoid, and Dengue
To see why aquaponics systems eradicate mosquitoes and associated mosquito-borne diseases, watch this video
Are you irritated by mosquitoes in your neighborhood? Do you live in a location where malaria, typhoid, dengue fever, or any of the other dangerous diseases carried by mosquitoes exist? Are you a health-care professional whose concern is these diseases and their control and eradication? If the answers to these questions interest you, please read on:
An additional benefit of farming aquaponically (that we noticed after our first system was operational for six months) was that the mosquitoes on our seven-acre farm had COMPLETELY disappeared! We live in Hawaii, where there are as many mosquitoes as any other tropical area in the world. Although we are fortunate not to have malaria, typhoid, or any of the other dangerous diseases that are transmitted to humans by mosquitoes, we DO have dengue fever, which can be fatal in the young, elderly, or those with compromised immune systems.
Before we built our first aquaponics system, our farm was like any other place on the green windward coast of the Big Island: even during a drought, when the soil was dusty and dry and there was no standing water visible anywhere, there were still clouds of mosquitoes at dawn and dusk. If we left a door or window open in the house during the day, even for a few minutes, we knew that we would be tormented by the buzzing of hungry mosquitoes all night long as we tried to sleep.
When we built our first aquaponics system, we knew we were creating additional habitat for mosquitoes to lay their eggs, so we introduced a few mosquito fish (gambusia affinis), and neon tetras into our system water. They thrived and spread throughout the systems we built, and soon had become a self-sustaining population numbering in the tens of thousands. Six months later we noticed there were simply no mosquitoes around any longer. It’s easier to notice the presence of a pest than the absence of one, so we’re not certain when the number went to zero, but it was sometime during that six-month period. That was three years ago
Since then, we’ve had the pleasure to live on a beautiful farm in the tropics that has NO mosquitoes! How does this work? We live in the center of a deadly efficient mosquito trap: every female mosquito in the neighborhood can sense the roughly 50,000 gallons of water in our aquaponics systems, and comes to them to lay her eggs. Each egg hatches into a larva, which is then promptly consumed by one of the hundreds of thousands of mosquito fish in our water BEFORE it can ever develop sufficiently to hatch into an adult mosquito. That mosquito’s bequest of future generations is GONE, down the gullets of little fish who thrive on these meals and produce even MORE little fish hungry for mosquito larvae.
We don’t know what the effective radius of our mosquito eradicator is, but we’ve gone to the corners of our seven-acre property and haven’t found any mosquitoes there; we think there’s a good chance it is significantly reducing mosquito populations on the farms around us. We need help and funding to continue research into this phenomenon in order to understand it better, and to develop it to the point where it can easily be implemented in any location or culture. This could make a huge difference in the lives of people worldwide who currently lose family members to malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases.
A partial listing of dangerous mosquito-borne diseases that are deadly and/or costly to society follows, courtesy of Wikipedia:
The mosquito genus Anopheles carries the malaria parasite (see Plasmodium). Worldwide,malaria is a leading cause of premature mortality, particularly in children under the age of five, with around 2 million deaths annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Helminthiasis
Some species of mosquito can carry the filariasis worm, a parasite that causes a disfiguring condition (often referred to as elephantiasis) characterized by a great swelling of several parts of the body; worldwide, around 40 million people are living with a filariasis disability. Virus
The viral diseases yellow fever and dengue fever are transmitted mostly by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.
Other viral diseases like epidemic polyarthritis, Rift Valley fever, Ross River Fever, St. Louis encephalitis, West Nile virus (WNV), Japanese encephalitis, La Crosse encephalitis and several other encephalitis type diseases are carried by several different mosquitoes. Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) and Western equine encephalitis (WEE) occurs in the United States where it causes disease in humans, horses, and some bird species. Because of the high mortality rate, EEE and WEE are regarded as two of the most serious mosquito-borne diseases in the United States. Symptoms range from mild flu-like illness to encephalitis, coma and death.
Did you ever think that there would be a way to completely eradicate mosquitoes without poison or other toxic methods while growing food at the same time?
The Aquaponics Garden: an elegant table-top fish tank that cleans itself & grows fresh food at the same time. A closed-loop ecosystem! Grow fresh produce right in the comfort of your own home - beans, basil, thyme, baby greens, oregano, mint, parsley, spinach and so many other delicious foods!
Perfect for the classroom! A Beautifully Simple & Closed-Loop Ecosystem Right on Your Table An elegant table-top experience
Great for classrooms and science projects
So What's Happening Inside? Aquaponics Garden
So what's happening? The fish, they poo and they pee, and all that waste-water gets broken down by beneficial bacteria into nutrients The waste-water from the fish is then pumped up & upcycled as an awesome organic fertilizer for the plants. The plants take up the nutrients and, at the same time, clean the water which then falls back down for the fish. There is no soil - the plants are growing just on rocks - all the nutrients coming from the fish (no need for any artificial fertilizers - it's all organic!!) There is no need to clean the water because of the plants - it's a self-cleaning fish tank!
What Can I Grow?
Choose from a variety of fresh produce, including spinach, baby greens, oregano, beans, basil, mint, parsley & thyme. Harvesting Basil Aquaponics Garden All You Have to Do is Feed Your Fish
You can pick from a ton of different types of fish that will work great in the system - including our favorite, the Betta fish we have pictured in our system! Feeding Fish Aquaponics Garden The tank & garden top - food and pet safe! Air pump to bring your nutrients up and oxygenate the water 5 Pods with pebbles (from which the plants will grow) Organic seeds (mixture of various herbs) Fish food and water conditioners to get started right away
Just add water & fish and watch your system take off! Our goal was to make this incredibly intuitive and easy to setup! 1) How many fish can I keep? The industry standard is 1" of fish for 1 gallon of water. This is a 3 gallon tank, so you can have 1 larger 3" fish, or a few smaller 1" fish. If you'd like to host other types of fish, the system will allow it, but you should transfer them out to a larger tank when they grow in size.
2) What kind of fish can I put in my tank? Many types will work well, but we highly recommend some ornamental fish like Bettas, cloud fish, danios, or small goldfish. These are some of the easiest fish to keep, but depending on your expertise, feel free to try others!
3) How big is the unit? It's roughly 10" wide, by 11" high, by 6" deep - smaller than your average toaster oven! The tank itself holds 3 gallons of water. When empty, it's super-light, just a few pounds!
4) What is it made out of? We are finalizing the exact materials, but are exploring various combinations of recycled plastics, acrylic, and glass.
5) Can I grow flowers in my system? Absolutely!!
6) How many different types of plants can I grow? There are 5 "net pods" to plant in, and you pick and choose what combo of plants to grow in them as you please! Five of the same, or one of each. You can get creative!
7) Does it need sunlight - I thought fish don't like sun? We recommend putting the tank right next to your window, with the back up against a wall. That way there's no direct light coming into your tank, but at the same time, enough ambient sunlight to help the plants grow. If you'd like to place the kit right against a window, we suggest just placing a backer against the back clear panel to prevent direct sunlight from hitting the tank (which can cause algae growth!)
8) Can I grow year-round? Yes! If it's too cold though for the fish you choose or you don't have proper light in the winter, we suggest investing in some inexpensive water-heaters and grow-lights to guarantee consistent growth! We'll have this all available on our website when we ship the product.
9) Can I use my own seeds? Absolutely! We don't believe in the pricey subscription model when it comes to food! You don't need to buy any special replacement pre-seeded pods from us - use your own seeds!
Aquaponics is the combination of aquaculture (fish farming) and hydroponics (soilless plant culture). In aquaponics, the nutrient-rich water that results from raising fish provides a source of natural fertilizer for the growing plants. As the plants consume the nutrients, they help to purify the water that the fish live in. A natural microbial process keeps both the fish and plants healthy. This creates a sustainable ecosystem where both plants and fish can thrive. Aquaponics is the ideal answer to a fish farmers problem of disposing of nutrient rich water and a hydroponic growers need for nutrient rich water.
Hydroponics is growing plants in a solution of water and nutrients, without soil. The solution is created by adding the elements a plants needs to water, which is fed directly to the plant’s roots. In some hydroponic systems the roots are in a growing medium which keeps them moist, aerated and helps to support the plant. Hydroponics provides the plant with the ideal water and nutrient ratios and optimum conditions for growth.
In aquaculture, the water quickly becomes nutrient rich due to the fish digesting their food and excreting waste. The waste water is usually filtered and/or disposed of to keep the tank water free of toxic buildups.
In aquaponics, the fish waste provides a food source for the growing plants and the plants provide a natural filter for the fish. This creates a mini ecosystem where both plants and fish can thrive. Aquaponics is the ideal answer to a fish farmers problem of disposing of nutrient rich water and a hydroponic growers need for nutrient rich water.
Commercially, aquaponics is a small but growing industry as entrepreneurs realize that aquaponics and controlled environment agriculture can provide high quality, locally-grown fresh food on a year round basis.
Although the practices of fish farming and soil less plant culture have been traced to ancient times, the combination of the two is quite new. Research in aquaponics began in the 1970’s and continues today. Several Universities worldwide are dedicating resources to further the technology.
On a hobby scale, aquaponics is catching on quickly. A home aquarium, with ornamental or food fish, can be combined with a mini garden, growing herbs, vegetables or flowers. A hobby system can serve as a beautiful show piece or a food production system, depending on the size. Many backyard gardeners are setting up systems to grow hundreds of pounds of fish and all the fresh vegetables a family needs.
In educational applications, aquaponics is an excellent model of natures biological cycles. For educators, we have a comprehensive Aquaponics Curriculum Package, complete with an Educator's Guide, Student Manual, books and additional resources.
Aquaponic Systems for all applications, from education, hobby and home food production to commercial.
The Aquaponics Journal is a has been publixhed continuously since 1997. Each issue offers interesting, informative features on commercial, hobby, research, and educational applications of aquaponics.
Perfect for the classroom!
An elegant table-top experience
Great for classrooms and science projects
Aquaponics Garden
Harvesting Basil Aquaponics Garden
Feeding Fish Aquaponics Garden
In aquaculture, the water quickly becomes nutrient rich due to the fish digesting their food and excreting waste. The waste water is usually filtered and/or disposed of to keep the tank water free of toxic buildups.