Stuppy's Aquaponics Research blog is moderated by Conor Quinlan, a CEA Systems Engineer who obtained a degree in Controlled Environment Agriculture at the University of Arizona. He recently started with Stuppy and has been documenting and posting research on Stuppy's own Aqueduct aquaponics system at their manufacturing building.
Quinlan explained that the research blog is a result of the growing group of enthusiasts who have stepped fresh into aquaponics lately. "Aquaponics are not only a very popular way to produce your own food lately, but also a practical educational tool to teach students about symbioses in the natural world. Yet, there is still not much information available out there for those who are new to this."
This was also the motivator for Stuppy to develop their Aqueduct; an off the shelf aquaponic system based on solid greenhouse technology and eb and flow float tanks. The system has gained much interest among schools and universities ever since the introduction earlier this year.
Stuppy's basic Aqueduct system is a combination of a media bed and a float raft design, but there is also the option to add a NFT component as well. Providing growers with the greatest level of customization, the system can preform all three of these growing styles. It also enables the teaching of the various aquaponic nutrient delivery systems simultaneously. Each design can be used to grow different crops: NFT and float bed are more for leafy greens whereas the media bed is for larger, even fruiting, crops."
"We frequently receive questions from users on a variety of topics", said Quinlan. "As aquaponics are quite new and not much practical information is available online yet, we decided to start the blog. Via the blog we are able to provide users of the Aqueduct, plus anybody else interested in aquaponics, with more on hand information and research results on day-to-day problems."
Quinlan and the Aqueduct research setup in Stuppy's warehouse
During his study at CEAC, Quinlan focused on researching the economics of commercial aquaponics in a desert setting. With Stuppy he will now focus on more practical aspects of aquaponics.
"Since the beginning we have been focusing on water quality, one of the most important aspects within an aquaponic system. It is not a secret that many aquaponic systems run in to trouble due to problems with high ammonia and critical nitrogen levels. With the blog we are determining causes and issues and provide troubleshooting guidelines how to solve this without adding too much external products to the symbioses."
A recent blog update from Quinlan's aquaponics research
The research blog can be found online and is publicly available. In the future, Quinlan will include more research topics on it. "We currently have standard HID grow lights on it, but we will definitely be adding new fluorescent or LEDs in the warehouse and sharing our experience with these technologies on the blog too."
Click here to go directly to Stuppy's Aquaponics blog