Data Analysis
How can you analyze and communicate your findings?
By providing data about the overall success of the aquaponics implementation as well as explaining how the system works (how the bacteria converts ammonia from the fish waste into nitrite for the plants to use and then how the plants purifies the water.) The data from the water testing can then be compared to optimal aquaponic water quality data to determine if the system that was created at Mililani High School is as healthy and effective as model aquaponic systems.
Findings:
CONCLUSION: What does your analysis tell you about the population/place in the present?
The analysis reveals that the aquaponic system is working correctly. The data and the graph shows the correct and hypothesized peaks of the specific nitrogen compound’s concentrations. However, the water quality of the Mililani aquaponic system compared to the ideal parameters differs which explains the slow/ decline of plant growth. The Mililani aquaponic water reached as high as 4 ppm which definitely exceeds the ideal conditions. Likewise, the nitrite concentration in the Mililani aquaponic system also exceed the ideal conditions with a concentration of 5 ppm.
CHANGE OVER TIME: How has this population/place changed over time? How do your observations compare to baseline/historical findings?
The aquaponic system water quality changed over time as seen through the data. The concentration of total ammonia nitrogen, nitrite, and nitrate varied as a result of the nitrogen cycle taking place.
The water quality of the aquaponics system at Mililani High School differs slightly from the ideal parameters for aquaponic water. First off, with an adequate biofiltration, ammonia and nitrite levels should be close to zero, or at most 0.25-1.0 ppm. Nitrate can range from 5-150 ppm. The aquaponics system that was constructed at Mililani High School had total ammonia nitrogen levels of up to 4 ppm (this was right after a dose of 1.5 mg/l NH4CL to help start up the biofilter). In addition, the nitrite climbed to be as high as 5 ppm after another dose of NH4CL. The nitrate levels fell into the preferred category of 5-150 ppm with an average of 35.9 ppm. The lowest concentration of nitrate was 8.8 ppm which was taken on 4/5/16 at the very start of the experiment. The highest concentration of nitrate was 66 ppm that was taken on 4/19/16-4/20/16, which was nearing the end of the experiment. It is inferred that the fluctuations of total ammonia nitrogen and nitrite could have contributed to the wilting of some of the lettuce plant in addition to a faulty timer that unequally distributed light.
A working aquaponics system that can produce local and organic food without the use of harmful fertilizers and chemicals was observed at the location. For this experiment, the water quality was tested to determine how the system actually works as well as the health and effectiveness of the system. To find the quality of the water, total ammonia nitrogen, nitrite, and nitrate kits were utilized to obtain the levels of concentration in the water. From the data, the nitrogen cycle, the cycle that makes aquaponics works, can clearly be seen.
Nitrogen first enters the system from fish food and is released from the fishes’ urine or solid waste in the form of ammonia. The ammonia is then nitrified by bacteria and converted into nitrite and nitrate. Nitrate is the nitrogen compound that is most accessible to plants and is essential for the plant’s nutritions. In just a span of four days, the cycle evidently shows the ammonia decreasing as it is being converted into nitrites by bacteria. Likewise, the nitrite increases as ammonia flatlines. Because the bacteria is working to convert nitrites into nitrates, the nitrite also reaches 0 ppm as nitrate hits it’s highest levels of 39.6 ppm.
