A New Project!

We're working on an exciting new project at the Kiddie Science Lab! Thanks to continued grant support, we'll be embarking on an aquaponics journey. The process involves cycling water from our turtle habitat into the pipes above, which will be growing plants using a soilless medium.

An excellent plus to an aquaponics system is you never have to water the plants! Nutrient rich water from the turtle habitat is sucked up plastic tubing by a submersible pump, which introduces it into the system. Once there, the water zig zags through the pipes and makes its way back into the turtle habitat. While it travels through the pipes, the plants are able to absorb and utilize nutrients (in addition to the water).

There are limitations to what we'll be able to grow in this amazing system. Root vegetables, for example, will not be an option. Initially, we'll be focusing on edible leafy plants that can be fed to both the chickens and the turtle.

Below, you can see what the system looks like once it's set up (without plants).

Next, we'll be checking the water pH, ammonia, and nitrate levels to make sure it's at the ideal levels. We'll be adding an LED grow light and making final decisions on what and how much we'll be growing.