Integrated aquaculture,

hydroponics and
vermiculture for food
production – rooftops?

David J Midmore and Brett Roe

Centre for Plant and Water Science,
Central Queensland University
 Outline of Presentation
• Arguments for recycling/urban/rooftop agriculture
• Earlier research, hydroponics, aquaponics,
vermiculture
• Current theory and nutrient loops
• Nutrient budgets and transfer
• Hydroponics…feed from liquor and fish
effluent
• Fish…………. feed from worms
• Vermiculture... feed from organic waste
• Bring it all together
• Logistics and future project
 Why promote urban agriculture?
• Upward trends in urbanisation, 60% world
population by 2020
• Imperatives differ in developed and developing
countries
• Food security in developing countries
 Perceived benefits of urban
agriculture in developed countries
• Offset heat islands in cities - open space-greenery
• Recycling organic materials close at hand
• Closing nutrient cycles/loops
• Re-use of waste water
• Social/healthy activity
• Food security
• Health and environmental risks
Some simple rooftop hydroponics
Commercialised seedling production in Hanoi
for rooftop hydroponics
Jan Holland’s Honour’s project on
aquaponics - CQU
Aquaponics System Design –
Dr Brett Roe, CQU
USA - Aquaranch
USA - Growing Power
USA – Growing Power
Plants from Ecocity (NSW) and from rooftop simplified
hydroponics (Canada)
 Some realities
• In nature nutrients cycle between soil, plants,
animals and microbes, but human interference
through the need to feed urban populations breaks
this cycle.
• Nutrients contained within urban organic wastes
rarely re-enter the nutrient cycle, yet they
represent a valuable resource for food production.
• Recycling organic wastes via vermiculture,
aquaculture and hydroponics offers one way to
recycle some of the nutrients (and water).
Nutrient Loops

Hydroponics

Nutrient
Nutrient Loops

Nutrient

Fish
Nutrient Loops

Hydroponics

Effluent Water
Nutrient
Supplements

Fish
 Nutrient Loops
Consumption

Hydroponics

Effluent Water
Nutrient
Supplements

Fish

Consumption
 Nutrient Loops
Consumption
Organic
wastes
Hydroponics

Effluent Water
Nutrient
Vermiculture
Supplements

Fish
Organic
wastes

Consumption
 Nutrient Loops
Consumption
Organic
wastes
Hydroponics
Liquor

Effluent Water
Nutrient
Vermiculture
Supplements

Worms
Fish
Organic
wastes

Consumption
Matching nutrient supply and
demand

Getting nutrients balanced – not so

easy as it may appear.

The ‘Holy Grail’ according to

Aquaponics Journal, 2006
 For Hydroponics
Manutec commercial
hydroponic mix Vermicompost Vermiliquor
(ppm) % ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm
N 215.00 29.80 0.5-1.5 *1000 29500 30700 37000.00 33800
P 37.00 0.50 0.01-0.3*1000 10900 19700 15000 9700
K 218.00 30.20 0.1-0.6*1000 20900 18400 23000 21000
Ca 152.00 21.10 22.7-47.6 753 636 600 660
Mg 42.00 0.60 22.7-47.6 149 153 165 255
S 54.00 0.70 128-548 23 29 28 16
Fe 4.08 0.06 2-9 69 93 70 42
Mn 0.96 <0.01 41 19 50 40
Zn 0.48 <0.01 5-11 51 55 65 64
Cu 0.36 <0.01 2-9 31 13 18 12
B 0.036 <0.01 0.39 0.24 0.50 0.60
Mo 0.012 <0.01 0.11 0.13 0.10 0.10
Linking supply from aquaponics and from
hydroponics – data of Savidov et al. 2007
Linking supply from aquaponics and from
hydroponics – data of Savidov et al. 2007
Nitrate present in water with lettuce
and silver perch aquaponics

Holland, J. 2002.
 Aquaponic system recovery rates (%) for N

Fish Plants Water

Holland (2002) 37 17 34
Quillere et al. (1995) 18-32 8.5-31 15
Seagate et al . (1998) 42-47 8-67 0-37
Roe (2005) 36.9 62.1 0.1
 For Fish
Fish food Earthworm Earthworm Earthworm
% meal1 % meal2 % meal3 %
Gross protein 28-50 60-70 52-63 67-76
Essential polyunsaturated 6-10 oil 7-10 14.5-15.5 5-13
fattyacids of omega-3 series 70 fatty acids
Minerals Ca, P, Na, Mg, K Cl, S 2-4 2.3 5-24
and traces of others
Ten essential amino acids
Eleven water/fat soluble vitamins

Source: 1 Edwards, C.A. et al. 1985; 2 Dynes, R. 2003; 3 Fisher, C 1988.

 For Earthworms
Composition by dry weight, %
N P K Ca Mg S
Tobacco stems 1.5 0.2 4.2 3.6 0.3 0.4
Soybean meal 7.0 0.5 1.3 0.4 0.3 0.2
Fish scraps 9.5 2.6 - 6.1 0.3 0.2
Bone meal 3.5 19.8 - 22.5 0.6 0.2
Generic plant min 1.2 0.01 0.1 0.04 0.07 0.06
Generic plant max 7.5 1.0 7.0 1.5 0.9 0.9
Source: Aranda, E. et al. 1999

Conversion ratio (worm wt:waste wt) of up to 1:10 from a low of 1:50

 For Earthworms (enhanced)

Double protein input (16 to 33.5 g/100g)

• 15-20% increase in worm protein, double Ca, P, less
Zn Mn
• 50% increase in vermicompost N (2.4 to 3.3% N)

Add tuna oil

• no effect on total fat
• change proportions, but not of polyunsaturated

Source: Dynes, R. 2003

 Probable imbalances between
nutrient elements
• Constant monitoring of elements required, or
• Algorithms for input:output ratios based upon
empirical data
• Some examples of successful aquaponics, but not
linked to vermiculture, small room for error
• A research focus for CQU, over next couple of
years
 Further logistics of rooftop
aquaponics and vermiculture
• Inputs - Where, Which, When, What, How much?
• Biological, chemical, legislative, health.
• Spatial logistics
• In second and third year of the project
 URBAN
ORGANIC VERMICULTURE
WASTES Output
Outpu:

Worms
Liquors H2O Organic
return waste
Input return
Worm Castings
AQUACULTURE
System
waste
H2O H2O
Reducing Australian
organic
Positively urban waste
heat
impacting the
dependence
production
island effects
obesity on
and
problem via wild
the and
subsequent
Australia ROOFTOP
imported
landfill
shadeby
faces sourcesthereby
disposal,
produced of thick
by
interjecting fish protein
healthy HYDROPONICS
Output
and oil
reducing
rooftop
food and on for
methane
foliage
products cultivated
and foods
production
direct sale
which
and accrue
landfill
transpiration.
to city a significant
growth.
dwellers. Direct and Value Added
ecological foot-print. Commercial Distribution
of Fish and Vegetable
Products
 Conclusions
• Components function well alone, and
hydroponics could adapt to flat roofs
• Vermiculture requires homogeneous supply of
organic matter, and space to act
• Aquaculture will likely be a small component of
the system, due to large requirement for space per
kg fish, and slow growth rates (relative to
demand)
 Acknowledgements
• Mr Geoff Wilson for his enthusiasm for rooftop
solutions
• Industrial partners and RIRDC who have
confidence in us to deliver commercial outcomes