System and method for solar greenhouse aquaponics and black soldier fly composter and auto fish feeder

• US 9,788,496 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2017
• Issued: 10/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carlos R. Villamar
• Original Assignee: Carlos R. Villamar
• Inventors: Villamar, Carlos R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Monica
• Assistant Examiner(s): RODZIWICZ, AARON M
• Application Number:
  US15/446,863
• Publication Number:
  US 20170172083A1
• Time in Patent Office: 230 Days
• Field of Search: 47 62 R, 47 14, 47 17
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 31/02 Special apparatus therefor self-acting watering devices A01G27/00
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 9/14 Greenhouses cloches A01G13/04
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 61/10 of fish
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 61/80 Feeding devices
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 63/04 Arrangements for treating water specially adapted to receptacles for live fish
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 63/042 Introducing gases into the water, e.g. aerators, air pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 63/045 Filters for aquaria
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 63/047 Liquid pumps for aquaria air pumps for aquaria A01K63/042
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 63/065 Heating or cooling devices
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 67/033 Rearing or breeding invertebrates; New breeds of invertebrates
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/27 using photo-electric detection G01N21/31 takes precedence; circuits for computing concentration logarithmic circuits G06G7/24; photometric circuits in general G01J
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/12 Circuits of general importance; Signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/004 for CO, CO2
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/1886 using probes, e.g. submersible probes, buoys
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/25 Greenhouse technology, e.g. cooling systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/81 Aquaculture, e.g. of fish
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 60/21 Dinitrogen oxide [N2O], e.g. using aquaponics, hydroponics or efficiency measures
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 60/52 use of renewable energies
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 60/60 Fishing; Aquaculture; Aquafarming

Abstract

A system, method, and computer program product for an aquaponics, and greenhouse system, including a solar greenhouse insulated on north, east and west sides and with glazing on a south side at an angle to maximize winter sunlight, and housing: a fish tank; grow beds coupled to the fish tank; and hydroponic tanks respectively coupled to the grow beds. The grow beds are coupled to a fish tank geyser pump internal to the fish tank, and a hydroponic tank geyser pump internal to a respective one of the hydroponic tanks. The fish tank and hydroponic tank geyser pumps are powered by an external air pump via an air selector switch to pump and aerate water from the hydroponic tank to the grow bed and to pump water from the fish tank to the grow bed and aerate water of the fish tank.

Claims

1. An aquaponics, and greenhouse system comprising:

a solar greenhouse insulated on north, east and west sides and with glazing on a south side at an angle to maximize winter sunlight, and housing;

a fish tank housed within the solar greenhouse;

a plurality of grow beds coupled to the fish tank and also housed within the solar greenhouse;

a plurality of hydroponic tanks respectively coupled to the grow beds and also housed within the solar greenhouse; and

each one of the plurality of grow beds is coupled to a fish tank geyser pump internal to the fish tank, and a hydroponic tank geyser pump internal to a respective one of the hydroponic tanks,

wherein the fish tank and hydroponic tank geyser pumps are powered by an external air pump via an air selector switch to pump and aerate water from the hydroponic tank to the grow bed and to pump water from the fish tank to the grow bed and aerate water of the fish tank.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a rocket mass heater inside the greenhouse to heat the greenhouse and fish tank water, and comprising an L-shaped mass with an interior metal column with metal coils wrapped around the metal column to heat water from the fish tank circulating therethrough.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a rain water collection system for the greenhouse to capture rain water from the greenhouse and to heat fish tank water, and comprising a rain water container inside the greenhouse to hold the rain water and coupled to the fish tank, and a rain gutter made of a reflective material provided around a roof of the greenhouse and coupled to the rain water container to capture rain water, and a water pump coupled to the rain water container to recirculate the rain from the rain water container to the reflective rain gutter to heat fish tank water.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a hard filter coupled to the fish tank to filter water from the fish tank, and providing mechanical filtration, biological filtration, chemical filtration, and/or UV light sanitation; and

a duckweed auto fish feeder having an output coupled to the fish tank and with duckweed growing on a top water surface of the hard filter provided to the fish tank.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a black soldier fly (BSF) composting and auto fish feeder for converting organic matter into BSF larvae for fish feed, and comprising a BSF container having an internal ramp, and an external ramp, with the internal ramp disposed within the BSF container, and with the external ramp coupled to the internal ramp and disposed over the fish tank so that the BSF larvae can crawl up the internal ramp and drop off from the external ramp into the fish tank as the fish feed.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a spectral analyzer based sensor having a gas probe disposed within the greenhouse to measure air parameters of the greenhouse including temperature, humidity, O2, and CO2 levels in the greenhouse, and a water probe disposed within the fish tank to measure water parameters of the fish tank water including dissolved oxygen, PH, nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, and electrical conductivity (EC) levels of the fish tank water, and

a computer coupled to the spectral analyzer based sensor and configured to control one or more of the air and water parameters based on the measured air and water parameters levels.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the grow beds includes a bell siphon external to the grow bed and configured to drain the water from the grow bed back into the fish tank and from the grow bed back into the respective hydroponic tank, and

each bell siphon comprises a bell siphon housing with an open end and closed top, with the open end of the bell siphon housing coupled to a bottom of the grow bed, and a bell siphon standpipe extending within the bell siphon housing and coupled to the fish tank to drain the water from the grow bed back into the fish tank, and to the respective hydroponic tank via respective valves.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the fish tank and hydroponic tank geyser pumps comprises a geyser pump housing with an open bottom and closed top, with an air inlet provided in the geyser pump housing coupled to the air pump, and a geyser pump standpipe extending through the closed top of the geyser pump housing to an inside of the geyser pump housing and coupled to a top of the grow bed to pump and aerate the water from the fish tank or the respective hydroponic tank to the top of the grow bed.