Inside an upstairs room at Ivy Tech Community College’s East Chicago location, something surprising soon will greet visitors and students — an aquaponics system in which tilapia will help produce buttercrunch lettuce and fresh basil.
This isn’t something one would expect in a building that sits amid north Lake County industries, but LaMont Mitchell, a science tutor at the campus, hails it as a fine example of urban agriculture.
“Aquaponics provides a way for people in food deserts to grow fresh vegetation in their own home,” Mitchell, who is researching aquaponics as a pre-med student at Chicago State University, said.
Mitchell points out other benefits of aquaponics, such as use by communities to sell or barter vegetation or fish with each other and farmers who could grow produce year-round.
Many of the components of Ivy Tech’s system were donated by staff and the campus Machine Tool program constructed the drain system that is part of the aquaponics process. Triple B Tilapia in DeMotte is donating the fish that will be used to power the growing process. Waste from the fish housed in the 40-gallon tank will provide nutrients for the plants, which will flourish in grow beds of clay pebbles.
The campus plans to put the system to use in a number of ways, such as its culinary program harvesting the produce and fish and using it in dishes it prepares, and science classes learning how to test for elements such as nitrogen, which must be monitored during the aquaponics process.
“Part of our introduction chemistry class is to learn about how basic or acidic a substance is,” Assistant Professor Louis Fadel said, noting chemistry is one of the newer transfer degree programs on campus. “One way is through determining pH of the substance.
“In this particular case, the students can determine the pH of the water used in the aquaponics. The pH can then be related to how it affects the plants and animals in the water. Students would also measure nutrients in the water by determining the amount of nitrates and phosphates.
“Finally, they will determine the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water. The analysis would be done routinely and at the end of the class, the student will create a poster and give a short presentation on what they found and what the results mean.”
The smaller original prototype for the aquaponics system also sits nearby, a smaller 20-gallon version where goldfish provide the means necessary for plant growth. Mitchell said tilapia are more commonly used in aquaponics because their breeding process can be controlled by regulating water temperature. Thus, the fish are a sustainable source of protein for the plants and food source for people.
“People will be able to grow and harvest organic vegetation and their own fish,” Mitchell said, noting startup costs for a small home system are just more than $100. “This is another way to provide healthy vegetation and grow your own vegetables 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.”
“Hands-on activities are the key to having people understand what’s going on,” Jeff Martin, owner of Triple B Tilapia and a teacher, said. “I’ve worked with high schools to try to educate the kids. I have some home-school kids who come to our farm. Working hands-on for education is what I’m all about.”
Like Mitchell, Martin believes small-scale aquaponics is achievable for everyone, provided they take the time to learn.
“People are looking for sustainable living,” Martin said. “This isn’t something you need a degree to do. I’m all for people getting involved because it brings more attention to what we do.”
Donna Kiesling is the Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications at Ivy Tech Community College’s Lake County Campus.
