Session 1 · DESIGN: Sketch
Build day
- 5 minSafety: gloves for gravel and clay balls, adults handle all electrics and cutting.
- 35 minBuild the model: rinse media, set up tank and grow bed (or line and fill the wicking bed), plant seedlings.
- 10 minPhotograph each subsystem for your care guide.
Session 2 · DESIGN: Improve
Day one data
- 10 minSet up the log in a spreadsheet: date, water temperature, pH, ammonia, nitrate, water added, plant height, fish behaviour.
- 20 minFirst readings and baseline measurements of every seedling.
- 15 minRun a leak and flow test: time how long the grow bed takes to fill and drain.
- 5 minStart the care roster.
Getting started
Build the wicking bed first if the tank isn't ready; it needs no power or animals.
Stretch
Set up a control: an ordinary pot with the same seedlings, watered from the top, to compare with.
Checkpoint
A running system and a first day of data in the log.
Activities for this week
- Build a wicking bed: Can a garden bed water itself for a week?
- Model aquaponics build: Can fish and plants look after each other in a small space?
Useful this week
- How to make wicking garden beds ↗ Step-by-step build ideas for a self-watering bed.
- Microsoft MakeCode for micro:bit ↗ Program a micro:bit to log water temperature.