We had a client approach us asking for a fully automated solution for water management. Our suggestion was to use the Bluelab Pro Controller with the Bluelab PeriPod M3 for dosing. This would allow him to not only have access to his water information from anywhere via the Edenic app but also to be assured that water management is taken care of.
Challenge
Aquaponics to Hydroponics
The client used to have an aquaponics setup and, due to increased cost, wanted to shift over to a hydroponics system. This meant that many of the extra tanks (fish tanks) as well as the extensive filtering were not required anymore. Our solution was to simply bypass the aquaponics system and use the sump tank as the main nutrient tank. Thankfully both systems work on the same principle, which meant that we did not need to change much more than that.
In the image below you see all of the aquaponics tanks and plumbing that became redundant with the new setup, leaving only the nutrient tank at the bottom right of the image.
Long Distance to the Nutrient Tank
Our second challenge was that the mounting point of the controller with its probes (pH / EC / temperature) was too far from the nutrient tank. Our solution was to have a small water tank sit close to the probes. However, it is important that this water always represents the true state of the water inside the nutrient tank, otherwise the dosing would not be accurate, leading to potential over- or under-dosing. This means the water should always be running, so that the water in the small measuring tank reflects the most recent state of the nutrient tank. We decided on a gravity-fed solution where the water from the distribution tank (which is elevated) feeds the measuring tank, which in turn overflows back into the nutrient tank. This way there is always water running through the measuring tank, representing the most recent state of the water conditions in the nutrient tank.
A great additional benefit of the measuring tank is that the probes are now easily accessible, which makes calibration and cleaning much easier.
Commissioning & Testing
After mounting the controller into place we started preparing the A/B stock solution for the client. For that we dissolved calcium nitrate in one and a hydroponics NPK in the other. This avoids Ca-P precipitation. Both stock solutions need to be highly concentrated so that the dosing system can keep up with the nutrient requirements of the plants.
Preparing a Stock Solution
Preparing a stock solution is not as simple as one would think. It is quite tricky to get the right ratio between the two stock solutions. The water volume must be exactly the same in both solutions, but the volume of the dry nutrients might differ. At the end, both stock solutions should have exactly the same volume, and to achieve this one has to know exactly how much water goes into each tank.
For that we had a flow meter measure the exact amount of water going into the tank. The volume of water that needs to go into each tank must be calculated beforehand and is specific to the nutrient solutions being used.
Priming
Once we had our stock solutions in place and dropped the feeding tubes of the Bluelab Pro Controller into the respective solutions, we were ready to test run the setup, first priming the pipes.
Given the clear interface of the Bluelab Pro Controller, working with it is very intuitive, making it easy for anyone without much technical experience to operate the system. We also offer continued support via WhatsApp, allowing us to deal with questions in a timely manner.
The result is a stable, hands-off fertigation loop with clean data and predictable growth: exactly what this site needed.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Bluelab Pro Controller actually do? It continuously measures pH, EC and temperature and doses nutrients and pH adjuster automatically through the PeriPod pumps. You can watch and adjust everything remotely in the Edenic app.
Why are the nutrients split into an A and a B stock solution? Calcium cannot sit in one concentrated tank with sulphates and phosphates: they react, precipitate out and clog the dosing lines. Keeping calcium in tank A and the sulphates and phosphates in tank B keeps everything dissolved.
Can this be installed on my setup? Most tank-based systems can be automated this way, whether hydroponic or converted from aquaponics. We stock the Bluelab range in Windhoek, install it, and provide continued support via WhatsApp.
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