ORVAgonian January 2015 Oregon Virtual Academy Student Newspaper

January Writers & Photographers:

Start of Semester II

It’s officially the second semester at the

Oregon Virtual Academy, and there are a lot of ex-

ci%ng things in store. From assemblies to ORven-

tures, OACCS tests and Spring Break, make the sec-

ond half of the year the best yet!

Keep your courses and your work in Study

Island a priority, but consider joining an ORVA club

(art or newspaper). There’s s%ll %me to check out a

K12 na%onal club, and the ORVA spelling bee is

right around the corner. The more you par%cipate,

the be4er your semester will be. Contact your

homeroom teacher if you have ques%ons about

these ideas and opportuni%es.

Megan Baird

Trevor Carr

Alexandra Marchon

Rachel Negron

Aidan Rashleigh

Emme" Rashleigh

Allison Reetz

Alfonso Restrepo

Hannah Smith

Alyssa Tucker

Angel Watson

Gavin Young

What do you like to do in the

winter %me to stay ac%ve well

here are some of my favorite

things to do.

Swim go to your nearest indoor

swimming pool and put in a few

good laps.

Dance crank up your music and

start doing some freestyle

moves.

Indoor Sports such as basketball,

volleyball, and soccer.

Sta%c Exercises which include

running in place, squats, lungs,

and jumping jacks.

Trampolines find an indoor

trampoline place and have some

fun jumping around. :)

Also always remember to get a

nice stretch before you do any-

thing to prevent injury!!!

Winter Exercise Tips By Megan Baird

Here are two ways to learn military %me the first is just

add twelve to the %me to get the military version, for

example: 1+12=13 so instead of saying it is 1 o’clock

pm you just say it is thirteen hundred hours. The sec-

ond is just add ten to the %me and then add 2 to get

the military %me, for example: 1+10+2=13 so you say it

is thirteen hundred hours. This only works a@er 12

noon, before twelve noon it is 0900 hours or 0330

hours or 1000(pronounced ten hundred not one thou-

sand) hours. I prefer military %me because it is clearer

and there is less room for mistakes than the U.S.A

standard %me and it also is the %me used by most

countries in the world.

How to figure out the stardate: to find todays approxi-

mate stardate you do the following math- stardate=

(century*105)+(the two digit year, for example

’98,*103)+([the day number/365]*10

2)+(the military

%me/2400) and then you add or subtract it from you're

version of the stard-

ate zero. My stardate

zero is April 5, 1994,

the supposed date

which Zephram

Cochrane blasted off

and took the world’s

first flight which was

faster than warp 1.

Learn Military Time and Calculate Stardate

By Gavin Young

A lot of people want

to go on spring break

trips, but they don't

know where they

should go. Here are

ten places where a lot

of people are going.

The first

place is South Padre

Beach. It is located at

the %p of Texas. The

resorts and beach are said to be luxurious.

Number two is Miami Beach (located in

Florida). The vaca%on is pricey but it would be fun

and there is something for the whole family.

The third place is Cancun(located in North

America). Cancun has a long reputa%on as a pop-

ular travel des%na%on in North America.

Number four is Puerto Vallarta. This great

beach is tailor-made for people who like the out-

doors, with its sands and hidden coves.

A very popular place that a lot of people

talk about that is also number five on the list is

the Bahamas. The Bahamas white sand bring lots

of sun seekers every year. Low price accommoda-

%ons make it easy for budget travelers.

Puerto Rico is a very beau%ful place and

has amazing beaches and landmarks.

As shown in this picture of a beach that is there.

Also Puerto Rico is number six on the list.

Jamaica is number seven. Beaches there

are spectacular . Dolphin Cove is a place in Jamai-

ca where people can swim, and play sharks, dol-

phins and s%ngrays. Dolphin Cove is their natural

environment.

Cabo San Lucas is a city in Mexico. There

are many delicious delicacies and great restau-

rants and beaches. Cabo San Lucas has wonderful

weather. This is number eight on the list.

Sanibel Island is in Florida. It is known for

its sunsets and there lighthouses. It is always

warm there and in January it gets up to 74 de-

grees, while in July it gets up to 92 degrees!!

That's hot! Sanibel Island is number nine.

Playa del Carmen is in Mexico. Playa del

Carmen is one of the top dive des%na%ons in the

world, thanks to vibrant sea life and dazzling un-

derwater caverns. It has a tropical climate which

makes it almost always warm.

Spring Break

Des%na%ons By Madeline Mixer

Photos by

Hannah Smith

The star fleet insignia is a most vital part of the uniform. Use the following stencil to

either spray paint it on or make a patch using it as a blueprint, or guide.

To spray paint it on use black paint to spray on the edge and the star. Or if you are

making a patch s%tch the star on and then use black cloth as the edge guide and then sew it to

your shirt.

For the shirt you will want a long sleeve YELLOW t-shirt. Underneath the shirt you will

need to wear a black t-shirt. For the rank braids use gold colored ric-rac in the ribbon sec%on

of any store with arts and cra@s in it.

If you are a captain use three, but if you are a lieutenant use 2 solid gold bands. I

won’t go into lieutenant junior grades bands.

For the pants black slacks will do nicely. And for the boots use nice black boots with a

one and a quarter to a one and a half inch heel like the ones used in Hawaii 5 O the original

version or in the old western movies and shows and the original series of Star Trek. If you have

never heard of any of these shows ask you parents they probably have seen them.

By Gavin Young

Create your

own Star Trek

uniform

Hi, My name is Allison

Reetz. I am 13 years old and have

Mitochondrial Myopathy Complex 1

Deficiency.

You are all probably saying

“WHAT?” Well what it means, in

simple terms is that my mitochon-

dria don’t work correctly and my

body does not work correctly.

The mitochondria are the

powerhouse cells of your body. They

are in almost every cell of your body

and help generate energy. An easy

comparison for you is that normal

people run on a fully charged

ba4ery, well my body runs on an old

ba4ery and has a lot of trouble mak-

ing energy and my body func%on

correctly.

This disease affects every-

one differently and it affects my

body in the following ways: failure

to thrive, cons%tu%onal growth de-

lay, lordosis, scoliosis, miserable

misalignment syndrome, slow G.I.

system, obstruc%ve sleep apnea,

obstruc%ve lung disease, mitral

valve prolapse and regurgita%on

(but they are not currently affec%ng

my heart func%on.)

I sleep a lot of hours and am

always %red. I can’t run anymore,

can’t bend much anymore (had spi-

nal fusion surgery to correct kypho-

sis) and it is why I am home

schooled.

If you want to learn more

you can go to WWW.UMDF.ORG,

with your parents’ permission.

Currently my mom and I are

trying to go to a symposium in

Washington, D.C., if I can raise the

money to go then I will be able to

a4end teen sessions and meet oth-

ers with varia%ons of my disease

and my mom will be able to go to

sessions where she can learn more

about what is going on with my dis-

ease.

I am trying to bring aware-

ness to this disease and that is why I

wrote this ar%cle. Please learn more.

Thank you.

Allison’s Story

By Allison Reetz

Birthday- January 1st

Favorite song- I can’t pick just one so I’m going to say new country.

Girl best friends- kaci.

Guy best friends- Ty and Damin

Favorite TV shows- Castle, flashpoint, bones, NCIS, Chicago fire

and new girl. I also enjoy Chicago P.D.

Pets- Mom Cat, Sage, Max, Mariposa and princess.

How many siblings? 4 brothers and 2 sisters.

Have you been on a plane? Many times

Favorite food- dessert.

I spend a lot of my time taking photos, spending time with my

friends, posting on my two instagrams and watching YouTube vide-

os. One is my personal account witch I am not on very often and

then there’s my cat sages instagram. I also spend time llama train-

ing and walking. My instagram is- @sagesanity and @krazy.2

Meet Angel By Angel Watson

Going into my 7th

year at ORVA, I’ve so far

enjoyed the school. But I’ve found that our school is

lacking something: excitement. Sure you may go to

ORventures, or the ‘social %mes’ that some teachers

provide, but many would prefer a different kind of

excitement: student government.

ORVA student government would provide

addi%onal benefits, other than just something to do.

For students, school government would offer a sense

of par%cipa%ng in school decisions. The chance to run

for office would be an ideal training ground for bud-

ding poli%cians as well. For the future that students

will inherit, the chance to partake in school govern-

ment would teach responsibility and also encourage

educated decision making. The student would need

to carefully evaluate candidates to decide on the cor-

rect choice. Elec%ons would encourage students to

think about what they want to see happen in the

school. Interest in school poli%cs now will encourage

interest in poli%cs later, as a far too few young adults

vote.

Another, perhaps less important benefit would be to

provide the ORVAgonian with an important subject

to write about. Student interest in elec%ons would

provide a good reason to read our newspaper, and

could encourage more students to join.

“All these are fine arguments,” you might

say, “but how could such a government be organized?

It can’t be done!”

Well, it actually can be done, and it can also

be done easily. An ORVA middle school student gov-

ernment would have a simple structure: each home-

room class would elect a student to represent their

class in a Student Council, which would meet twice a

month. The Student Council would discuss any prob-

lems they may be experiencing or ideas they may

have. The mee%ngs would be open to the public, alt-

hough recordings would also be available.

Council members would have full moderator

status and be responsible to make their own slides.

There would be an ORVA teacher on hand to witness

the mee%ng and to provide comments on ques%ons.

For example: (Student) “I think history cours-

es are biased. There’s no men%on of Nikola Tesla, but

a whole page on Thomas Edison.” (Teacher) “I agree,

but where should we get new textbooks?” Before

asking the teacher present, the Council must first de-

cide whether the subject is important. Over two

By Emme4 Rashleigh

OPINION:

ORVA should have Middle

School Student Government

Con�nued on next page ...

thirds of the Council must agree for before any ac-

%on is taken.

There may instead be a student council for

each grade, but this would damage any sense of uni-

ty students from different grades feel. 6th

, 7th

, and

8th

graders are also similar in age and interests. Too

many older children and teenagers feel superior over

people only a few years younger than themselves.

An important part of becoming a mature person is

expanding your social circle. Having students of

different grades work together to solve problems

would encourage such rela%onships.

The student body president would lead the

council. His or her k-mail would be open to students

for comments, ques%ons, or complaints. He or she

would direct the council in the way he or she had

promised during elec%ons. Naturally, such a person

would have to be an eloquent speaker, capable of

swaying audiences. Such need for good grammar and

vocabulary would encourage students to work hard-

er on those courses. Before one could become presi-

dent, however, one must first be elected.

Elec%ons need not be difficult to manage. I

will explain step-by-step how a candidate would be

chosen, and, eventually, elected to office. First, in a

special school assembly, a student must nominate a

candidate. This may be as simple as raising your

hand, and submiXng, for example, “I nominate Jack

Bridger”, in the chat box. If ‘Jack Bridger’ declines,

then another candidate must be chosen. If he ac-

cepts, then he may enter the race only a@er giving

reasons why he should run, as well as name a vice

president. If his reasons are sa%sfactory to both the

students and teachers, then he is has entered the

race.

A@er two to three candidates are chosen the

assembly ends and our ‘Jack Bridger’ must now write

speeches, both to be spoken at special assemblies,

and to be published in the ORVAgonian. In order to

keep recent, the ORVAgonian may be published

weekly or bimonthly during the month of the elec-

%ons.

As the month draws to a close students

begin to vote. This can be done easily as well. A sur-

vey would be sent to all students expected to vote.

They would then have un%l the end of the month to

cast their votes. If our candidate is elected, he would

be sworn in at another student assembly.

Council representa%ve elec%ons would be

held in a similar fashion during the same month.

Candidates would be nominated in the homeroom

and give speeches in the homeroom. The homeroom

teacher would be responsible to send out the

‘ballots’. Once elected, the new Student Council

member would be sworn in his or her homeroom.

Elec%ons would be repeated either every semester

or every year. If there is an elec%on every semester,

there may be a limit of two terms per year, or possi-

bly a year long term. If each term lasts a year there

would be a limit of one term per person during mid-

dle school, and one term per person during high

school. This would allow several students to experi-

ence running for office.

Impeachment can happen in poli%cs, and

there’s no reason it shouldn’t happen in an ORVA

student government. Guidelines would be put down,

and if these are broken, the offender would either be

forced to resign or face impeachment. If the offender

denies that he or she has done anything wrong, the

Student Council and a panel of teachers would re-

view the case. They would then vote to decide

whether the offender should be removed from

office. If at least two thirds of the Council and the

panel of teachers agree, the offender would be re-

moved from office. In the case of either resigna%on

or impeachment, the vice president would take over

the office for the rest of the term.

Enjoyable school poli%cs shouldn’t have to

be limited to middle school. These sugges%ons apply

equally to 3d through 5th

grade, as well as high

school. The opportunity to par%cipate in a student

government should be applied to these grades, or at

least considered.

Some might say students are not mature

enough to operate a student government. That is

incorrect. ORVA students are ready for student gov-

ernment. So I urge you, teachers and students alike,

to consider student government. But don’t stop

there. You can support student government, wheth-

er you’re an ORVA instructor or student. If you’re a

teacher, ask the head of school and other teachers

about the possibility of a middle school government.

If you’re a student, show you’re ready by ac%ng well

in the classroom and following your teacher’s rules.

Respect your fellow classmates. Urge your teachers

to support the idea. Working together, we can make

the dream of an ORVA middle school government a

reality.

If you’re bored and craving some

action then The Hobbit: Battle of Five

Armies is the movie you’ve been waiting

for! Directed by Peter Jackson, The

Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies is full

of action and suspense. This movie keeps

you at the edge of your seat.

With great characters such as Bil-

bo Baggins, Bard the Bowman, and Tho-

rien Oakensheild, it leaves you hungry

for more. The Hobbit Battle of the Five

Armies is the third movie in the Hobbit

trilogy, and unlike the second movie it

has enough in it so that you’re not wait-

ing for it to end. Not only that, but Lego-

las Greenleaf is not hacking off orcs

heads left and right because he is busy

fighting Bolg, Azog the pale orc’s

“spawn”.

Although with some unexpected

twists, this movie generally stays true to

the book, The Hobbit by Tolkien. Battle

of The Five Armies does a great job of

setting up the Lord of the Rings, by giv-

ing hints like when Saruman, the white

wizard goes after Sauron, the one ring’s

master.

By the end of the movie, all you

will want to do is watch it over again. No

movie can be perfect but Battle of the

Five Armies is definitely the best movie

in the Hobbit trilogy.

The Hobbit: Ba4le of

The Five Armies

A review

Ok first you need to know

that dogs love to please their mas-

ter. You need to find what helps

get their a4en%on, like treats or

toys. My new pup love toys and

the squeaker help get her a4en-

%on but the treats distract her.

The first step is to show the toy or

treat to him or her and get their

a4en%on. I would start by teach-

ing him or her how to sit.

You lightly press down on

her rump, when she sits say ‘sit’

and ‘good girl’ give lots of good

girls and love. If you have a treat

then give it to her or throw the

toy and play with her for a minute

or so. Then repeat, once you think

she has it then say sit and li@ the

treat/toy above her head. Don’t

get discouraged if she doesn’t get

it right away. If she does then

praise her and love on her or play

with her for a while. Then repeat

and try it again she will eventually

get it down. Then you can teach

her how to lay down.

Have her sit and then

press down on her shoulders. She

may not lay down fully but when

she has her elbows on the floor

say ‘lay down’ or ‘down.’ Make it

short so she can remember it. And

of course praise her tons either

with treats or play %me. Then re-

peat, once you believe she has it

then say lay down and have a

treat/toy in your hand and put

your hand on the floor. Wait for a

couple of seconds, if she doesn’t

do it then lightly press on her

shoulders. And praise when she

does lay down. Soon you have a

dog that knows the simple com-

mands. Just remember all dogs

are different and don’t get dis-

couraged and don’t scold her for

not geXng the trick right.

Alyssa’s puppy Akira.

By Alyssa Tucker

How to Train a Puppy By Alyssa Tucker

Can one person make a difference? Con-

sider some famous people from the past. You’ve

probably heard of Socrates, Jesus, and Muhammad.

What about Homer and Shakespeare? Galileo?

Isaac Newton? Marie Curie? Albert Einstein? Per-

haps you know something about Charlemagne,

William the Conqueror, or AXla the Hun. Can you

name the country that had Elizabeth I as queen or

Catherine the Great as empress? Do you know the

works of Michelangelo and Beethoven? What reac-

%on do you have when you hear the name Adolf

Hitler? And what about the influence of modern

individuals like Mar%n Luther King, Jr., or Mother

Teresa?

Billions of people have lived on earth over

the course of %me. Some had a quiet influence that

historians will never know about. Others changed

the world for be4er or worse in ways that made

them famous even hundreds or thousands of years

later. They might have been philosophers or reli-

gious figures. They might have been poli%cal or

military leaders. Some changed the world through

their art or scien%fic studies. A few commi4ed or

promoted evil. And some saw the problems of the

world and set out to fix them. Why do some people

rise to fame or infamy? What factors play a part in

making a person influen%al in some way? Would

that person stand out in a different %me, place, or

circumstance?

We will never know the answers to all of

these ques%ons. But the historian o@en looks at the

power of the individual in history. A man named

Kong Qiu was an ancient Chinese philosopher who

tried to fix the problems in the Chinese govern-

ment. Kong Qiu was a boy who, at the age of 15,

decided he wanted to become a scholar. His father

had died when he was three, and his mother was a

simple peasant woman.

Kong Qiu had a dream to become a schol-

ar, and, one day, work in the government. He spent

his %me studying Chinese wri%ng, absorbing scrolls

of history, and traveling from state to state in

search of knowledge.

Around this %me the Zhou dynasty was

ruling China, but it was really cruel, cold, rich lords

who were governing it. They put together whole

armies and fought over property and power. They

did not care for the common people, and the Zhou

dynasty wasn’t doing anything about it. Kong Qiu

was determined to fix the government’s problems,

so that the world would be at peace and people

would be happy and live good lives.

Somewhere around this %me, he earned

the %tle Kongfuzi, but people in the West started to

call him Confucius, which meant the same thing but

in La%n. Eventually Confucius started teaching stu-

dents his ideas. In %me, he gained a reputa%on as

an educated man, and a group of young men gath-

Can one person make

a difference?

By Rachel Negron

Con�nued on next page ...

ered around him. Everyone agreed that he was a good,

wise teacher. He welcomed all students who wished to

be taught, even those so poor that they had nothing for

payment except for a package of dried meat. He only had

one prerequisite- a pupil had to show an eagerness to

learn.

“I teach only those who burst with enthusiasm. I

guide only those who are struggling to learn themselves,”

Confucius said. “If I explain one corner of a subject, I ex-

pect the student to discover the other three for himself.”

The only kind of student he did not like to teach

was a lazy one.

“If a person studies but does not think he is lost.

If he thinks but does not study he is dangerous.”

Confucius had some significant ideas he wanted

to pass on to others. He taught that the secret to a diplo-

ma%c land and a respectable life is good character. He

said that to live well, an individual must be a

“gentleman”- not a man who is born rich or in high posi-

%on, but one who achieved his du%es and thought of

others.

Picture Confucius siXng under an apricot tree,

with his circle of students around him, all engaged in live-

ly discussion of how to be an exemplary person. Confu-

cius taught his pupils to challenge him if they did not be-

lieve what he was speaking about. He o@en set high

standards for himself, and believed that he o@en failed to

meet his goals. But he said that he always tries to im-

prove. He taught his students that everyone can improve

himself, and right behavior led to good lives, and good

lives led to happiness.

Confucius looked at the warfare and injus%ce in

his %me and wanted to do something about it. He be-

lieved he could put things right, and he wanted to be in

the government to try out his ideas, but it was difficult to

find a ruler who would accept him. From %me to %me he

got smaller jobs in the government. For some %me, he

was a police commissioner in his own state of Lu. He

worked so well that there was virtually no crime, people

treated each other fairly, and no one was afraid to leave

their doors unlocked at night.

Confucius was honest and fair in his work, but

the officials and rulers thought he was a li4le too honest.

They wanted to brag to the people about how great they

were, but Confucius did just the opposite. He dimly point-

ed out their deficiencies.

To one noble he said, “If you weren’t such a

thief yourself, sir, no one would be trying to steal from

you.”

“Reform yourself if you want your kingdom to

reform,” he said. But corrupt officials were afraid that

they would lose their jobs if Confucius carried out his

“virtuous leaders” plan. The nobles didn’t want to take

the %me to live up to Confucius’s standards, so they ig-

nored him. His jobs didn’t last long, and the rulers would-

n’t put real power in his hands, so he spent his life as a

teacher.

Confucius taught in many different states, with

his students following along. He wanted his students to

learn many things, but most of all he wanted them to

learn how to lead good, happy lives.

He said “hear, choose what is good, and follow

it; to see and read much and remember.”

He taught as many students as he could, so that

each one would have the chance to lead China. Even

though no ruler would let Confucius try his plans, he

hoped that one day his students would follow his advice.

That’s why he taught his pupils to be the kind of people

he would want to govern China.

So he went on traveling and spreading the truth

as he saw it, teaching young men to become exemplary

people.

Can one per-

son change the world?

Indeed they could. And

did Confucius make a

difference? Yes; he

influenced China for

thousands of years.

So, will you have an

impact on the world?

Only %me will tell.

Imagine, for a moment, you grow a

garden in your backyard. Or maybe

you do grow one; then you don’t

need to imagine. So you dig; you

weed; you fer%lize; you water. Every

day. Which is a lot of work. You

don’t mind doing it; the tomatoes

and the carrots and the salads are

worth it. But what if you could get

the same results without the digging

and weeding and watering? Plus you

get fresh, fresh fish right out of your

backyard? Or maybe you don’t want

a garden and you don’t want to gut

any fish. You couldn’t do that. You

have a few fish in a tank, and you

love to Aquaponics in ac%on ↑

watch them dart around. But clean-

ing their tank is a pain. Though

you’ve heard there’s a way to natu-

rally filter the tank, without chemi-

cals or anything like that – plus you

get herbs out of the bargain, like

basil. Mmmm… pesto.

And that way is called aquaponics.

So what do you think? Sounds inter-

es%ng? In this paper we’ll outline

how it works and what you’ll need; if

you decide you want to learn more,

you can surf the web a li4le or check

out a book at your local library.

HowItWorks

With aquaponics, you keep fish and

plants together. It’s a combina%on

of aquaculture, which is just a fancy

word for keeping fish, and hydro-

ponics, which is a li4le more compli-

cated. Hydroponics is growing plants

in nutrient-infused water instead of

in dirt. You can grow more plants on

a smaller space with it, but you need

some kind of fer%lizer in the water.

And with aquaculture, you need a

way to clean and replace the water,

or the fish will eventually die. When

you put them together, they solve

each other’s problems – the plants

clean the water by absorbing the

nutrients which the fish produce in

the form of fish poop, which is

turned into plant food by bacteria.

Aquaponics is more than a way to

produce food; it’s an ecosystem. It’s

ecofriendly, natural, and almost al-

ways organic, since the chemicals

given to plants tend to kill the fish,

and vice versa. S%ll interested? Then

let’s keep going.

BasicIngredients

The basic ingredients for an aqua-

ponics system are fish, plants, a fish

tank, a plant tank, a li4le plumbing,

and somewhere to put it all. That

shouldn’t be so hard, right?

FishandPlants

One of the first ques%ons anybody

interested in aquaponics asks is

“What kinds of plants can I grow?

And what kinds of fish?” Plants- you

can grow pre4y much anything,

from fruit trees to carrots. Just keep

two things in mind: there should

always be something growing, and

only plant what you like to eat. But

fish- that’s where it gets interes%ng.

Fish commonly grown in aquaponic

systems include %lapia, ca^ish, gold-

fish and trout. Tilapia and ca^ish are

hot-climate fish and as such will only

grow in (water) temperatures of

about 70-90 degrees (F.) But they

both grow fast and are rela%vely

hardy. Tilapia can reach 1.5 pounds

at ten months old! Trout is a popular

choice where waters are colder,

thriving in temperatures of 50-60

degrees (and though they won’t

grow very much, they can survive

just-above freezing temperatures, as

long as the water doesn’t actually

freeze.) However, they need more

oxygen in the water than the warm-

water Rainbow trout -

yum! ↑

fish. Goldfish are perfect for those

who don’t want to eat their fish, as

they survive in a wide range of tem-

peratures and are pre4y to look at

too. There are more; you can look it

up, see what suits you.

All the fish, by the way, are freshwa-

ter fish. Saltwater would kill the

plants.

The second ques%on people ask is

“How many can I have?” How many

AquaponicsBy Alexandra Marchon

fish and how many plants to have in

how much space is a heavily contested

ques%on; but the general rule seems to

be 1 pound of fish per 5-7 gallons of

water. As far plants, you can just put as

many as will fit. With the plants, the

ques%on isn’t gallons, but how many

nutrients they’re geXng; that is, how

many fish to each plant. This is im-

portant. Go for about 6-9 gallons fish

tank for every square foot of plant

space. That is, if your fish tank is fully

stocked; if you’ve stocked it at half the

density, like one pound of fish per 13

gallons, you can only have half as many

plants. See what I mean?

Tanks

You need two tanks; a fish tank and a

plant tank, commonly known as a grow

bed or grow tank. The grow bed you fill

with grow bed media - gravel or river

stones or something similar - as a sup-

port for the plant’s roots. Not for nutri-

%on - the water does that – but as sup-

port. As for the tanks - basically they

can be anything that holds water and

isn’t poisonous. For the novice, you can

buy a full system with everything includ-

ed online; however, it’ll cost more that

way (and the shipping costs are o@en

huge.) You can build a simple system

out of stock tanks or similar with a drill,

some PVC pipes and a pump (which

should be easy to find in a hardware

store or even a Walmart.) Stock tanks

are very well suited to this, as they are

made to be outside in sun and rain, and

come in appropriate sizes. Kiddie ↑

Different types of media pools

work to a certain extent; they will even-

tually need to be replaced, and they

aren’t very stable. Old bathtubs, if you

can find them cheap, are perfect. Plas%c

barrels like the kind used to transport

liquid industrially, are wonderful,

though they will degrade in direct sun-

light eventually, and IBCs (which are

large plas%c tanks with metal frames,

also used to transport liquids industrial-

ly) are good too. Though with both of

those you have to be careful they have-

n’t ever been used to transport any-

thing dangerous. For the fish tank a nor-

mal glass tank works great for a win-

dowsill mini-system.

Location

Loca%on, loca%on, loca%on may be the

real-estate creed, but it’s no less true

for aquaponics. It needs to be the right

temperature (which is usually pre4y

warm.) It needs as much light as possi-

ble – whether through lights or the sun.

It needs to be easily accessible, and it

needs to be big enough. There’s about

three op%ons that are feasible for the

average person. The first is to take eve-

rything inside, for example in a base-

ment or heated garage, and add grow

lights to provide light (Grow lights are

lights that give off light in the red and

blue spectrum, which is the light plants

need. Normal lightbulbs o@en give off

yellow light.) The second is to have eve-

rything outside, but somehow heat eve-

rything when it gets too cold. This works

in some climates, but in colder climates

the hea%ng just takes up too much elec-

tricity and money. The third op%on is to

have your system in a greenhouse. This

is probably the easiest version, especial-

ly if you already have a greenhouse.

Your plants will love the light, and noth-

ing will die of cold.

Beyond that, it’s hard to say; you might

have something that’s just perfect, or

you might have to build it from scratch.

Of course, if all you want is a self-

cleaning fish tank, you can just put the

plants on a windowsill.

Conclusion

Congratula%ons! You have passed your

introduc%on into the world of aquapon-

ics. This isn’t by any means an all-

encompassing text; it’s just an explana-

%on of the basic ingredients of aqua-

ponics, and how they work. If you want

to move on, find a book at your library

or surf the net; there’s plenty of infor-

ma%on out there. And by all means, try

this at home. Do it. It’s not so hard.

Sources

“Aquaponics.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia

Founda%on, February 2004. Web. 10.

December, 2014. <h4ps://

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquaponics>.

Bernstein, Silvia. Aquaponic Gardening

– a step-by-step guide to raising vegeta-

bles and fish together. Gabriola Island,

BC: New Society Publishers, 2012. Print.

“IBC of Aquaponics Edi%on One.” IBC

Aquaponics, Backyard Aquaponics,

2011. PDF (downloaded from Web.)

By Alfonzo Restrepo

By Trevor Carr

Comics

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Alexandra Marchon

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