Aquaponics Farm 3D Simulator | Nitrogen Cycle & Water Chemistry Lab | Grades 6-12
Your students inherit a greenhouse that was filled and stocked yesterday, which is exactly how most people lose their first batch of fish. Fish, plants and bacteria all live in the same water, and none of them want the same thing from it. Over sixty days students read the water, work out what it is telling them, and act before something dies.
What's Included
A 3D greenhouse students orbit and click: fish tank, swirl filter, biofilter, dosing point, raft troughs, sump and pump, in the real order water meets them
A live water monitor showing six readings with the safe band drawn on each one
A test bench where five colour tests develop the way a real reagent kit does, with plain language explaining what each result means
Sam, an on-screen farm advisor who names the problem, explains why it happened, and says which piece of equipment to go and use
Four species to run: Nile tilapia, rainbow trout, channel catfish and giant freshwater prawn, each one breaking a different rule
Two printables: a five page student packet with a water log and thirteen questions, and a three page teacher guide with the full answer key
How It Works
One HTML file. Open it in any browser and it runs. The simulation models the real chemistry: ammonia from feed, two separate bacterial populations that colonise at different speeds, alkalinity destroyed by nitrification, and the pH slide that follows. Nothing is scripted. The nitrite spike happens because the second group of bacteria cannot start until the first group has made them some nitrite.
How to Use It
A first run takes 25 to 40 minutes including the guided walkthrough. Pairs work well, with one student reading the tubes and one keeping the paper log. Have them run it a second time with a different species; trout and prawns each break a different rule and the contrast is the lesson.
Topics Covered
Nitrogen cycle, nitrification, ammonia and nitrite toxicity, pH and alkalinity, dissolved oxygen, plant nutrient deficiencies, stocking density, sustainable food systems, and reading data to make a decision.
Standards
NGSS MS-LS2-3, MS-LS2-4, MS-ETS1-3 and HS-LS2-5. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.7.
Grade Level: Grades 6 to 12
Runs offline once downloaded. No installation, no logins, no student accounts, and nothing to prepare.
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Experience
I'm a homeschool dad and programmer sharing some learning resources that I hope you will find useful!
Teaching style
I love using videos, games and other methods to make learning more of an enjoyable "game".
Awards and shining teacher moments
In my professional life, I built and taught a GIS & Data science class to over 200 people in my organization. I love seeing them do cool things with that technology, most of them are still doing incredible work.
Education
I've attended a pretty wide spectrum of schools including public, homeschool, co-op, professional training and college environments.
