Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I am new to this so forgive me for my lack of understanding.
I have a large 15 by 20-25 foot carp pond, maybe 10-15 foot deep in the middle and I would like to create an aquaponics system beside it, but because the pond is so large and much of the water runs away anyway, losing water in the system isn't a huge issue for me.

Anyway, In my system, I was wondering if I could have the water run in to a container that could feed my guinea pigs (which I want to raise as food), before flowing back in to the pond.

Do you think the water would be safe to drink consistently?

Thank you.

My dog drinks from my sump every once in a while with no ill effects as far as I can tell, I would worry about it more if it was salted though.

I don't know about drinking it all the time, you would also have to worry about e.coli and other baddies getting on your vegetables with mammal feces getting in the water.

Not sure about guinea pigs but domestic livestock drink from lakes, ponds, and rivers all the time. I don't see a problem. On the other hand with such small creatures I don't see a problem in keeping fresh water in front of them, if you have a well at least.

the water will be fine

my bigger questions involves guinea pigs as food...

are they tasty?

how are they prepared?

who decided a rodent should be an entree?

are they skinned first for some sort of fur thingy?

They are quite a common food in South America,they breed them for that purpose

My concern is around contaminants (back into the system). Once you go out of the "normal" confides of a "mostly closed eco system", you "may" have issues

Just a heads up, only time will tell

I would be concerned with nitrate poisoning if the water contains high levels of nitrates (greater than 300 ppm of nitrate nitrogen).
It is a bigger problem in ruminants (where the rumen microbes convert the nitrates to nitrites and then to ammonia) than in non ruminants but I think you should check this out futher.
Effects of Nitrates on non ruminants include a direct, caustic effect on the lining of the gut if consumed in large quantities. Signs of poisoning include diarrhoea, salivation and abdominal pain.

I'm very curious what happened to your guinea pigs, did you ever start giving them the aquaponics water? I'm brainstorming doing the same with my rabbits.