Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi,

this is my second system that I am building right now.
its not running very well yet, the gravel was really dirty. Due to massive sunlight we had and still have big problems with algae.
Vegetable growth is terrible so far. Today I tried to cover the pond, and add more filtration to the system.
I hope that will help clear out the water and kill the algae.
besides the plants growth, I am very satisfied. Waterflow is perfect, flood and drain works like a charm. the fish seem really happy and the constructions seems stable.


here are some pictures. Ideas for improvement are very welcome. I am still kind of new to aquaponics.
Any suggestions on my algae problem?

for filtration purposes I am using a swirl filter, sponges and socks infront of the outlets. Is it Enough to clean the water? Pump is running around 2500l per hour.
actually is it recommended to use filters in media filled systems? I thought that the growbeds media is filtering the water? im kind of confused about that. Sometimes I read that solids must be removed from the system and sometimes I read that solids will be converted into useful things within the growbed, by bacterias and added earthworms?

I am using 15 Goldfish. It looks a little bit less. The pond is big. How many goldfish would you recommend?

thanks

Whether to have a swirl filter or not is a subject of much discussion. With only 15 goldfish you would not need it at all but if you want to stock more and bigger fish later on like carp or trout then you are limited by not having one. Some people just stock less fish and let the waste go to the growbed, others want to stock more fish and want to remove the solids with a filter, nitrification still takes place without solids in the growbed.

If you are trying to clean the water of dirt and mud from the gravel then the sponges and socks might help but really, that just takes time maybe a few weeks.

As for poor plant growth, again it takes time for the system to start working properly, you could try a commercial fish food rather than just aquarium food and add a seaweed extract like Seasol if you have something like that in Europe ?