Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I like this idea a lot.... and I would just like to say that I think it would be great to try get a bit more 'outback aquaponics' going. Dont get me wrong, I would love to goto Africa myself and its an excellent call.... but perhaps we could get some of the Aussie members together to do some trial missions to out of the way communities in Australia to help iron out some bugs?
Fresh veggetables are a big part of helping kids grow up healthy and strong no matter how much they try to get out of eating them. I would certainly be happy to support helping put them on the tables of as many people as possible.

My only skill I really have to offer is that of problem solving, and of course having a huge list of jokes to go through while on the road.

Another huge skill would be communicating beyond language barriers. I've worked in other countries where I had only the bare minimum of the local language and the interpreter was only marginally better in my language than I was in their's. Anyway, being able to figure out how to communicate with the crew without language will likely be an important skill on some of these possible projects.

Another point is that perhaps there will be a really good interpreter but there might be need for more than one person to talk with locals at any one time. Like one team off doing excavation while some one else is leading the charge for electricity or erecting a windmill and yet others are out sourcing materials, and the interpreter is busy with the person teaching a class about aquaponics to the people who will hopefully be maintaining the system. ya get my drift.

Sounds like a very admirable thing to do Synaptoman. I'm afraid that I would probably have little to offer in terms of specialist skills - but I will certainly watch with interest and will comment where I think it may be of assistance. A few random thoughts that come to mind when thinking about this issue - some of which will no doubt overlap with the comments of others:

1. Need to make sure that the system is very durable and that all replacement parts can be easily manufactured on site or replaced from local sources. KISS principal would definitely be the order of the day.
2. IMHO in this type of situation Aquaponics should be combined with other sustainable practices to provide a bigger solution. Think Permaculture. Do not limit the growing solutions to the closed Aquaponics system. Excess solids/nutrients (as well as waste material) from the system could be used to increase the fertility of dirt gardening.
3. While it would not be practical to design each system from scratch, it would be viable to break the system down into component parts and have a set of standard options for these components. The most suitable components can then be combined to design the systems that best meet the circumstances of each case. Components would include prefabricated solutions as well as ones that can be produced on site. Where components are to be produced on site, the more work that can be done by the locals (preferably in advance of the installation team arriving), the cheaper (and quicker) the install and the greater the sense of ownership of the locals. These components would require detailed instructions/diagrams to ensure that they were built to suit the chosen system.
4. Systems would be replicatable. One module may be produced with the assistance of the 'team' but the locals should then be able to expand by adding further modules (or build systems in neighbouring locations). The non locally produced components would be all that they would then need to source from the group - or elsewhere.
5. Some work should be done early on in identifying the plants and the fish that would be produced in the systems in different locations. This would require research/knowledge of the local fish and plants and of what needed to be achieved in each location. Are the plants to be produced for those operating the system to eat, are they to be sold etc. Also, does the situation require plants to be produced that provide maximum nutrition, or are they for taste or cash crops.

Lots to think about for sure.

If looking to commence a project of this magnitude in my work environment, the first thing I'd do is get my team together to identify what we were trying to achieve and to undertake a product planning workshop (to identify the products to be produced from the project). Is a most valuable process. It may be worthwhile you looking into online solutions for getting your team involved in some brainstorming type sessions. A lot of information come out of these which, if properly arranged/disseminated afterwards can be an invaluable early step in the project.

There is also the maintenance issue after we have gone and the system is up and running- pH will continue to dwindle down because of the on-going nitrification process and top up water, even if high in pH, may not be enough. Interior continent locations won't have access to sea shells either. The other factors are iron and potasium- two nutrients required by most plants. If the fish are fed these nutrients in their diet, then the plants may be able to uptake these later in the system but if they are not in the system somewhere, then plant nutrient difficiencies will also be a problem.
A lot of these issues, we take for granted, we feed our fish pellets and if a dificency crops up, we add what we need. It won't be so simple for these people, they have to use what they have.

I would like to partner with DanDman,great combination of skill sets.
Dan don't under estimate what skilss you have. Trouble is once people get good at something they do it by second nature and forget how hard it was at the beginning,.....,,even driving a car isa goodexampleof this.Recently taking my son on driving lessons broughtback memories of my learning/stalling/kangaroo jumping,gear crunching,,,and now it all just second nature.

It might be important to look into local supplies for things for each location to see if certain salts, buffering materials, and sources of potassium and iron exist easily. Where not, other solutions would need to be created. Some plants are good at mining for certain nutrients. Comfrey for instance is supposed to be good at mining potassium (though it is also very high in Nitrogen and Phosphorus which may or may not cause issues) but perhaps putting some comfrey leaves into grow beds could help with potassium issues. Or making a concentrate of tea from it to spray on plants. I'm sure there are other plants (perhaps more local) that can do similar things. We know bananas and citrus are good sources of potassium.

And what about potash? I know many people use wood ashes in their gardens to increase pH as well as getting potassium to their plants. What might be the safe method to utilize this for AP if the locals burn wood for their cooking fires (this might not work if they burn dung.) I know wood ashes are harsh in their pH effect and could have stuff in them that would be hard on fish so I'm sure it would need to be used very carefully but it might be able to take care of some of the pH issues along with the potassium one.

Iron might be trickier or it might be really easy depending on the water source and grow bed media. I can quickly tell you that highly buffered systems (like mine full of shells) will require foliar feeding to the plants to take care of iron deficiency since the pH of the water is too high and locks up the iron in the water. Perhaps in a more neutral system simply putting some old iron into the bottoms of grow beds would be sufficient.

Salt is an important item for most of our systems and would definitely need to be found locally. This could be $$ in some places.

What sort of media is most likely to be common in some of these places? I envision some of the systems in the harshest places may simply be pond liner based systems where the beds are formed by digging into the earth and lined then the dirt may be the only readily available media to put into the beds. The pumping may simply be people hauling water up to a lined tank at the highest point where it will gravity feed through the grow beds back down to the pond. If they are lucky, a rope pump windmill could be set up to handle some of the pumping. I suppose this is a little closer to fertigation in lined troughs than what we usually think of as AP but it might be about all that is possible in a place with no electricity where installing high tech solar or wind systems would be un-maintainable.

On the point of making sure there are some other solutions up and running for people getting an AP system installed. Humanure composting is really perfect for saving water, improving sanitation and in time (cause it takes a couple years to even get your first good batch of humanure compost) improve the soil fertility for growing food. I am a huge believer in humanure composting and I know the author of the Humanure Handbook, Joseph Jenkins, is ready and willing to go all sorts of places and teach locals how to go about it in a safe and reliable manner. He has done just this in Mongolia!http://www.jenkinspublishing.com/humanure.html

I have only been humanure composting for a couple years now and I am reluctant to call myself an expert but, if there are no other compost masters in the group, I would be willing to take on the S#!T and be the compost expert. I have greatly improved my beach sand yard in only one year and am growing lots of food in it without the use of added chemical fertilizers, digging, or huge amounts of water.

I'm in too, if you want me. I will need to get a passport though.
My skills and knowledge are very diverse.
Biology, agriculture and genetics are my interests (I studied pre-vet in college) but my occupations have usually revolved around business, including some that I have owned myself. I've been into aquaponics for about two years now and was just getting ready to build my next system. I have several decades of aquaculture experience as an extreme aquarium hobbist (multiple large tanks) of mostly African, Asian and South American species.
I have a great deal of carpentry skills- rough carpentry, plumbing, some electrical as I am a house renovator and landlord. I can bring my own tools if needed.
I work equally well in all management situations- as manager, a team member or independently. I am a problem solver by nature and getting dirty and roughing it are not a problem with me. Plus, since I am self-employed, I'm free anytime, anywhere.

I can dig a fairly square hole if needed, would be willing to give it a shot.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treadle_pump

http://www.wca-infonet.org/servlet/Bina ... _pumps.pdf

According to Wikipedia, most treadle pumps manufactured in Africa are pressure treadle pumps, a modification to the original design that means water is forced out of the pump under pressure. Pressure treadle pumps are more versatile, as they allow farmers to pump water uphill, over long distances, or to elevated tanks.

The second link gives info on head, flow rate and design as well as potential water sources. These pumps sound very common in South Africa so systems based on these already available pumps would be do-able.

It looks like you have a job ahead of you Syanaptoman, I bet you didn't know you'd be doing this a year ago. It sounds like you have gathered a lot of support just by putting it out there. Hope this does not interfere with your plans to come to Aus. in Septemebr, maybe it will help the pieces of the puzzle fit together by meeting some of your potential team. Good luck and may the force be with you.

Wow !!!

One of the greatest assets you will have in this venture will be the creative, hard working, open minded/ hearted team .... and any foriegn/local aid agency who you can collaborate with.
The mission org I know of, develope local leaders to establish the movement/organisation, because locals know the enviroment/parts sourcing better and don't come with preconcieved ways/ideas.

Basic knowledge taught, put into action, then revised and now added too.

All done with the help of locals and foreign aid agencys who help get over the language barrier.

Always remember the KISS and giving away so they can make it their project principals. Rob @Aquagold

i can fix, hotwire or break most things with a paperclip.

i might know a thing or two about AP, process control, electronics, refrigeration, electrical, and can absorb info like a sponge........................

Steve,
You just left me with a mental image of a sponge being electrified with a paper clip

This probably one popped into my mind as I have seen an electrified pickle light up

Sorry, back to the regularly scheduled thread