Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Ok, so here it is my first AP system as a Peace Corps volunteer. The project is called “Aquaponics Education and Application” or “Proyecto de Educación y Aplicación de Acuapónicos”. Currently I have a 4000L cement tank (~800 gallons), two 0.75 m³ grow beds each with 3m² grow space, 350 Tailapia fish swimming around, and no clue what I’m doing. Originally I wanted to use sterile volcanic rock but due to my site location I was limited to pumas rock collected from a nearby river. From my limited knowledge I know that I have to cultivate bacteria to change the fish manure into nutrients and I believe my rocks already contain these bacteria because I have weeds already growing. This next week I will grow some tomato plants to put into the grow beds and monitor their progress. My other concern right now is the oxygenation of my water. There are three outlets (one continuous) that pour back into the system but how do I know if the fish are getting all the oxygen they need? Also I had a TON of algae growing so I covered the tank to limit this. That’s all I have so far. Start date 4/24/09.

A little more info about here; I live in a very small village with immense poverty. The majority of residents have dirt floors, limited access to potable water, and are mostly subsistence farmers. I built this system using funding from USAID and since they provided the money I provided the labor (free labor from the locals = pulling teeth from a fully grown lion). The project is about training farmers alternative techniques; I am hoping I can simplify this for them… (thus earning the “experimental” title). Worst case: the kids at the school love it and take care of it (I built it there) and benefit from the free food especially after the school was robbed and all of the food sacks were stolen… I need a ton of help because I truly have no idea what I am doing here (currently I am working with DHawk but Peace Corps unofficially told me that they are considering this project as one of their responses to the world hunger crisis so this means I will be training other volunteers about aquaponics). Any help would be much appreciated.

More Photos

And finally the last ones

Covering your tank will help alleviate the algae... but you may struggle to keep it down... and/or cycle due to your pH...

I suspect your concrete blocks will drag your pH to at least 8.0... or worse...

Have you got a test kit that can measure pH, nitrites, nitrates... and a thermometer

If you can post the results for all four variables...

My problem is finding a test kit down here... Remeber these communities are still drinking water with lead in it...

Here's a link to the US company that makes the Freshwater Master Test Kit that most members use... I'm sure they could advise you of the closest store/dealer... and/or freight one to you...

http://aquariumpharm.com/Products/Produ ... oductID=67

http://aquariumpharm.com/contactus/contact.aspx