Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi everybody. Its awesome to see so much shared info on this subject. I am moving back to Haiti this June to work on sustainable agriculture in the mountains nearby the city I used to live in there. I have been self studying aquaponics for two years now and it is my #1 passion when it comes to sustainable, healthy food production. I have worked with several systems and am in the process of building a second. It does not seem that it will be possible or practical to build one in the mountains there because there is no electricity, however we will be working on low-tech aquaculture programs. But there are two large orphanages nearby, and I am good friends with the directors there. One plans to build a large-scale aquaponic system on their property, and the other seems to be planning one in the near future. I have shared my love and passion for aquaponics with these people and they seem to be just as excited as me. We plan to make an aquaponic coalition in the region to possibly aid the Haitian people in moving towards sustainable development. I believe that these systems will provide great nutrition, education, and community integration for the children and surrounding communities. With the state of the soil and environment of Haiti, I hope to see the idea spread in the area to build communities and boost food production. I am very thankful for this site and I look forward to learning more and discussing new possible techniques because, I STILL HAVE MUCH TO LEARN! If you have any good ideas for me, I would love to hear em! Thanks.

Hi Craig, and welcome. They make 12v marine bilge pumps that could be tied into a solar/battery system relatively easily for 24 hour or timed operation. When/if I go off grid, that is the way I will be headed I think. I do not know how easy any of that will be to come by in Haiti, but I am spit-balling here.

J.B.

Thanks J.B.

How much would a pump like that cost? Also, how large of a system could something like that run? And, does it come with a solar panel, or are you saying that you would have to rig up panels with a battery system in order to run it. Thanks for the input!

I'd be cautious heading the bilge pump route.. Many have found them to be not very reliable, make sure you research very well before hand.

We use a 12 volt DC pond pump made in Germany, cost us about $400.