Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Unless he has some other filter attached to the system I don't see how it "puts the health and welfare of fish at the forefront". I would have said the complete opposite.. ..

You are correct that if there is no biofilter, it’s not set up right for fish. Ah, but what you don’t see is actually in there. I have an internal filter box surrounding the pump which the water is drawn through as the biofilter. And yes, I am a veterinarian with ‘some’ fish experience.

UN help ......... Don't laugh!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24908460

Quote from the fishy vets site comments...


So there's "no bio-filter"... and "it's not set up right for fish".. and the internal filter surrounding the pump will draw water through it and "is the biofilter"...

Some "fish experience"... not much bloody more than a 5 year old with an aquarium....

The internal filter works like any aquarium that has an internal filter. It’s on 24/7. I have chosen to avoid grow beds with continuous water flow because it’s difficult to supply oxygenated water evenly to the plant roots. An ebb and flow technique with a grow bed is possible, but there are several problems with it. The first is that the fish require their water to be constantly filtered but the ebb and flow technique means that it’d only be intermittently filtered. Secondly, in Australia’s harsh summer, I fear the roots of the plants would burn in the ceramic clay substrate. Thirdly, there is no easy way to clean the substrate and detritus will build up in the grow bed, creating anoxic conditions. I avoid deep water technique for growing plants because fish will nibble at the roots, retarding plant growth. Also, with deep water plant culture rafts will decrease the water surface area and I believe it’s important for fish to have access to the air in case pumps fail. After much research, speaking with aquaponics experts and from my own experience, I’ve come to the conclusion that the nutrient film technique would work the best for aquaponics. It’s easy to maintain and above all, it’s simple. It means fewer things can go wrong.

Algae could be an issue. But with fish culture, some fish are grown in green ponds. If algae grows on the sides, all the better because this gives fish something to graze on through the day and the algae can utilise some of the nutrients in the water. When the vascular plants above start growing, they will outcompete the algae for the nutrients and also provide shade with their foliage. I don’t see it as being a major problem, but it’s more a visual issue.