Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hello all,

I live outside of Goroka, Papua New Guinea as a missionary. I am interested in developing system that will work in a village setting with no power or very little solar power. In talking with the DPI guys in Goroka they have a fairly well developed aquaculture program around tilapia and carp, but have not tried aquaponics yet although it is something they are interested in. My main goals for this project is to help families produce nutritious food during the dry season specifically as that is a time when their diet seems to suffer the most. I myself am completely new to this field but because of my access to expertise and resources am in a position to help start something here. I have read the IBC document and have located some IBCs down in Lae. Another option for containers available in Goroka are Tuffa tanks(water storage tanks), but they are not cheap. Anyway I may post questions from time to time and once I have a design hammered out I'll post it for some expert review before we get too far along on our end.

Thanks,

Jeremy

Welcome to the forum JeremyPNG!
I'm not sure how to achieve an aquaponic system without any power at all, a few members do have solar systems though and they are quite possible.
Barra would do quite well up there but in a village setting a fish like Tilapia would probably be easier to source adequate feed for. I know there are Pacu (the infamous 'Ball-Biters") running rampant in some waterways up there, they might be another option for you, local laws permitting. Since the Govt released them it'd probably be alright.
Hope you have success, I've always had a soft spot for PNG, although I'm too much of a wuss to visit the place...
Just keep in mind that if the locals experience failure in their AP attempts they might take it personally and maybe hold a grudge. That can be a risky thing up there. I probably didn't need to say that but just in case you're new to the country I thought it was worth warning you. (Not meaning to be impolite or anything like that, it is just something to keep in mind.). No offence intended at all, hope it didn't come across poorly.
If you have success it'll be a great service to the locals and I hold anyone who can help up there in very high esteem.
Using solar I suspect that stocking rates might have to be lower than usual but the members with solar systems will be able to point you in the right direction there.
Good luck Mate, it is certainly possible and I'll be keen to hear how you go.

Apinun Tru Jeremy

I was born in PNG and get back whenever I can... though it's been a few years since I was in Goroka.

I walked Kokoda last year and saw a few wells packed full of tilapia... I wondered then if aquaponics might not work well as an add on. I didn't see much in the way of filtration and, whatever the stocking densities were, the fish were healthy. It wouldn't have taken much power to pump from the wells up into a growbed.

In terms of nutrition... I'm guessing you know that, although the fish can be eaten, it's the veggies (particularly leafy greens) that are the star of the show. Also (hopefully not being too negative) even ignoring the setup costs, feeding your fish for less than you save in what you eat might be a challenge. But there are heaps of posts on here about alternative sources of fish food (duckweed, worms, black soldier fly larvae, maggots and lots more). And I suppose people are already managing to feed the tilapia in the wells for a reasonable cost.

I can't help with any informed advice on solar and not sure about barra in Goroka... I can't remember the elevation there but think it gets pretty cold at night... it certainly did when I was in Mendi. But Bodgy seems pretty confident.

I'm no expert but will watch your thread with interest and might even be in your area late this year.

Em Tasol

Dave