Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I am talking to a teacher from my former high school who wants to build a system for her environmental science class, I can help her get the system running but I am trying to figure out a solution to the 2 month summer break. I don't think anyone will be able to access the campus during the summer so what might be a way too keep the system running during the break even at a minimal level so the class does not have to rebuild it from scratch every year?

If it absolutely can't be maintained over summer, then unless you have air and water pumping backup systems able to operate indefinitely, you probably shouldn't leave any fish in it, other than perhaps just a few goldfish or other very hardy species.
Otherwise, some sort of automated ammonia/urea addition system with a few plants in the GBs would maintain some bacteria, so it could be quickly ramped up after the break.

The system can remain powered to keep pumping and aerating, I was concerned more with how to keep the fish feed for 2 months. If it's just goldies will they eat alge off the inside of the tank and survive that long until school starts and they start feeding them and adding stuff to the grow bed again?

If the tank is large enough and gets enough light for alge to grow, and you only have a few fish, you don't really need to add any food for extended periods. We have goldfish in an outside bath that have never been fed in quite a few years..
If you want to feed fish, there auto feeders available.

What's going to happen if there is an extended blackout or pump failuire?

The power failure thing is a concern but it should be a minimal one considering it is a massive urban area with minimal to no risk of blackout. If it does happen then I suppose it will have to be considered an "act of god" type mishap and they will have to restart.

Gardeners and cleaning still occurs through summer. Im sure if your friend discussed it with the groundsman he would be more then happy to feed the fish. Teachers also normally have access to facilities when needed over the breaks.

A school near me built one in a separate fenced off area that wasnt beong used. They have wicking beds, raised beds and the aquaponics set up over several hundred squares.

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I hear there putting AP in high schools in Northern Costa Rica where its so dry, a step in the right direction. Kudos to you for wanting to teach your students too. I was just thinking maybe it would be better for your students to start over every year, and so you could just leave a few goldfish if you have algae. A friend of mine had rain catching tubs, he didnt feed or give the fish air ever but it was outside and only had one or two fish per tub. Anyway I think the kids will learn more and get hands on experiance if you start more or less from the start with just enough to not loose your bacteria. Either way, its great to teach AP to the youth!

Eric,


I drove by there the other day, but of course school was out for Summer break (mid-Dec thru mid-Feb) and I didn't get a chance to visit their aquaponics setup. This is at a technical high-school in Sardinal, Guanacaste:



The initial plan was to install 10 systems like this, but I haven't heard how much progress has been made.

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Sam

I believe the class will want to start from close to the beginning every year, but the slight advantage of already having the bacteria running will be easier on them.

Sounds like as long as the system has constant electricity for the pump and air, and enough water volume to grow algae the fish should be OK with just a small group of hardy plants having permanent residence in the grow bed to keep the water clean.

HuliFox,

But cycling the tank will be one of the greatest lessons! Don't cheat them of that! If you just want to give them a boost, it seems like I've read plenty of examples of bacteria surviving in an inactive system for months. Perhaps even just keeping a bit of the media wet without fish or anything requiring much attention over the summer and they could have a "starter culture" to get ramped back up in short order?

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Sam