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My Aquaponic Life
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Reviews
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16.01.2022 Aquaponics peeps, how exciting is this!!!!
15.01.2022 My first crop, a crisp bok Choy. Say that fast three times. This will taste extra sweet for three reasons.
09.01.2022 So the system is humming much better now. Check out the below picture. The first one shows you two plants side by side. Both from the same batch, but one has been in the system for 2 weeks more than the other. The leaves are four times bigger and the second picture shows you the root system that has developed. It's these roots that dip into the pond water flow. The plant absorbs the nutrients it needs and in turn, cleans the pond water. Everyone is happy.
07.01.2022 Ok, so think I have cracked the dying fish thing. Apparently the roof water run-off is not a great thing. It seems to make sense as after every big storm I lost the fish. So I have relocated the system and have put in goldfish and we're off. Each I me I set this up I think I can refine something further and the his is my best setup yet. Let's see how this goes.
06.01.2022 Due to the openness of the system, I've got a fair bit of algae developing. I was a bit worried to begin but apparently it's not a super mega deal. But it does need to be controlled. The algae develops because of the direct sunlight available to the pond. I've resolved that the best solution will be to limit the access of sunlight and will also look at wrapping the tank and adding some kind of lid. As I was researching I was learning about the establishment of all the biolog...ical complexity that keeps this system healthy. As my system is not that old it would not have stabilised just yet. I also identified that I may need to increase the surface area for bacteria to grow, so I've added some extra mechanical filtration (picture below) this setup contains some baskets of ceramic beads, charcoal filter bags and 3 densities of filters. I read it takes some weeks for the system to stabilise, and along the way there are some signs I can watch for to see that it establishes and stabilises well.
06.01.2022 It's been some time that I've updated here. After just a few harvests and another tragic fish loss. I shut the system down. It's all been dismantled now and I've offered the system to a local community garden. They are equipped to re-setup, configure and maintain the system as a part of their cooperative of volunteers. Whilst it is challenging to pack up not having had an edible fish crop (unless I consider the trout fee to our local cats). I'm super happy about what I've l...earned along the way and what lies ahead for the equipment. This time has caused me to reflect on what I've learned, here is a few thoughts. 1. Sustainable protein production is a global problem. A significant portion of the world doesn't have enough food. The demands we place on the earth have a tragic impact to those disadvantaged. I've met a number of people in this journey who are well informed about the need for global solutions in this space and understand that solutions at all scales are needed. While my road bumps didn't compromise my food supply at all. Connecting with these stories and people meant I felt it more than I otherwise would. I'm thankful for that discomfort. I don't want to be immune to my suffering neighbour. 2. Community is key In many respects I tried to do this journey alone, but soon I realised that my progress was aided by connection with others. We stretched each other, learned, shared, celebrated, laboured together. It was really nice to give and receive to achieve something together. Probably the most beautiful was connecting with some friends who are all about living generous community lives, the Buckles, Anna Johnston-Buckle and Luke. I was humbled by their generous natural and earthy community leadership. These kind of people are a gift to community, they generate natural places for connection around Meaning. They are plentiful in the aquaponics community and offer so much love in practical ways. 3. Exchange Whether supporting a startup, setup, scale up, or shut up, the opportunity to share in all seasons is life giving. All along the way I've felt the generosity of others been offered help by other who gave freely of what they had to help me out, whether items needed, advice, assistance, help was always there. Equally I was able to contribute to the life of others. Support flows freely in the world of production.
