Let’s talk about an aquaponics mistake that represent a high risk! I have a tendency to make it myself and I see it too often…
Aquaponics can produce wonderful vegetables and fish with minimal efforts. However, we must keep in mind that most fish take several years to grow. Which means that you must provide an adapted environment to your ecosystem at all time. You can’t allow your water parameters to be off the chart. Even for a few hours. Otherwise you will take the risk to kill the fish that took years to grow.
In this article I would like to highlight an common aquaponics risk that I see too often.
Aquaponics means years of good practice
Most of us are very focused on water quality and check the water parameters regularly. We make sure the oxygen level is acceptable, the ammonia and nitrite are at the lowest. We also check that the nitrate is below an acceptable limit. So, in this article we will not talk about over feeding the fish or pH problems.
The temperature is also a major factor. You must make sure the species you select will be able to go through summer and winter extremes.
The biggest aquaponics risk is like a black swan
But, the biggest fish killer that I have ever seen is power outage. Power outage is like the black swan theory. The probability of it to occur is low so we forget about it until the day it happens. However, when it happens, the impact is majore and can ruin years of work in few hours.
2 possible causes
Power outage
The first one can be independent from your setup. For example, a power outage affecting a particular area including your neighborhood. In general, this type of power outage doesn’t last for long (depending on the country you live in). And the ecosystem (including the fish) is able to survive.
Unadapted electric plugins
However, the most common problem is coming from poor electric plugins. Too many times we see indoor plugins used outdoor. This equipment is not adapted. The first rain would become a massive hazard. As a result, It could create a short circuit. Please invest in waterproof plugins and wires. This little investment will save the life of your fish. Don’t compare your aquaponics ecosystem to a dam, a lake or a river. Those ecosystems rely on natural phenomenon. Such as rain and water falls to maintain good water parameters. Most of the time, in Aquaponics, our ecosystem is relying on the water pump and air pump. Unless you have a low density of very hardy fish, your fish will die if the power turns of for several hours. This is a huge problem and a giant risk. The best way to succeed in aquaponics is by eliminating all hazards. This one is an easy win 🙂
You will probably be interested to discover my six steps to build and manage an Aquaponics system. Click here to access for free! Thanks and good reading 🙂
