Undoubtedly, aquaponic gardens can provide you a great deal of delicious fish and fresh vegetables. The plants and animals in an aquaponic system have a symbiotic relationship. In this aquaculture and hydroponics combine to grow plants and fish together in one integrated system. The waste produced by farmed fish supplies the nutrients for plants grown and the plants provide a natural filter for the water.
Nobody is perfect and everyone makes mistakes. If you are trying aquaponics for the very first time, the chances of getting stuck with aquaponics are too much. If you do a lot of mistakes repeatedly in your aquaponic system, you can lose fish and plants that you’ve cherished for weeks. So, it is important to maintain the health of both plants and fish. Have a look at the top 3 problems with aquaponics Australia and how to avoid them.
Top 3 common problems with Aquaponics Australia
Poor quality water
Starting with poor quality water is one of the biggest mistakes of first-time growers in their aquaponics system. The proper amount of acid, neutral and alkaline should be there in the water. In addition, Most of the people use fluoride and chlorine for the water cleaning process. Especially, Chlorine can be poisonous to fish. It is recommended that do not use tap water for your aquaponics system. If the tap is the only medium to provide fresh water, then you need to off-gas the water before letting the fish come in contact with. The proper pH for a productive aquaponics system will typically be in the range of 6.0-6.4. So you need to consider the quality of water for the growth of your aquaponics Australia system.
Too much fish in the tank
The second problem among those beginners is that they add too much fish in the tank. The quantity of fish you have in the aquaponics system and the size of the fish tank will affect the efficiency of your system. Having too much fish in the tank can provide many bad effects. Excess numbers can cause small fish to die; larger fish may feed on the smaller fish or over fertilization of plants. Plenty of fish waste can kill the plant as well. A general rule for a media based home aquaponics Australia system is to add one fish in every 20 liters of water.
Poor climate control
Temperature is one of the important factors that can make or break your aquaponics system. Make sure to keep a temperature in a range your fish can tolerate. Low sunlight can prevent plant to grow but excess sunlight can boil your fish tank. So, it is important to monitor your system frequently to ensure it stays within the range. You need to shade the plants in summer, especially if you are living in a very hot climate. Opposite to it, too little sunlight can cause many problems for your plants. You need proper sunlight in the winter for your aquaponics Australia system; otherwise, there are chances of plants withering away. Make sure there is proper lighting into your system design, and strongly monitor the climate of the tank so your fish and plants can grow perfectly.
Hydroponic Xpress and Aquaponics Perth, WA 