Environment
Information
Water quality
E-books & E-docs
Fish Ponds Made Simple
Fishpond
Solutions is primarily an information
site for water gardens and hobby aquaculture. Fish pond water quality
is the theme of this site.
Garden pond design, construction and
maintenance directly influence water quality. The fish pond books and
e-documents offered here cover all aspects of ponds. Pumps and UV clarifiers will be delivered free by post within Australia, but the minimum order is $100. All other products will be delivered free within the Perth area - please email us for delivery charges to other parts of Australia. Allow two weeks for delivery.
The general principles for
fish ponds are similar everywhere, but the
warmer the climate, the worse the ponds' water quality problems and the
more
effort needed for algae control. Perth has a warm temperate
"Mediterranean" climate. The
advice given on this site applies particularly to places with a climate
similar to Perth's, such as parts of California, South Africa, Chile
and all
of the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea.
My name is Lloyd Mathews. I
have Bachelor of Science degrees in
aquaculture and environmental biology (the latter with Honours)
from Curtin University of Technology in Perth, Western Australia. For
the past four years, I have been maintaining fish ponds in the
suburbs of Perth. I am also, very slowly, building a fish hatchery on
my home property in the hills overlooking the city. As well as science
degrees, I have a diploma in freelance journalism and I accept work
writing
about garden ponds, aquaculture and the environment.
Greenhouse Effect
Garden ponds seem to be coming under threat from the Greenhouse Effect. As the climate in Perth, Australia, gets drier, government restrictions and increasing charges for water are encouraging residents to opt for native gardens which require substantially less water than the English gardens which have been the tradition here. One development that may help pond enthusiasts to keep their ponds is aquaponics - the integrating of fish ponds with hydroponics (see Aquaculture below).
Aquaponics
Aquaponics is the combining of fish culture with hydroponics. The science of hydroponics is well developed - for a long time now, gardeners have been growing plants using water as the culture medium instead of soil. Only recently, however, have agriculturists discovered that growing fish and vegetables using the same water is very effective. Plants need nitrates, phosphates and minerals to grow. Fish food contains all of these. The wastes from the fish supply most if not all of the plants' requirements. The ammonia in the faeces and other excretions of fish is toxic to fish. Certain bacteria convert the ammonia into nitrates which are still toxic to fish if the concentration in the water is too high. By removing the nitrates, plants purify the water for fish. So, fish fertilize the water for the plants and the plants purify the water so it can be recirculated back to the fish.
I recently researched aquaponics in order to install my own system. I didn't know whether I would would be better off with a flood and drain system which would mean having a timer on the water pump. I came across an interesting article written several years ago in "Practical Aquaponics and Greenhouse Magazine", Issue 83, Jul/Aug-2005.
Article: “Aquaponics Simplified” by Steven Carruthers (research by Wilson Lennard).
Past hydroponic research has suggested that a 'reciprocal flow' (water is pumped to the gravel bed now and then, instead of a constant flow) was better as it aided water oxygen levels and distributed nutrient to plants better. This may be true in standard hydroponics, but we always require oxygen above 5mg/L for our fish, so oxygen is always above what the plant roots require (around 2mg/L for lettuce).
Our constant flow gravel bed system grows lettuce about 20% better than a reciprocal flow. Gravel beds and floating rafts are about 15-20% more efficient than NFT. My experiments have proven, within an aquaponic context, that NFT is less efficient at plant growth and nutrient stripping.
The complete article can be read at: http://www.hydroponics.com.au/php/viewtopic.php?t=86
Antarctic Ice Break
Is the Greenhouse Effect happening much more rapidly than even the most dire predictions? Is the sea level rise going to be higher than anticipated? Recent news from the media claims that the polar ice caps are shrinking much faster than expected. A huge area of ice has recently broken away in the Antarctic.
Copyright © Lloyd Mathews 2005
Site last
updated: 11 May 2009
Email: info@fishpondsolutions.com
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