We've been checking and rechecking our system at Hannah and Friends every day. You'll find us there with test tubes in hand, test strips at the ready, to see what the latest readings are for pH, ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. Our system is progressing along, and the changes we see are not in big spikes but a quarter part per million change here and there. This is to be expected, and we're holding steady. What we are waiting for is the appearance of nitrates in our system, which means that helpful bacteria are at work and changing nitrogen into a form that is great for our plants. We know why patience is a virtue - because it helps with launching an aquaponic system, as in everything else!
Things seem to be in a bit of flux at the moment! Yesterday we got to the greenhouse and were dazzled by the green tint everywhere - on our pipes, baffles, and coating the water. Now we really like green, it's a great reminder of all things sustainable, Irish, and nature at its most beautiful --- but here it was in our aquaponic system. Algae had appeared overnight in our grow beds, fish tanks, and mineralization and degassing tanks. All over everything!
Brandon and Chris talk on our videoclip about dealing with the algae and why we need to trouble-shoot the problem. We checked in with some of our fellow aquapons, and sun on the equipment and beds is most often the cause when algae grow.
| Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.  |
| We're not at our prettiest here, but the tarps are keeping the dreaded algae away from our system! |
Two steps forward, one step back! Our team does love that aquaponics has so much science and practical knowledge to it, and figuring out problems and a solution is a great passion of ours.
We can really say that every day we are at work teaches us something new and gets us thinking and problem-solving! We love that - despite our algae!
