Fish in the Tank, and the Pumps Are Humming
 The fish are in the pond! It’s been a busy week in Nigeria, but we have officially commissioned our aquaponic model. This has been the culmination of a lot of work and preparation from the aquaponic development team.
About four months ago Brian asked if we could form a team to develop scope for Nigeria. While we were familiar with what aquaponics is (the combination of growing fish with hydroponics and growing plants in water), we were not sure how to actually make it work.
Given this, we decided the only way to learn was by doing it first. We started our journey by building two learning models in a corner of the Benken nursery in Cincinnati to understand the different approaches that could be used. While it was a bumpy ride, we ended up with two tanks of tilapia and perch and more produce than we could give away.
With this in hand, we worked up a plan for Nigeria. Our biggest barrier was the lack of power. Even if you have an outlet, there is no guarantee that the power will be on. We had developed a solar backup system for our model so we were able to come up with what we hoped would be an effective design for Nigeria.
Much to everyone’s relief, the pumps started humming when we flipped the switch. Honestly, the biggest surprise of the week was the lack of major problems--things went well enough that at the end of the week we decided that project "Fishy Business" was ready to launch.
So we planted our beds and headed for the hatchery to buy the catfish. With a fin and a prayer, we released the fish into tank. This is a learning model. So there are certainly lots of challenges ahead, but for now we are off to a good start. The team did a great job throughout and we look forward to seeing how the project can contribute to the self-sustaining development of the village. Thanks to all who have supported us throughout.
--Pete West, aquaponic team leader, March 24
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