When checking your aquaponics systems, look for two things, happy fish and happy plants. If you don't hear water moving then you immediately check for a broken pump. The area should smell like a crisp morning in the garden. If you detect fish smell or anything rotten than something is definitely amiss.
If your fish are not happy to see you then you need to ask yourself why. Are they stressed out because too many people were poking their heads in to see them? Probably not, but if you have had lots of guests over, just give the fish a half day or so to recuperate. Check that the temperature is in the right range. If it is too cold the fish won't be moving as fast as they usually do. Fish suffer from lack of oxygen much faster than plants will suffer from lack of water, so make sure there is plenty of air movement in the tank.
If your plants are wilting, you need to see if it is just one plant or all of them. If all the plants are wilting than it could be that the siphons or timer are not functioning properly. If just a few plants are wilting then check for insects. Logistically, checking for insects under the leaves is a good habit to be in every day. I have my system in my garage and I have still found spider mites and aphids. I have even seen little grass hoppers around. Where there is food, there is a feast.
For more information on troubleshooting, take the course.
To your urban farming success,
Scott
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