I'm a newbie to aquaponics, and this question came up while I was going through Oliver's "how to" course. He suggested I post it as its own topic in the forum to see what others have to say:

I'm interested in aquaponics as a way to feed my family once things get really tough.

According to what I have read in this forum: "once you have your system up and running, you never, ever, want to turn it off; not even for the night. You might want to consider some kind of a power back-up in case of a power failure."

What do you suggest using as a backup power source once TSHTF? In a case where there is no access to fuel or electricity for over a year, does anyone have suggestions? You'd also need a backup power source as well... and solar power may or may not be completely reliable.

Also, how/where would you find the nutrients, etc you need to keep the water, fish & bacteria at optimum levels once TSHTF?

I find myself wondering if aquaponics is a viable solution for a grid-down situation. It may take more water and work to get food from the ground, but you don't have the concerns of power/backup power, pH levels, bacteria, etc, etc. And there's only so much you can stockpile... we have no way of knowing if we'll be off-grid for 2 months or 12 years.

I may be way off base (and I probably am). Could someone set me straight? Thanks.