I’m on the edge zone 9a/b so I get 100+ in summers and a month or two of 30-40 degree nights mid winter. If I put the tank in the greenhouse (~140sq ft) it wouldn’t be super difficult even with passive solar heating and insulation on the tank to keep them warm in the winter. Tilapia do best around 70-85 degrees iirc. I’d prefer to do this, actually.
Problem is the summer, where the tank soaks up 100+ degree heat in direct sun for 12+ hours a day in the greenhouse, cooking the fish and nuking all the plant roots and beneficial bacteria.
What I’m gonna try is putting the tank behind the greenhouse in the shade and using a more temperature resistant fish like bluegill or perch. I plan to monitor the temperature to see if it swings dramatically over the course of a year and then consider doing some tilapia if it’s not to extreme.
My goals for doing this is to break even as fast as possible and be as efficient/simple as I can make it so I don’t have to micro manage it.
You could also try burying it or piping underground as a radiator? I see some air conditioning units do that, too. Should work well for water, too, since you only need a pump going.
Geothermal/climate battery style? You’re a man after my own heart, pede.
That’s actually a long term goal. Move out of state and build a bigger greenhouse complete with passive solar design, PV or wind power and a climate battery. Grow food year round, regardless of the weather off the grid. Assuming this smaller test one works out here.
In the short term however I don’t think that’s practical or cost effective. My tank is only going to be 330 gallons with another 600 or so of grow bed. I’m not sure how much line I’d need to bury or how deep but the cost of the excavation alone would probably kill my budget.
A radiator outside in the shade might work though.... only pump through it when the water hits a certain temperature and shut the loop off the rest of the year. If the water is filtered from the grow beds it shouldn’t clog.
Something for me to consider.
I garden pretty aggressively but I’m looking at doing a backyard aquaponics/greenhouse setup.
I’d like to do tilapia but my winters season are just a little bit too cold for them to be super productive.
Even with heaters?
I actually have two problems.
I’m on the edge zone 9a/b so I get 100+ in summers and a month or two of 30-40 degree nights mid winter. If I put the tank in the greenhouse (~140sq ft) it wouldn’t be super difficult even with passive solar heating and insulation on the tank to keep them warm in the winter. Tilapia do best around 70-85 degrees iirc. I’d prefer to do this, actually.
Problem is the summer, where the tank soaks up 100+ degree heat in direct sun for 12+ hours a day in the greenhouse, cooking the fish and nuking all the plant roots and beneficial bacteria.
What I’m gonna try is putting the tank behind the greenhouse in the shade and using a more temperature resistant fish like bluegill or perch. I plan to monitor the temperature to see if it swings dramatically over the course of a year and then consider doing some tilapia if it’s not to extreme.
My goals for doing this is to break even as fast as possible and be as efficient/simple as I can make it so I don’t have to micro manage it.
You could also try burying it or piping underground as a radiator? I see some air conditioning units do that, too. Should work well for water, too, since you only need a pump going.
Geothermal/climate battery style? You’re a man after my own heart, pede.
That’s actually a long term goal. Move out of state and build a bigger greenhouse complete with passive solar design, PV or wind power and a climate battery. Grow food year round, regardless of the weather off the grid. Assuming this smaller test one works out here.
In the short term however I don’t think that’s practical or cost effective. My tank is only going to be 330 gallons with another 600 or so of grow bed. I’m not sure how much line I’d need to bury or how deep but the cost of the excavation alone would probably kill my budget.
A radiator outside in the shade might work though.... only pump through it when the water hits a certain temperature and shut the loop off the rest of the year. If the water is filtered from the grow beds it shouldn’t clog. Something for me to consider.