Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

We have a shocking week of heat coming
So as per usual Start early to reduce water temps
I run constant flood during the day and siphon at night when faced with this
I filled main system up to overflow point running constant flood yesterday
Temperature peaked at 36C today
24hrs after filling system ive used around a 100 Litres
System is chock full of Tomatoes and cucumbers , Climbing beans , lettuce , sweet chillis
We have a forecast for Friday of 48c
I will fill up again and see what I use for 24 hrs be interesting

Worried about the small system ( all above ground 700L) might get too hot
Last yr we had a hot spell and I ran a evap cooler blowing onto fish tank during the worst of the day
Didn't lose any fish
If water gets too hot might dump some and replace

If this keeps up I will bury a couple of IBCs and keep them as cool water reserves

Temperature extremes are my biggest battle

Tuesday 42C
Wednesday 45C
Thursday 46C
Friday 48C
Saturday 34C

Forecast not quite as hot here,
Wed 38C
Thu 40C
Fri 42C
Sat 43C
Sun 44C
Mon 38C

but I take the opposite approach to cooling by reducing pumping time in the heat, I run flood and drain. I've found that continuous pumping heats the water up too much for trout, but keeping daytime pumping to a minimum and increasing night time pumping is the best way to keep the temperature down, with or without a water chiller operating.

What Timer do you use
You've got me thinking
I have a pretty low fish load at the moment

I'm using a KASA smart plug as a timer on my big system, and just a conventional plug-in programmable timer on the small system. Both are currently set to pump much more at night, in particular from 4am to 8am, when it is coolest. Low fish loads here too, since most of the trout are in the freezer... where it is much cooler!

I have 70% shadecloth over my system even with that the pin pricks of light on the plastic aquaculture tank lid on these savage days will make the lid too hot to put your hand on , so I have a piece of 90% shadecloth over the tank section (east end) of system .

I think I might make a shadecloth fishtank lid for the summer (our hot season)

Ive said this before having a way to manage the weather extremes is high up on the list of must haves with aquaponic systems ( Heat , Cold , Wind , Hail ect ect)

Yea, 70% just isn't good enough. 90% or even a double layer of it, with a decent air gap between it and the tank and GBs is the way to go to keep the sun off during the hottest part of the day. Covering any exposed GB media with coconut coir is also helpful.

Smart thinking gunagulla, also re: air gap with double 90 shade cloth. These kinds of adjustments/improvements are so essential when the extremes of weather are upon us, but seldom implemented once the conditions pass. (Talking from my perspective .

Great thread for thought. Any pics on the plants terra?