Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Without knowing more about the system, media, plant size its difficult. The weather has been seriously not nice in the hills and the easterlies have been giving my garden a bit of stick. As a temporary arrangement couldn't you put up a very small misting system running on scheme water and a simple tap timer to mist the beds/plants and FT during the day and leave the rest of it as is?

First, they are not going to die in a day. While we think of our AP systems as delicately balanced, we tend to forget plants don't actually have a Global Warming Alarmist section - htye have been dealing with climate change for millions of years.

In other words, a day here or there of dry will not bother them. Sunlight will not bother them.

PLUS... if you shut off your Flood and Drain system just before it drains there is like 15cms por more of water in the base of your GB. Even if you shut off just as the cycle is about to begin flood again, you will have about 3cms or so in the bottom of your GB's.

Start the flow again at night and you renew the NH3 -> NH4 -> NO3 cycle and the plants will be happy.

The GB's are the least sensitive part of your system.

Ever been to WA in summer?

Yeah - lived there for a few years back in the 70's... I hear what you're saying but I still think F&D or CF during the night would prep the plants for a day. Plus there's shade cloth to help...

Which is one of the reasons why I would suggest that external filtration is not needed in BYAP systems. FThe filtration can still be done by the GBs. For example if you run continuous flow but with the water level in the GBs lower than you would normally the system will run just fine.

External filtration has its place but it is not necessary for most. I believe that it is only made necessary by the operator or their particular circumstances. For example wanting to run greater density of fish, lack of space or the likt

hmm interesting point.


Ive had a few plants die even under shade cloth when they are moist due to the 40+ degrees and sun all day ><


More established plants would survive better but mine are all <5cm tall currently ><

What sort of plants Ferozaj? 40ºC and moist is not so bad in Australia - almost everything in this country can handle that, particularly under shade cloth. Even seedlings should survive in shade on a 40º day. 3 or 4 in a row might stress them but otherwise...?

we had almost a week of 40 deg, even at night it was 30 (my water temp was 35deg when i got home from work)...

Um they are heirloom black tomatoes.

and various superhot chilli's.

The larger snow peas etc even though they are winter veggie had no problems.

You just lived up to your post title... "Wow, who woulda thought chiilies would suffer in heat conditions?"

I have had 3 tomato plants die, and the recently planted wicking beds not looking so flash. Although BOM may say 39 degrees for the day in certain parts of the garden it will reach 44. Combine this with overnight strong dry dusty easterlies and plants are stressed.
When ferozaj says moist he doesn't necessarily mean high humidity. Basically the plants cannot pump enough water to the foliage and they crisp.
I'd still go the intermittent misting during the day.

Can't u just put a fish tank heater in the water during cold weather? I will be building a green house type contraption around my gbs latter on this year. It's still just in my head so far.