Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hello everybody.

My name is Stephen aka Dyslex I am originally from Scotland but the weather and diet never really suited my lifestyle that's why I packed my bags and moved to sunny Spain about eight years ago.(Wow how time flies) I recently purchased some land and my idea is maybe one day do this commercially,(You guessed it,I'm a dreamer) but I am at the very beginning of my AP journey, And I have a lot to learn, but anyway. I am just about to start my first ICB build here in Valencia Spain, I have been reading the forum buying DVDs and watched every U-tube video twice in preparation for my build that will commence on 1 March.

I will definitely be documenting my build with lots of photos and video, As I really want to give back the knowledge that I have received from good people like yourself.


I have one question that I haven't been able to find the answer for that is, here in Valencia Spain and especially where I live at the bottom of a mountain there are massive variations in temperature, for example at the moment you can get as low as -5° and +45° in the summer, So the question is how do I control Water temperature? Or do I choose a species of fish that can handle extreme temperature changes? I have heard of tricks like switching off the pump at nighttime when it's very cold but is there any other tips/tricks you guys know?

Anyway look forward to getting to know you guys a bit better.

Hi Stephen, welcome to the forum.

The grow beds act as heat exchangers making it difficult to control the water temperature, so overall it makes sense to choose a fish that can handle the temperature extremes. The water won't get as cold or as warm as the surrounding air.

For some good additional information on IBC systems, check out the IBC's of Aquaponics if you haven't already(the link is at the top of this page on the right). You can download the pdf version and it has lots of examples that might help you with working on your own.