Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

You could perhaps screen it from UV with polycarbonate or pvc plastic. It would still get a lot of heat up there. Perhaps more with a wee glasshouse type panel for it to sit in. I'm definately wanting something similar when next Winter approaches.

AQ I will likely enclose it in the future. It loses alot of heat from "convection"(?) when the wind or cold air moves across its surface in the winter. The thermal mass under it helps keep it warm in winter, but ideally it would do better in a box covered with film or poly as you say.

Mike, this is where I get a little confused:
I pictured a pump in the sump tank which pumped water to the fish tank, gravity feed to the grow bed(s) back to the sump as the normal flow chart.

When you connect the heater do you break this cycle (for an hour) and only heat the water in the sump (to 90F), then re-connect the normal flow?
Are you using the 1 pump and just switching the outflow?

ekb. There is a seperate pump just to cycle the water thru the solar heater. I used to have it linked to the main pump and just switch the outflow but the water heated up too fast when cycled directly into the main tank from the roof (at a faster flow no less). So, I isoloted the heater and hooked a small pump to it and now it cycles manually when I need to increase water temps overnight. I might get a timer for it when I get tired of it being part of my daily routine. I'm also saving up for a larger solar pv array that will power another DC pump to get this system off grid.

thanks Mike, I really enjoy your interpretation of the basics and how you have applied them - certainly gets me thinking on a differen plane

My daughter got this "Fantastic Fish Farmer" certificate for feeding the big tank of Tilapia at Epcot in Disneyworld. I'll post pics when my neice gets her digital camera downloaded.

The second photo is a nile perch. 4 months old.

nice nile perch

Thanks Don... your fry are doing good yes?

Hey whoever adjusted my Subject to "Mike's System" *extending my hand for handshake* thanks bro - It needed it;)

Updated photos. Grow beds with Lettuce, spinach, basil, oregeno, thyme, cilantro.

All doing well.

Seperating the females and males

Fingerlings, Fry, and Brood Stock after seperation

Female Tilapia...note the red oviduct. She's ready to mate.

Basil doing superb. Can't eat enough of it to keep up with growth. Cilantro in the foreground

:arrow: Update:

The grow beds are needing to be converted to autosiphon drains and I think flood and drain. Now that I have a breeding tank, I don't need the water in the growbeds for fry. But what you see was done on continuous flow for the most part. No pest probs. Room stays about constant 70 degrees and overnight low without heat is 60. Water temp stays at or above 70 without solar boost, which keeps the fish from breeding. When I increase the water temp to 80, well.....you see the results. Right now I have enough fry and fingerling to last me all winter. There are only 8 big males left from 20, and they will be eaten within the next week. Then the females will be eaten once I have enough babies. The lettuce and herbs have been good for a few salads, but I've honestly neglect my grow beds due to building a breeder colony and the required tank space to keep each stage seperated.

Next major update will be grow chamber and the addition of grow beds.

Mike