Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Thomas I am interested in your system. Is it still running well? How do you cope with winter?

The system is still running fine. I have since moved out (studying Biosystems Engineering at university now), but I check on it every weekend and my father cares for the fish. We've had a lot of strawberries (which is about the only plant that copes with our neglect and still produces something). However, I think the water is too cold for good/fast plant/fish production - the volume of the water and the tank being burried keeps the temperature very stable. So when it's really warm outside, the plants in the soil shoot up, and the plants in the aquaponics system just go on at the same pace they always do (which is slow). That might have something to do with the system being in the shade for about half the day, though.

Last few winters were really cold (for our climate, anyway). The system's survived weeks of snow and freezing temperatures. We've had one 200W pump break during the winter, I think because it was on a timer and the pipe froze closed during the off-time.. But when we still had a 30-or-so W pump running continuously we had no problems. The water level in both the fish tank and the growbed goes up and down all the time (because of the autosiphon) so even though ice forms in the fish tank, it never completely freezes over. The fish (koi carp, goldfish, rudd, ide) all survive the winter, and the plants that have been in the growbed during the winter survived too.

We get as low as minus 20 degrees C in Bavaria. Is that too cold for an outdoor system?

Probably. It will be very hard to design the system such, that you will always have non-frozen water pumping around so the fish and bacteria don't die. Burying the fish tank and having it very close to the house (like I did) may help, but -20°C is VERY cold.

I think thus a solution would be either 1. to bring the fish to a tank in the conservatory or 2. Ensure rapid growth through summer then eat them!

Hi Xzorby,

Just enjoying your thread... researching aquaponics in Netherlands for my next build (had a gorgeous system in Australia) and wanted to say a few things

1 - very (very) nice system!

2 - slow plant growth ... it could be the fish feed. I had used some cheap goldfish food (still had high protein) for a few months and my plant growth was poor. I switched to proper commercial fish food and the plants went bonkers with growth. A quick test would be to add a small amount of soluble plant fertiliser and if you see a response then you (or your dad) can switch the feeds. Else, a mineral mix without N from a hydroponic supplier would make a huge difference to the plant growth. Strawberries don't really need much of a mineral profile whereas tomatoes do - same think with light (your tomato pics show light deficiency (leggy), phosphorus deficiency (well picked) and magnesium deficiency - that I can see).

3 - I can't BELIEVE how cheap clay balls are in NL

4 - did I say very nice system already?

Cheers
Ish

Nice to hear from you Ichsani....

Maya has contacted me, and is enthusiastically waiting on some fish... and getting your old system back online...

Hello John

Yes Maya said she was tracking down some more fish. I also heard that it has become the envy of the street... many people got excited about it

The next system will be much larger and incorporated into a house... I plan to use the tank as part of the thermal mass... plans plans plans ...

It's been a while since I've last updated, but the system is still going strong! However, I'm thinking about dismantling it. It's in my dad's backyard and I don't live there any more. The maintenance is really low but it doesn't serve him much purpose..

The good news however is that in March I'm starting my bachelors thesis - on Aquaponics (Wageningen University)!

Hey Thomas,

Congrats on your selection of studies

Hey I live in Wageningen now too - we should catch up and talk AP

Cheers
Ichsani