Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi there,

My name is Shafak Tan Ozkan, living in istanbul. I am an industrial engineer working on quality Projects on a large White goods Corporation, mainly 6 Sigma. Age 39.

I've mingled with several aquarium setups, have very little veggie knowledge but Reading a lot about efficient
agircultural techniques, pest control etc..


I'm trying to figure out the correct system which should stand out freezing weather in winter ( sometimes hits - 5 to -10 C even in the greenhouse) and hot summer (over 45 C in the greenhouse)

As far as I have read from the forum DWC system has some buffer factor for temperature swings but I could not figure out the surface to volume ratio on the DWC systems. There's no media just the rafts and the walls of the container. so how do you get the DWC systems to full cycle?

Another alternative GB design might be gravel filled bed 5 cm ( 2inches ) below the surface of the water to increase the surface area. sometihing like a floeded bed and DWC hybrid. Has anyone tried this?

Looking forward to your kind replies..

Regards,
Shafak

Hi Shafak, welcome to the forum.

Those are tough weather extremes. DWC keeps the temp of the water down and keeps the roots cool but I'm not sure that's what would work best. Having lots of water in the greenhouse helps moderate the temps so the inside of the greenhouse won't get quite as hot or quite as cold. You might still have to heat a bit to keep the water from hitting freezing and it would be nice if your greenhouse covering could be raised or removed in Summer and either a reflective cover or shade cloth put over it.

Thanx for the prompt reply, I will check the shade cloth recommendation.

Do you have any sustainaable solution for winter? I do not prefer electric heating for two reasons;
Cost way too much, I have to leave the greenhouse unattendent most of the time. That might introduce fire risk.
I think of buying scrap chest freezers for the fish tank but grow beds are still exosed to heat loss.
Curculation can not be broken due to amo ia build up.
Maybe some solar collectors with heat exchanger but how efficient is that when it is freez8ng cold outside?
Any ideas?

Thanx for the prompt reply, I will check the shade cloth recommendation.

Do you have any sustainable solution for winter? I do not prefer electric heating for two reasons;
Running Costs are way too much.
I have to leave the greenhouse unattendent most of the time. That might introduce fire risk.

I think of buying scrap chest freezers for the fish tank but grow beds are still exosed to heat loss.
Circulation can not be broken due to amonia build up. So GBs will drain the heat in the fish tank.

Maybe some solar collectors with heat exchanger might work but how efficient is that when it is freezing cold outside?
Any ideas?

A lot depends on how well built your greenhouse is. You'll have to add enough thermal mass to the greenhouse to get the temp to stay up above freezing. Solar collectors work pretty well as long as you're getting enough sun. I use a solar air heater on my garage and get about 25 C difference in temp going into the unit and coming out, that's on a sunny day in the middle of winter.

This discussion on another forum might be useful for figuring some of this out - http://www.simplysolar.supporttopics.com/post/greenhouse-area-and-btu-calculator-sizing-required-panel-area-for-required-output-6636276

It might help to have some pictures of your greenhouse to get an idea of what we're up against and also what you hope to grow in the way of plants and fish.

Cheers

Hi Scotty435,
greenhouse is 35 km away, in my dads field. I guess i need to start my first system as a micro AP. in my enclosed balcony ..so that I will have more control over the system. Once set and going I can play with it, make sone adjustments and later on upgrade to a larger unit in the actual green house.
Thanx for the much needed support. I'll post my first micro set up soon.
Cheers..

Sounds good Shafak

I'm not sure how big you're going to make your micro system but keep the weight in mind since it's on a balcony.

Hi Shafak, I was talking to a guy today about maintaining water temps in perth during our winter. He suggested using a small version of a swimming pool cover to trap the available heat in. The cover is designed to reduce evaporation but has the effect of raising the water temp. Not a total solution for you, but it may help.

Thanx pals. YOU ROCK!!

Hiya Shafak, welcome to the forum. I spent a month travelling through Turkey many years ago and loved your country. What type of fish are you hoping to grow and what native fish grow in your area?

Stanno, using a pool cover will keep the water temps higher during winter however the downside is that you are reducing the surface area of the water exposed to the air and consequently reducing the oxygen exchange.

The most productive systems with extreme temperature differentials I've seen on this forum are the passive solar greenhouses. Costly and time consuming to build but seem easy to maintain once built.

Hi Skeggley,
Thanks for your warm comment abiut Turkey. I have checked the commercial aquacultures in Turkey. They mainly grow tout for the fresh water.followed by Kelp. Majority of aquaculture is salt water breeding in sea. So I plan to start with Koi which is a hard to destroy fish. Later on I may steer toward tout and catfish which are present in local climate.
I have come across tilapia projects but they mainly go for the southern parts of the country, hotter places..
As for the passive solar green house: I have access to my father's but it is not sturdy enough..
Anyway I will start small and build upon them with bigger units..
Thanx for your support..

Hi Shafak.
One very easy way to regulate water temp and greenhouse temp is to do an underground or partly underground greenhouse called a " Walipini " There are several examples of this on you tube.
Also passive heat exchange with black drums filled with water, and double insulating the greenhouse by tacking clear plastic to inside for a dead air space.

I never imagined such a resourseful community from all over the planet helping each other with wisdom.
Luv u all... You Rock!!!!

Shafak,
My garden gets high with a little help from my friends!



Hahaha... Seriously, you are so right about this aquaponics community.


It is like a community of 17000+ aquaponics researchers sharing their research successes
and failures for all to follow (or avoid) so it becomes easier for each of us to succeed.

Best of luck with your adventure!

--
Sam

A Looong read waits for me ) Yummy..

As a matter of fact, it's a privilagde to be here...

I ll be posting my own research in a couple of months...after reading and desinging on paper.
Newton was right. I DO FEEL like standing on the shoulders of GIANTS...