Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Anyone out there use heaters? I live in Colorado and my set up will be in my garage. Winter months get down to about 40 degrees Fahrenheit in the garage. Looks like a pool or hot tub heater will run me upwards of $1500/year.

I've given up my dream of raising barramundi due to the climate, but it looks like even a bass/perch system needs warmer than 40 degree water.

Have any of you found a better solution for heating water in cold climates?

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Grow trout instead! I've seen my small system water get down to about 5C (41F) at its coldest, and trout can handle that ok.

Will they spawn in a small tank? I'd like a self-replenishing supply.

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I don't know much about growing your own from scratch, but you would need a separate area for spawning and raising from eggs. Much easier to buy batches of fingerlings from a hatchery.

For your garage system, during the winter you could build a PVC hoop house type of frame and insulate from the cold in the garage. Use of a heater and maybe cover the tank could work BUT you want to be sure you have plenty of aeration and water splash to keep the O2 levels high.

Bass and Yellow Perch will do fine at 40 F, they just won't be eating much if anything and you might lose a few but then again, you might not.

I just use a cheap pond heater to keep from freezing. I've grown bullhead, largemouth bass, bluegill in an outside take through a winter with no issues (although they don't eat when it's cold). I also have some yellow perch starting their first winter and they seem fine.

Far more cost-effective to use a fish that can survive the natural conditions than to try to engineer a solution to heat or cool the water to suit a foreign fish's needs.