Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Gotfish, we have the same problem with tomatoes fruiting in greenhouse. I have been advised I need to stimulate pollenation by touching flowers with electric toothbrush to vibrate them. The timing is important and unknown so we are supposed to do this before noon every day during flower maturity. Quite a bit of bother. I am new at greenhouse culture and have lots to learn.

Artistic is the right term for your setup. Very pleasing to the eye . Well done

TT,
It's a pre-formed poly pond from Home Cheapo
My burried tank is working out great and I can get to my fish no problem. I built a wood bridge to cover the tank with so I don't have any trouble accessing the beds. Most of the time the bridge sits on the floor with the tank uncovered and I only use it when I need to do anything major with the back beds. I also have no problem with other maintenance by stepping across the tank without the bridge, I'm 6'1" with mokey arms
I think there are just too many advantages to having the tank in the ground, especially in a greenhouse where you want to maximize usable growing space (even in a nice size GH like yours). The only drawback is digging the hole
John has his burried in his GH too, He may have something to add from his experience.



John,
My comment about high nitrates was just passed on from a farmer I talked to, it was news to me. Is your tom in fertilized dirt? if so, is it possible by adding fish water you're double dosing nitrates?( I have a potted strab plant that is in fertilized dirt and watered with fish water, growth was great but no flowers)
My nitrates have just started to climb and I haven't had my shade cloth on that long but my plants are fruiting just fine. I also leave the GH doors open all day to help control the heat, so I figure bees have been in there regularly. My seedlings I started are growing well too, so I think my 55% cloth is allowing enough sun.

-Stevo

Thanks artistic. I will re read ur thread and GFs too. One last question, what is your tank water temp running at? Does it vary much over the 24 hours?

I haven't been keeping a close eye on it other than the highest was (iirc) 81deg and average in the high 70's (daily GH temps have been in the high 90's). I have also buried 40ft of waterline outside the GH about 18in down and pump water through it and back to the tank to keep it from getting too warm.
I'll check it tonight and again in the morning and let you know.

-Stevo

Na the dirt I used should be pretty much void of any nutrients it held a bell pepper for a few months, so just the fish water. I'll be moving it outside the GH to see if anything changes on it performance.

Your temps sound about the same as mine.
If I remember correctly when you dug your tank hole you cheated and had a scooper? I will not dig another by hand again, well maybe I will. LOL.
40ft of water line outside? Fish water going thru it? How deep and looped or coiled? What type of pipe?
....Grin....
Also I have ment to ask you about your fans in the front are the solar or battery? How do ye like em?

Uhh... no, no, I dug it by hand, yeah that's it...I dug it by hand

I ran 1 loop, 1/2" flexible poly to 1/2" cpvc out and around the back, straight up the side just past the front of the GH, then returned back to the tank. It was more of a cheap experiment than anything else, I had to finish back filling my wall anyway so I just laid some line to see what would happened. I used a small 125gph pump running 24/7. It helps but I think it would work much better if I used more footage with more loops.

Those are actually vents not fans, they open by twisting a dial to open the flaps, one broke 2nd time I opened it (not happy with them). My fan is low on the back wall blowing in (hopefully pushing the hot air out the roof vents, front vents and door(when open))

-Stevo

Nice oasis you got going there Stevo. Keep up the good work. How are those bunk feeders working for you? Any sagging?

Thanks,
The feeders are working great, the only sagging is on the left bed where I have one of the support boards pushed in t'wards the center a little too far, it's not causing a problem though.

-Stevo

Yea, those liners have to be well supported, I think next time I will build a custom box for them. I don't know if I told you but I located the source of those liners $25 apiece! By fall I will have ten more.

Cool!, the last I heard, you said the co. would only sell bulk quantities, where did you end up finding them? Did you talk Tractor supply into ordering a handfull?

-Stevo

We've just got a streak of HOT weather, Here's the latest temp's from yesterday and this morning

Outside - 98f high
GH - 105.3 high, 65.7low (morning)
Water - 83.4 high, 79.1 low (morning)

these are the highest temps since my shade cloth went on.
right about now I wish I had tilapia instead of koi.

-Stevo

Stevo, how much water do you have in the total system? Surprised water gets so hot with tank in ground. My tank is in the ground and has 4000 gallons. Water temp is 71.5F. The outside is 93F and inside is 87F. My tank is not in sun, maybe that is a difference.

Doug,
I have 300 gallons, what I've noticed is that the water heats up from the gravel in the GB's. I only have massive growth in one bed so the leaves shade the gravel, but the others heat up from the sun creating an unintentional heat exchanger. I expect some lower water temps when I have more plant growth.

ETA: The insulation I put around the tank may be working against me now, I could really use the ground temps to help keep the tank temps lower.


-Stevo

Ahhh, hot gravel heat exchanger. I understand now. My water circulates under styrofoam with net pots thru. Not as much heat transfer.