Below ground tank????

[mandomaniac]

Hey folks, new here.....and new to aquaponics. So still lots of questions despite having tried to research a bit.
I was wondering about trying to place the fishtank in a barrelponics system partly below ground. The system will be housed in a 10x12 greenhouse. But thought I could make use of geothermal moderation of temp by digging out for half the water depth anyway. Winters do get chilly here...even down to the teen's (F) occasionally. Avg temp for Dec/Jan/Feb is 40-43 according to weather bureau. Had planned on tilapia...but worried about them doing well in the cool.
Greenhouse set up for heating and cooling....and would try to keep at least above 60.
Any thoughts??????????????
Thanks!

[kellenw]

You will likely do better by raising your tank off of the ground rather than sinking it down into it. You need to go about 7-8 feet down to get any real benefit from ground temps.

A well insulated greenhouse combined with a cold pit, heat storage and supplemental water heating is probably the best way to go.

[mandomaniac]

Thanks! Sure saves digging! hahahaha.
Do you feel the tilapia will do OK in the range of 60-95?
Had considered native fish (eg bream or crappie) that might handle the cool temps better.

[kellenw]

Tilapia will handle 60 degrees, but they won't really grow at that temp. If you can keep water temps at 70 degrees or higher, they'll grow fairly well throughout the winter months.

[mandomaniac]

Thanks again.
I see you supply fingerlings....but unfortunately size of operation at present plan would need far less than the min order. Guess I will try to talk a local fish farm out of half a dozen. Toss em in a bucket and beat it back to the farm! I can see it now..:eek:
HAHAHAHAHA
If this seems to work and I expand, I'll definitely give you a holler.
Happy New Year!!

[kellenw]

We will sometimes ship smaller orders, so it might be worth contacting Sarah. However, if you can get a few locally, you'll probably save some money with such a small quantity (shipping really drives up the price per fish on small orders). Check out pet shops also. Mozambiques can be found in pet shops at times. Often they are called Mozambique Mouthbrooders. They aren't quite as fast growing or as efficient at feed conversion as Niles, but if you just need a few fish, they'll probably fit the bill.

A lot of our customers split orders with one or two people in their area. By doing that, they save a bundle of money. Something else to think about.