New to aquaponics.....Any advice welcome!

[magnusscott]

First...thanks for having me!
Second... due to health reasons I have to change my diet. So I am going to grow my own fish and vegetables. I have 6) 325 Gal Poly tanks and 5) 3"D x 26"W x 13' 9" L. My substrate medium is home depot pea gravel also in the tanks. PH is around 6.7. I have about 30 goldfish and 3 tilapia I am planning on expanding. Water temp is about 45 F. Any critiques? Suggestions? Tips? Pointers? Questions?

Thank you!!

[GaryD]

Hi Magnusscott,

Welcome to APHQ.

It sound like you're off to a good start. At over 1200 litres each, your tanks should be capable of breading and rearing lots of tilapia.

At 3", your grow beds are shallower than most people would recommend but they're going to be useful for a whole range of vegetables and herbs... and they're a very useful length. Cleaning them will also be very easy.

Given the depth of your grow beds, I'd suggest that you consider continuous flow watering and that you incorporate good-sized drains so that your beds don't overflow.

Arguably, your biggest challenge is going to be keeping things going during your winter. Where is Lakeside anyway? We have a Lakeside here in Brisbane but given your water temperature and non-metric measurements, I'm guessing that you're from the US.

Some photos of your system would be helpful, too. It's easier to provide ideas if you can see what's happening.

Gary

[jack@badflas]

45F is way too cold for tilapia. You'll likely lose them if you don't warm the water to above 70F. Goldfish and Tilapia are not really compatible as goldies enjoy cold water and tilapia warm.

I'm a tilapia breeder and you won''t get much out of them until you are in the high 70's, and they die in a short while with water temperatures below 50F.

[magnusscott]

Wow!! Ok i need to warm up the water. Any suggestions on a heating? I wa thinking of solar...ie a black garden hose....not sure how to regulate that.

[magnusscott]

What depth should my grow beds be? or what veggies/herbs could i grow?

[magnusscott]

Will the colder temps make the tilapia grow slower?
Will they grow faster in warm water?

[magnusscott]

Lakeside is in rural San Diego County in California in the US. Our winters arent tough at all. 50's, 60's but usually pretty sunny.

[GaryD]

Hi,

At those temperatures, you could certainly grow Rainbow trout through your winters.

There are other American species like Bluegill and Largemouth Bass that may be suitable but I don't know enough about them to be able to advise you on culture requirements.

If you can maintain optimum temperatures using passive solar devices (underpinned by some sort of electric or gas heating backup), you may still be good for tilapia. My impression is that California enjoys a long warm summer.

Gary

[Outbackozzie]

Keeping your system temperatures above or below the average ambient temp of your climate is nearly impossible, unless the system is indoors.

The growbeds are great big radiators, and dissipate/absorb kilowatts of heat very easily.

Find a species that lives in your climate year round, and try to stick to that.

Hmmm, 3 inch deep growbeds - that will be an issue later on. They dont dissipate / process the solids very well.

[GaryD]

Hi,

Hmmm, 3 inch deep growbeds - that will be an issue later on. They dont dissipate / process the solids very well.

All the more reason to remove the solids and mineralise them outside of the system. They can be returned later.

I'd be happy to use these beds for lettuce, soft herbs and Asian greens.

If they were set up at a slight angle, fish water could be run in at one end and drained from the other end......continuously......like a nutrient flow system (but filled with pea gravel to support the plants).

Gary