Why no aquaponics?

[Powelly]

I too am thinking koi.  My reason being money.  From what I can figure, they are one of the highest dollar things a person can raise in out door aquaponics.  Tropical fish might get more money but they are harder to keep alive due to the heat requirements in the winter time.  I understand Koi are fine as long as the water doesnt freeze.  Even then, there are some articles that say as long as the water is 3 feet or deeper, if the top freezes they will survive.

 
Yeah I had them when I lived in England and we'd simply tie string around a baked bean can and fill it with boiling water then just sit it on top of the ice until it melted a hole through the ice

 

[AJ Drew]

 
Yeah I had them when I lived in England and we'd simply tie string around a baked bean can and fill it with boiling water then just sit it on top of the ice until it melted a hole through the ice

 
What i would really like is to grow year round.  My thinking is maybe, just maybe, I can heat the water with electricity for the first year, see if the water will bleed enough heat to keep the green house warm enough.  Then if it works, start thinking about how to heat the water with passive solar.  Heating it with the sun is easy, but I am thinking regulating it might be a trick or two.  With electric, it is just a matter of setting a thermastat that turns the heater on and off.  With solar, I imagine it would be turning a pump on and off, no real clue, maybe a valve.
 

 

[Powelly]

 
What i would really like is to grow year round.  My thinking is maybe, just maybe, I can heat the water with electricity for the first year, see if the water will bleed enough heat to keep the green house warm enough.  Then if it works, start thinking about how to heat the water with passive solar.  Heating it with the sun is easy, but I am thinking regulating it might be a trick or two.  With electric, it is just a matter of setting a thermastat that turns the heater on and off.  With solar, I imagine it would be turning a pump on and off, no real clue, maybe a valve.
 

 
You'd have to have a barrel of unheated water and have the thermostat pump the cool water into it 

 

[Mystere]

I saw a thread on another forum where a guy was complaining that his peppers grew but were barely hot and someone suggested that maybe he had watered them too much.

This obviously wasn't what he was going for, but what about people who might be after that? Suppose someone wanted to grow mild versions of these super hots?

I feel like there's probably a market for that.

 

[Rairdog]

I have grown many different kind of peppers in my AP system but they grow better and faster in the dirt for me.  Hots are a little watered down but sweets taste about the same.  Tomato's seem to grow faster in the AP but don't taste nearly as good.   It's all about nutrient profile and quality of fish food.  Many people give up due to nutrient deficiencies and not meeting there ideas of a fast growing system.
 
Heating the water is usually seen as unproductive.  The main problem is humidity buildup on the walls of the greenhouse due to temp differences.  Most that I know of that have tried with elec heat of the water have said it was to expensive and not worth the money.  The ones that do have success tend to lean towards Rocket Mass Heaters or wood stoves that have plenty of wood available.  There are also those that have luck with buried GH's and supplemental heat.  They also incorporate lots of water storage tanks, usually painted black, to store the heat gained from passive solar to keep it warm at night.
 
Here are some links that I have bookmarked for my research for you to look at and get some ideas on GH's/solar/groundheat
https://www.niftyhomestead.com/blog/underground-greenhouse/
http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Sunspace/sunspaces.htm#Greenhouse%20Plans
 
If you want to check out some youtube vids Nate Story with Bright Agrotech has some good vids on heating GH's, nutrients and systems.
https://www.youtube.com/user/BrightAgrotechLLC/featured
 
 

 

[AJ Drew]

Had not thought about humidity problems.  Now thinking and imagine constant rain.  Humidity would condense instantly on the chilled outter shell and then fall.

 

[Rairdog]

As to fish...I like bluegills.  They can handle PH /temp swings and I have rarely had one die.  Here in Indiana it is legal to catch fish and put them in aquariums so long as its a legal catch.  There is no size or catch limit on gills. I can hook mature ones or net fingerlings.  They are easy to pellet train(PT) either way.  Crappie are hard to PT unless you net them as a fingerling and there are no size limits but a 25 catch limit and 50 possession limit.   So I cant have a bunch in my freezer and tanks.  I have never had luck from caught crappie but have had some small success from netting fingerlings. Cats are also easy to PT but they need lots of room.  I have never had luck with caught ones but I know from others the work well when buying as fingerlings. 
 
You also have to take account if the fish is considered a game fish such as bass here which have a size limit and can only be caught with a hook and not netted.  Goldfish to Koi are always easy to PF and are hardy to PH and temp swings....from my research and forum friends....but I have never felt the need to try them.  I like catching fish and throwing them in the tank so they are fresh and lively when I'm ready to clean and eat them.   
 
I also have floating nets to put minnows in so I have rotating fish, food, bait and tablefare.  To me the best part of the hobby is making fish strive (more so than a cheap live well) in a closed system.  The plants are just part of the system and need balanced as well but I don't make them the priority.  As I have said before, I see lots of failure and people giving up because its not the miracle plant grow system but is fun and challenging to take on as an overall hobby.