Lessons In Aquaponics

Okay we made it to summer. We have learned many things from our first attempt to grow container nursery stock with aquaponics and a geothermal loop.

150 gallon fish tank and biological filter growing catails and rushes

 The  fish tank started to get a huge alge bloom that was inceased by the exposed water areas in the nursery pot beds. We have a filter on the sysytem to prevent it from clogging the geothermal loop, but we needed to clean it twice a day. The flow would be down to a trickle. This in turn would cause the bell siphon to quit operating properly and would leave some water in the bioloical filter instead of draining all of the way as it is supposed to. We di dnot know how to stop the alge bloom with out killing the fish.

Off The Grid - How About A Geo Thermal Loop

Lets see what this thing can do

First we dug a pit 35 feet long, 6 feet wide and 5 feet deep. The digging was not easy, even with equipment. The sand where we live is trying hard to turn into sandstone. Our neighbor came  over with his huge backhoe and and helped us out.

 We were not sure how long to make it and we were trying to work with supplies we already had. We had the 400 feet of 3/4" black pipe, so that is what we used. We plumbed it up to the surface and added a hydrant for a water feed next to it. We were not sure things would not freeze in the winter. Good thinking on our part looking back, more on that later.

Jack helps with everything

 We filled in the hole and packed it down as best we could. Then we put up the metal frame. I had already had this from when I had my nursery open before. The dimensions are 20 by 24 feet  and it has a 10 foot peak. I hope this will help with cooling. Then we started the end walls.

Ready for the end walls - is this straight?

The Infamous Lorem Ipsum Post

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