A Community and Forum For Aquaponic Gardeners

best fish for foothills?/ tank insulation / winter humidity concerns

sorry to pile all of these questions into one discussion, but it seems responses on this site and especially bigtent have tapered off a bit.

just got our greenhouse up and system cycling. greenhouse has a quasi-geothermal system, so i'm curious how things will fair this winter temperature-wise (hoping for somewhere around high 50's - have tank heaters as well). recommendations on best fish to use? thinking combo tilapia/koi maybe. curious if others in a similar situation have recommendations?

should i partially cover the tank and sumps with insulation?

also wondering if anyone can share info on avoiding too much humidity in the cold months? simply open up windows when temps allow?

thx

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by LogicalHydro on November 3, 2015 at 8:24am

I would probably consider a cold hardy fish like koi. Tilapia tend to die when exposed to under 50 for long periods of time and you will see almost no growth under 65 degrees. I wouldn't co-mingle koi and tilapia in the same water source either.

I have grown in my garage and suffered no problems but a high electricity bill during the winter months (from the heaters, kept water temp about 68-70). The more insulation the better and you will definitely have humidity and water loss issues, especially the warmer the water is. Mine vented when I opened the garage a few times a day though.

Permalink Reply by Evergreen_AP on November 3, 2015 at 9:02am

thanks for your input

LogicalHydro said:

I would probably consider a cold hardy fish like koi. Tilapia tend to die when exposed to under 50 for long periods of time and you will see almost no growth under 65 degrees. I wouldn't co-mingle koi and tilapia in the same water source either.

I have grown in my garage and suffered no problems but a high electricity bill during the winter months (from the heaters, kept water temp about 68-70). The more insulation the better and you will definitely have humidity and water loss issues, especially the warmer the water is. Mine vented when I opened the garage a few times a day though.

Permalink Reply by LogicalHydro on November 4, 2015 at 8:49am

I have a few koi that I can give you if you are interested in going that route. They have been very hardy outdoors.

Permalink Reply by Evergreen_AP on November 6, 2015 at 12:05pm

much appreciated! i just decided to heat the water to around 68 during the winter. i'll message you shortly. thanks

LogicalHydro said:

I have a few koi that I can give you if you are interested in going that route. They have been very hardy outdoors.

Permalink Reply by Evergreen_AP on December 26, 2015 at 8:19pm

hello,

just got our AP system cycled! excited to get some fish in their new habitat. we heading out of town for the new year, but i wanted to check if sometime after the 4th i could meet you to pick up those koi...if you still are willing to part with them? if so, thanks and i'll be sure to offer up a thank you gift. if not no worries.

happy holidays,

mike

Permalink Reply by LogicalHydro on December 26, 2015 at 8:44pm

Sounds great. They are ready for you. Maybe we could meet up the 9th or 10th. Just let me know. Thanks, Mark