Sounds like additional lathe training to me -lol.  Know any contractors that might have a spare piece of pvc laying around?  Nice thing about boiler systems is being able to add additional piping for new zones and seperate thermostates.  If I did not put it on a seperate thermostate, the wood stove in tthe living room or my cookstove(wood) would never allow the furnace to heat another portion of the house let alone an 'aquarium' lol. either stove keeps the house quite toasty even at a windy -30.  It is amusing to see 2 dogs and 4 cats bellied up to the stoves in the winter!!

I just have to decide on how it will work best : just warming the fish pool and using passive solar for the GBs or also run some lines thru the beds as well.  I only have one tree on the south side of the house and that is a young maple. There is ample time on sunny days to gather heat into sand, water, stone and let it radiate back out during the night.

I can access my basement from under my porch thru a regular door - very convient in summer working the garden and splitting wood , etc.  This means there is plenty of head room for a fish tank. I would have to pump up to the GBs but it could gravity feed back easily - maybe even setting up a channel where the water has the fall as if thru rapids to help oxygenate and speed the return rate a bit before it hits the fish tank.Rustle the trout a bit - they like to play in the currrent in the streams.

Wishful thinking but it would be neat to have actual fishways between the beds that the fish lived in.  Best of both worlds to be able to observe both....

Good Morning, I am hoping to get some native brookies from one of the hatcheries in the area. It is one of the things I need to start looking into.  They are my favorite for eating and I can always release them into the stream nearby if necessary.  They like cool temps and shade, love mosquitoes and other pesky bugs. Raising fly larvae will also benefit my chickens.

Speaking of fish food - I have seen some recalls on the FDA Recall site recently involving aquadic feeds. I mention this only because I have read that folks have had troubles with their fish not eating or doing poorly.  It is something to keep an eye on. I get recall notices on a regular basis for human and pet foods, as well as medications.

  Hmmm now that I think of it(and after a couple cups of coffee) I could even set the tank up beneath the porch with a E/S exposure and no N/W winds.  I'll have to take some pics to show you what I am thinking of and what I have to work with.

Hi Matt,  I live in central Maine where the weather is similiar to what you get..well maybe it's a little warmer here and a tad less snow lol.  I am new to the site and will gradually be building a AP system along the same lines as you mentioned in one of your posts. The tank in the basement and an attach greenhouse on the southside of the house.  Would you be willing to accept a friend request so we can bounce ideas back and forth in our endeavors?

mat,

I understand. When I started, I had grow chambers in my condo (LEDs and CFB). I added vermiculture, to one chamber.. I understand..  

Welcome

I went to school at UW-Milwaukee

you sound like this will be a natural place for you to learn and have fun