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Winter indoors system and how to proceed

I moved the system indoors; in Germany it will get cold soon. You can see the set up in the picture (a bathtub-fish tank, 2 eurocontainers-growbeds with siphon system and a sump). My summer version didnt work out, I had bought 3 little tilapia and they died, I have no clue why. Maybe it was too cold, its dropped to 13 celsius this summer. Now I got 6 carps of 1 year old from another aquaponic system. I didnt do fishless cycling, I just added the fish in togeher with 70 litters of water I got from this other aquaponic system as well and a bacteria product. I have no ammonia indication yet. I have seeded asia salat, radishes and spinach in coconut and added the small seedlings to the clay balls with the net pots (I only removed them from the radishes). I will buy 2 blue-red LED lamps for the plants and I have no idea whether the carps need light or not. For the moment I just have a net over the bathtub but maybe I need to cover it with some planks to provide shade to the carps and prevent algae growth? Please let me know if you think I do something wrong.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Sheri Schmeckpeper on September 29, 2011 at 10:20am

Hi, Valentina!
The cold no doubt had something to do with your tilapia death. Temps that low will weaken them.

Your new setup is looking good! Watch closely for the ammonia and nitrite spikes, and when they start rising do water changes. The ammonia can affect the plants, too, if it gets too high, so don't be discouraged if the plants are struggling during the cycling.

Carp aren't too picky about light, just be sure they have enough to know night from day. Being indoors you probably don't need anything but your net.

When the nitrates get high, you may see an algae bloom, with algae all through the water and growing on the sides. Since you have plants in the system, it should pass and the water will clear. You can do water changes during that time, too. Don't worry about algae that might stay on the sides of the tank after the bloom passes, as long as it's just a film & not hairy. It makes a nice treat for the carp & lowers your food bill. :)

As for the number of fish, a good rule of thumb is 1" of fish to 1 gallon (4 liters) of water. You can probably crowd it more than that as your fish grow as long as you keep an eye on their behavior and health.

Permalink Reply by valentina karga on September 30, 2011 at 2:37am

Thanks Sheri! Good to know; I would probably panic if I would see algae without knowing that its normal! As regard the amount of fish I was thinking indeed to double it after the cycling..

Permalink Reply by Chi Ma on October 24, 2011 at 2:50pm

Indoor flourescent lighting needs to almost touch the plant. Otherwise your plants will grow leggy trying to reach for the light.