Aquaponics System, Passive Solar Greenhouse build - Page 19

jeff5may · 06-18-15, 09:03 PM

I have a set of these, and always will:

Mine may or may not be the same brand, but they are the same on the inside. They paid for themselves the first year. I didn't have any unannounced surprises. You can pay as much as you like for comparable instruments, but I have found they all work well. The main difference is durability and whether they are waterproof or not. If you are clumsy, get pens that are waterproof and float. I have learned to treat mine like calipers or dividers: take from box, get reading, put back in box.

When it's 85 or higher outdoors, much less in the water, you want air pumps and some sort of evaporative fountain cooler going strong. The fountain helps aerate and circulate your water top to bottom. I have a shady spot in the fish tank somewhere below ground level (dug down a foot or two) so they can go and hide from the heat if they need to. My flower box tank is short and fat, painted white, and has a huge contact patch with the ground. The tomato bucket will get a white garbage bag around it soon.

pinballlooking · 06-18-15, 09:50 PM

I get this tomorrow Extech EC170 Salinity Meter/Temperature

This is on the way New PH meter Eco Testr ph2 I picked this up on eBay for a great deal.

I got this on closeout. (not the price shown)
https://www.4hydro.com/aquachill-264...-cooler-1-4-hp

I am going to run this at night to get the water down to 78-79F then it won’t heat up so much during the day.
I know it is not made to cool as much water as I have but I only want to bring water temp down a few degrees overnight. Nothing is adding heat to the water at night except the pump and that is not that much heat.

It has a titanium thermal converter because you can’t use copper it is bad for the fish.

jeff5may · 06-19-15, 07:59 AM

Those little chillers are really durable and effective for their size. The titanium heat exchanger is what makes them shine. They are larger than they need to be, which boosts efficiency. If they clog up, you can acid wash them to make them like new.

pinballlooking · 06-19-15, 09:04 AM

I got the chiller for $229 shipped and it is new in the box. My make shift chiller is working but I have to drain 100 gallons of water and fill it twice a day. I figure if the passive cooler is working that this chiller should be able to do the same for the cost of some solar power.

What kind of acid do you use to clean out a clog just vinegar?

I will need to make a small cover over it to keep the rain off it until I build the greenhouse.

pinballlooking · 06-21-15, 09:23 PM

I finally added a shade canopy. This is really going to help the fish.
Yesterday we lost power and we were not home. My neighbor checked on my fish for me and they were fine. I was still 1 hour away. When I got home I connected up my 12 volt air pump and power came on in about an hour.
The fish are fine.

Here are some plant pictures. Now that I have more fish the plants are really starting to grow.

The Salinity Meter is so nice it is fast to. I have to calibrate the PH meters before I can use them. I have ordered the some PH 7 fluid to calibrate it

pinballlooking · 06-23-15, 08:53 AM

The fish are eating really well now. They are not getting big temp swings because of the shade we added.
The tilapia have the first food I put in the tank gone in about a second.

The plants are all getting very green and the tomatoes are all starting to come back with new leafs.
I thought most of them would just die but they are all coming back.
The other plants are really starting to grow I can see good growth just form yesterday.

PH is stable a have a bag shells hanging in the fish tank. (Buffer bag)
Buffer Bag - Extra Large
Ammonia is 0

It is nice to see things starting to grow well.

jeff5may · 06-23-15, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pinballlooking

I got the chiller for $229 shipped and it is new in the box. My make shift chiller is working but I have to drain 100 gallons of water and fill it twice a day. I figure if the passive cooler is working that this chiller should be able to do the same for the cost of some solar power.

What kind of acid do you use to clean out a clog just vinegar?

I will need to make a small cover over it to keep the rain off it until I build the greenhouse.

I use pH down for hydroponics to acid wash the gunk out. Afterwards, it can still be used as pH down.

I believe your shade cloth will do more good than the chiller, except at night. The digital meters will also help you keep a better eye on your water. I never liked taking samples and adding indicator solution anyways.

It looks like you are off to a good start, with only a tiny fish kill. Better start eating lettuce before it bolts!

pinballlooking · 06-23-15, 11:12 AM

Can the chiller be hacked to make it a heater instead of a chiller?

Daox · 06-23-15, 12:01 PM

Woohoo, glad to see its all smoothing out and working well. The speed that your plants are growing seems quite fast.

pinballlooking · 06-23-15, 12:13 PM

They were growing painfully slow.

Since I added the last fish and they are eating good. Wow I can see a difference every day now. It is a good feeling to see them take off. The color of all the plants is turning that nice dark green.

06-18-15, 09:50 PM	#182
pinballlooking Super Moderator Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: SC Posts: 2,923 Thanks: 172 Thanked 564 Times in 463 Posts	I get this tomorrow Extech EC170 Salinity Meter/Temperature This is on the way New PH meter Eco Testr ph2 I picked this up on eBay for a great deal. I got this on closeout. (not the price shown) https://www.4hydro.com/aquachill-264...-cooler-1-4-hp I am going to run this at night to get the water down to 78-79F then it won’t heat up so much during the day. I know it is not made to cool as much water as I have but I only want to bring water temp down a few degrees overnight. Nothing is adding heat to the water at night except the pump and that is not that much heat. It has a titanium thermal converter because you can’t use copper it is bad for the fish. Attached Thumbnails

06-19-15, 09:04 AM	#184
pinballlooking Super Moderator Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: SC Posts: 2,923 Thanks: 172 Thanked 564 Times in 463 Posts	I got the chiller for $229 shipped and it is new in the box. My make shift chiller is working but I have to drain 100 gallons of water and fill it twice a day. I figure if the passive cooler is working that this chiller should be able to do the same for the cost of some solar power. What kind of acid do you use to clean out a clog just vinegar? I will need to make a small cover over it to keep the rain off it until I build the greenhouse. Last edited by pinballlooking; 06-19-15 at 09:54 AM..

06-21-15, 09:23 PM	#185
pinballlooking Super Moderator Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: SC Posts: 2,923 Thanks: 172 Thanked 564 Times in 463 Posts	I finally added a shade canopy. This is really going to help the fish. Yesterday we lost power and we were not home. My neighbor checked on my fish for me and they were fine. I was still 1 hour away. When I got home I connected up my 12 volt air pump and power came on in about an hour. The fish are fine. Here are some plant pictures. Now that I have more fish the plants are really starting to grow. The Salinity Meter is so nice it is fast to. I have to calibrate the PH meters before I can use them. I have ordered the some PH 7 fluid to calibrate it Attached Thumbnails Last edited by pinballlooking; 06-22-15 at 07:58 AM..

06-23-15, 08:53 AM	#186
pinballlooking Super Moderator Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: SC Posts: 2,923 Thanks: 172 Thanked 564 Times in 463 Posts	The fish are eating really well now. They are not getting big temp swings because of the shade we added. The tilapia have the first food I put in the tank gone in about a second. The plants are all getting very green and the tomatoes are all starting to come back with new leafs. I thought most of them would just die but they are all coming back. The other plants are really starting to grow I can see good growth just form yesterday. PH is stable a have a bag shells hanging in the fish tank. (Buffer bag) Buffer Bag - Extra Large Ammonia is 0 It is nice to see things starting to grow well. Attached Thumbnails Last edited by pinballlooking; 06-23-15 at 10:48 AM..

06-23-15, 12:01 PM	#189
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	Woohoo, glad to see its all smoothing out and working well. The speed that your plants are growing seems quite fast. __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

06-18-15, 09:03 PM	#181
jeff5may Supreme EcoRenovator Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: elizabethtown, ky, USA Posts: 2,428 Thanks: 431 Thanked 619 Times in 517 Posts	I have a set of these, and always will: Mine may or may not be the same brand, but they are the same on the inside. They paid for themselves the first year. I didn't have any unannounced surprises. You can pay as much as you like for comparable instruments, but I have found they all work well. The main difference is durability and whether they are waterproof or not. If you are clumsy, get pens that are waterproof and float. I have learned to treat mine like calipers or dividers: take from box, get reading, put back in box. When it's 85 or higher outdoors, much less in the water, you want air pumps and some sort of evaporative fountain cooler going strong. The fountain helps aerate and circulate your water top to bottom. I have a shady spot in the fish tank somewhere below ground level (dug down a foot or two) so they can go and hide from the heat if they need to. My flower box tank is short and fat, painted white, and has a huge contact patch with the ground. The tomato bucket will get a white garbage bag around it soon.

06-19-15, 07:59 AM	#183
jeff5may Supreme EcoRenovator Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: elizabethtown, ky, USA Posts: 2,428 Thanks: 431 Thanked 619 Times in 517 Posts	Those little chillers are really durable and effective for their size. The titanium heat exchanger is what makes them shine. They are larger than they need to be, which boosts efficiency. If they clog up, you can acid wash them to make them like new.

06-23-15, 11:12 AM	#188
pinballlooking Super Moderator Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: SC Posts: 2,923 Thanks: 172 Thanked 564 Times in 463 Posts	Can the chiller be hacked to make it a heater instead of a chiller?

06-23-15, 12:13 PM	#190
pinballlooking Super Moderator Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: SC Posts: 2,923 Thanks: 172 Thanked 564 Times in 463 Posts	They were growing painfully slow. Since I added the last fish and they are eating good. Wow I can see a difference every day now. It is a good feeling to see them take off. The color of all the plants is turning that nice dark green.