Yeah, and with hydro what will you do if the SHTF. Can't buy the chemicals anymore.
Yeah, and with hydro what will you do if the SHTF. Can't buy the chemicals anymore.
"When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes DUTY!" - Thomas Jefferson
Yup AP was the way to go in my mind. Even if I lose Electricity I would be able to put water into the grow bed manuallyevery 1/2 hr. my set up was about $400. Grow bed $129, Stock tank $129, pumps ~$50, Heaters $50 and lights ~$60. Oh the grow media ~$80 but I Purchased baked clay balls it can be done much cheaper.
How mufh do you all have to run heaters? Right now I plan on setting up in the basement once I get started and just wonder bout the temp requirements.
Basement set up:
Water container: Place it atop pallets or 2x4's. Concrete chemicals will leach into you tank. Treat you tank like drinking water.
Heater: It all depends on the water volume you are heating and to what temp. I am heating ~130 gallons to a temp of 76 degrees Fahrenheit. What is the cost of this? It is hard to calculate it is all based on the temp of the earth, your house and the weather. The entire cost of my system a year is about $250. I run 2 air pumps, 2 water heaters and 4 CFL lights (the equivalence of 300 watts). That comes out to about $20 a month. I am calculating on the high side.
I will be converting to LED lighting this year and that will drop the wattage by 150 watts.
Depends on the fish, and plants as far as the temp goes. Tilapia going to want 80 degree water, but perch or catfish probably won't need any heat. Some plants require warm roots to grow.
"When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes DUTY!" - Thomas Jefferson
I guess my first step is to start tracking temp, and humidity in the basement for a while and see what it's running.
As far as a set up goes, for a tank I am considering a 280 to 330 gallon food grade tote. Take the top off of it and use that for one grow bed. I'm guess that will leave space for at least 200 gallons. Should be able to handle a few fish in that. I'm sure I'll need to size the pump for how much bed size I'll be running.
You need to size the pump so you turn the volume of water over every hour. That is the basic rule for ap, so with your tank you should run at least 330 gph pump.
"When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes DUTY!" - Thomas Jefferson
How do requirements for perch compare to talapia? I assume they tolerate colder water better.
Perch can live in very cold water, if the water is not frozen, I think perch will survive. But I don't think many plants will thrive with very cold water.
"When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes DUTY!" - Thomas Jefferson
2 things:
Can you fit a tote down the stairs into the basement? I could not.
What plants do you want to grow. Research soil temps needed then decide what works best for you.
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