Yup.  Aquaponics again.  I got it all finished yesterday.  Sort of.  I bought some goldfish a couple days ago and put them in the fish tank.  Then I got the rock and the grow media washed out and loaded into the grow beds.  Then I got the plumbing hooked up and the holes drilled in the workshop wall next to the fish tank.  Then I got the fish tank pump hooked up to the flush tank, and everything going and circulating yesterday evening.  Then we went to bed.


That's right, there are dead goldfish floating on the surface. Yuk.  You can see the water returning from the grow beds into the fish tank.  The black tubing is coming from the fish tank pump that goes to the flush tank on the grow beds.  I added more water later, so the water level is higher now.

The black tubing is coming from inside, goes to the flush tank.  The white pipe is the drain pipe that drains the water from the grow beds back to the fish tank.

This is the flush tank.  When it gets full, the water bottle pulls the flapper open, flushing the tank and emptying the water into the grow beds.  That waters the plants (which will be there eventually) and filters out the fish waste.

Now, back to the story.  Brenda and I were sleeping peacefully.  About 5 o'clock this morning we were awakened by the sound of thunder.  Now, it has been very hot and dry for some time here.  The grass is brown and dry and crunchy.  The grow beds are positioned directly under the eaves of the workshop, which do not have guttering or downspouts.  I am going to be installing guttering to keep the rain from pouring into the grow beds, but that is one thing I have not done yet.


So, you can imagine my consternation when we were awakened by the sound of thunder at 5 o'clock this morning.  I ran outside to find that the rain was already pouring into the grow beds which was already pouring into the fish tank.  If I didn't do anything, the additional water would very quickly overflow the fish tank.  So, I unplugged the water pump, preventing the pump from pumping water from the fish tank into the grow beds, and then I unhooked the drain pipe from the grow beds, allowing the water from the grow beds to drain onto the ground, instead of draining into the fish tank.


Brenda and I were soaked to the skin with the rain, but at least we saved the fish tank from getting too much rain water into it.  Later today I plan to install gutters on the roof, and a shelter over the grow beds to protect them from getting rained on again.  Then, I can re-start the circulation.  I planted bush beans in the grow beds yesterday, so with all the rain and warm temperatures they should be coming up in a few days.


Tilapia.  I plan to get some tilapia this weekend to add to the fish tank.  If things go well, they should be ready to eat in about 6 months.

Why tilapia, you ask?  Well, the idea is, that tilapia are much more tolerant of water conditions than other types of fish.  So, if the water isn't just the right temperature, or just the right amount of oxygen, or just clean enough, or just the right acidity level, and so on, they do just fine, while other fish would just die.  Tilapia are tropical fish, so the water does have to stay warm all the time.  That's why I have them in the freezer.  (The freezer doesn't work)  I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but the freezer is very well-insulated, so it will stay at a nice warm 80 degrees all year-round with very little electric heat input.  Which is why I have the two aquarium heaters in the fish tank.  The water actually feels cool, but that's because a person's skin temperature is 94 degrees, so 80 degree water will feel cool to touch.