Sometimes Too Hot, The Eye Of Heaven Shines

Sometimes Too Hot, The Eye Of Heaven Shines
By James Youngblood

When summer unfurls its brutal heat from the sun, it can be a challenge to keep the water in your aquaponics fish tank cool enough for your fish. As the water temperature rises, the oxygen level decreases and your fish may start gasping for air. Before they suffocate, you will need to take steps to keep your water cool enough for your fish to survive.

It is much easier to heat water than it is to cool it. Relatively inexpensive water heaters are readily available. Water coolers are also available but at a price that makes them far too expensive for most of us.

So, we need to find a way to cool our water without emptying our wallets. Some methods might include using ice or making water changes. Neither of these method work very well or provide a long term solution.

With temperatures forecast to be above 105 degrees Fahrenheit for the next week here in Las Vegas, Nevada, I needed to do something to keep my aquaponics fish tank water from getting hot enough fish to cook my fish. And I need a long term solution because the heat will be with us for the next few months.

The first thing I did was to provide shade for both my fish tank and grow beds. I put up a beach umbrella. That helps with the temperature and also helps prevent algae growth. But shade alone will not be enough.

Fortunately, humidity in the desert is very low. Yes, it is a dry heat! Water quickly evaporates here, and as water evaporates, it cools. Even in the hot summer months, my swimming pool seldom get much above 85 degrees Fahrenheit. However, swimming pools have a much greater water volume and surface area than my fish tanks. And 85 degrees in just about the upper range that my fish can survive.

Evaporation is increased when the wind blows and after a windy day, my swimming pool may drop as much as 5 degrees. Although the wind does blow frequently, it is not always strong enough to provide much cooling. My next step, then, was to use a fan that provides substantial air movement. This has worked very well so far, and my water temperature has stayed within a safe range.

However, the fish tank water temperature is not the only thing affected by high heat and low humidity. My plants began to wither under the relentless heat. So, I added water misters to keep the leaves moist. This keeps them hydrated and now they look very healthy.

Everything is not going perfectly, however. The main problem I have is with the beach umbrella. Even in a moderate breeze, the umbrella is not stable enough. So for my next project, I need to erect something sturdy that is also easy to put up and take down. Whenever possible, I like to remove the shade so that my plants have full sunlight. Especially the tomatoes.

For now, I run the fan and misters from about 8 in the morning until 10 in the evening. My water temperature in the morning has been around 74 degrees Fahrenheit and has stayed below 78 degrees during the day. I have goldfish and koi in my fish tank and so this water temperature is just right for them. They also are doing great.

Shakespeare may not have been referring to aquaponics in his Sonnet 18, and surely he did not have an electric fan to keep himself cool. But if you live in a hot, dry climate, you might be able to keep your aquaponics water cool enough by using shade, water misters and a good strong fan.

To learn more about aquaponics and information about setting up your own aquaponics system visit [http://www.aquaponicstips.org/]

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