Fish and algae growing together in a solar pond create an aquatic ecosystem that does not exist in nature. A solar algae pond ecosystem has high light levels, rapid cycling of nutrients, and a unique biochemistry driven by daily sunlight pulses.
The ponds act as giant test tubes for research as well as tanks for practical fish production. A major research effort of New Alchemy has been to scientifically develop methods to optimize fish production at home and on a community scale.
For more information, please read A Summary of Fish Culture Techniques in Solar Algae Ponds. This highly condensed summary explains how to optimize aquaculture in a solar pond, based on years of careful research, experimentation and monitoring: a priceless collection of practical aquaculture knowledge.
Heat storage in solar ponds
The water in solar ponds warms up when the sun hits them or when the air around them is warmer than they are. In a greenhouse they collect and store solar heat during the day and release it later at night into the greenhouse air.
A pond will release heat whenever the water is hotter than the air around it, often for several days during sunless cold conditions. It’s passive and automatic – no fossil fuel, no machinery, no sound of fans. For more information, read Solar Ponds for Heat Storage by Earle Barnhart.
