Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Plants require copper in very small amounts.... I'm probably the laziest tester there is.....

If things are going alright I just leave it alone.... I didn't even have any test kit until perhaps 12 months ago, yet I've had AP systems running for the past 8 years, without any major dramas.....

Well, except for when I tried to keep Barra over winter in Perth, but that was just temperature..

i think the bi-carb equilibrium point is more around the 8.2 to 8.4 mark.

Just looked up the net and found result ranging from 8.0 to 8.5 but there very variation in the strength used. Technically there shouldn’t be if the solution media was pure distilled water but on average you are correct the general consensus is around 8.2-8.4. The mid seven was only on memory, should have net checked first. John

thats cool, just had visions of people dumping in a bag "becasue you can't over dose"

I run calcium carbonate and shell grit 5 kg and just did a test spot on 7 ph all the rest 0

yay the calcium carbonate!

Heres one that would make you gasp.....

I decided to do a water change on my indoor aquarium since we have had heaps of rain here lately. (1 x 25 cm barra, 4 x15-20 cm Bream)

I tested the ammonia first.... through the roof, well off the chart.. I started to panic a bit. Nitrite... fine, 0. OK pH..... now wait for it.... 4.5. I am not kidding.

The fish are fine, healthy and eating. One bubbler in the tank. A sump. So the water is crystal clean.. So I though this can't be right. Calibrated the pH meter and tested again.... 4.7, a bit better but still BAD.

So I did a 3/4 water change, adjusted the ph slowly over a day, retested... pH 7.4 GOOD. Ammonia.... 20 + off the chart still.

So I have concluded the low pH... cause unknown has knocked the bio filter.... so I will check it regularly (The ammonia may get toxic now). But the fish don't really give two hoots what the water is like. Unless the 2 ppt salt affects the ammonia test?

EB,

My system operates at similar levels to yours. Low pH (in the range 5.8 to 6.5) is favoured by most plants which probably explains some of your excellent plant growth.

While nitrifying bacteria prefer high pH (7.5 - 8.0), it could just be that you have so much gravel (and water) in your system that it's supporting enough bacteria to do the job.

Even if, as Steve suggests, you might have some ammonia in your system, at the lower pH in your system it won't be the type that is toxic anyway.

That's my take on it anyway.

TimC......you're a braver man than me in moving your fish through that pH range in 24 hours......particularly since, at 20+ ammonia level in pH 7.5, you've moved them into toxic territory. Where do we send the flowers?

Gary

I know I shouldn't have done it so quick but it has been a week now with no I'll effects. Either my test kits are way off, or the fish are some tough buggers.

I moved two of my Bream out to my AP system, hopefully to give the bio a bit of a chance inside.

Huys
I did mention on another posting. I have found that the ammonia test by aquasonic (pink power tablet with 4 drop of solution) read high when the pH is too low. Now that you have increased the pH interesting to see of the ammonia level has dropped. I believe this is a limitation of the lest and the ammonia really didnt reduce but rather at low pH the test will read higher than the true reading. Let us know how you go John