Backyard Aquaponics
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Hi all, I have been seeing some deficiencies in my system and as it has turned out many and varied hence why I was rather confused, so I sent some of my water for a test and the first thing I need to sort out I think is a high chloride level (and have no idea how they came to get so high to start with).

Other than pumping half my water out and refilling with fresh water is there any other way to reduce it. It came back at 160ppm.. I havent salted for any reason. Thanks in advance.

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Hi mate. I guess the question to ask is what is your water source?

Yeah its not the water source. Rain water is from tanks collected off my shed.

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I read that ground water was often high in chlorides. Is your roof collector galvanised tin or colourbond?

Colourbond

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Where’s Mr Damage when you need him?

It's possible you're adding chloride ions when you supplement with potassium and/or iron, depending on what you're using and if you are supplementing at all. I don't know where your water sample came from but you should try to determine if the source water that you have stored from runoff is high in chlorides. This will help you narrow down where the chlorides are coming from. Salt from the media in the grow beds is also a possible source.

Reverse Osmosis will reduce the chloride ions but might not be a viable option. You would also be removing other nutrients so you'd have to add these back somehow. I don't know enough to tell you the cost or the specifics of how you would do this but these systems are fairly common anymore.

Thanks Scotty, I was afraid I might have to dump most of the water

My media is clay balls. I supplement DTPA iron. I was seeing interveinal chlorosis and couldnt detect any magnesium with a test kit so was supplementing with both magnesium sulphate and magnesium carbonate.My testing was saying my pottasium was high so i wasnt supplementing any of that however when my water test came back it stated I was low so now also need to rethink that.

Edit - I have also been adding hydrochloric acid at times to lower pH. That makes sense now.

160 while not low is not concerning. Most systems are deficient in chloride especially if your supplimenting with co2. There is no issue until you get above 200 ppm per EPA limits so not much to worry about.

Depends what plants.
Below 70ppm is suitable for all plants,70-140ppm some plants would be affected.Especially strawberries.

Not in practice not doesn't. Iv had strawberries well into the 160s with no issue. If your nutrients , light, and co2 and all dialed in it will take it no problem.

Probably be a good idea to post up some pics of the plants if you're still having troubles. Might be able to tell you more about what's going on based on some pics .

Are you talking about Chlorides?