great idea abdul, but some of the points you mentioned may not strictly be true.
abdul wrote: Its better to cycle the system fishless for at least a week, even two if you can be patient. This not only helps establish the system and save fish lives but also provides a great opportunity to test your system.
Cycling is the process of turning ammonia to nitrite to nitrate. Length of time for the cycling is dependant on several factors, including weather, gowbed size, water volume, flood frequency...etc. A system also does not get "cycled". A system is able to convert the ammonia load to nitrite and then nitrate for the current bioload. So the length of time isnt a golden rule.
abdul wrote: Add hummonia (pee), about 100 mL every other day, or a teaspoon of clear ammonia every other day to get the cycle started. (depends on system size I suppose, someone else point out the volume ratio?)
Adding ammonia or hummonia will allow fishless cycling. Water needs to be tested to ensure the Ammonia is converted to nitrite then to nitrate. if the ammonia additions remain the same and the water tests indicate no ammonia and no nitrite with alot of nitrate, then the system is cycled for that bioload.
abdul wrote: Getting water or filter slime from an established aquarium can kick start the process.
This would help the initial bacterial seeding.
abdul wrote: Add a table spoon of sea salt once a week
Adding salt is generally to aid in fish health. People here either say dont add salt or add salt to 1ppt, 2ppt, 3ppt...etc. For an initial system, not adding salt would be better as it is 1 metric to cloud the water.
abdul wrote: Regularly test water, when ammonia levels start to fall and nitrites spike stop adding ammonia/pee
If you had 100 fish in your system, dependant on how much you feed, there will always be a ammonia load to the system. If you stop the ammonia load, the bacteria that converts ammonia to nitrite will starve. In turn this will starve the bacteria that converts nitrite to nitrate, as you have no ammonia to feed the first lot of bacteria to produce nitrite and feed the second lot of bacteria. I would say to maintain the ammonia adding as long as the bacteria is working the nitrogen cycle properly.
abdul wrote: Feed fish very frugally during first month, test water regularly, only increase feed once ammonia and nitrite have dropped to 0.
Not sure about this. It is wise to not feed the fish initially so that the bacteria in the growbeds have a chance to catchup to the increase in bioload. Testing the water to ensure that ammmonia and nitrite are 0 is a good indicator. I would say no feeding in the first few days then feed as much as the fish will eat afterwards.
abdul wrote: Add fish slowly, two a week is a good slow increase for smaller systems, plants can be put in during initial cycling
Start growing plants as soon as you start pumping. Fish/Fishless cycle to an appropriate load and then add the fish. It would most likely be cost ineffective to stock fish slowly, depending on size of system.
abdul wrote: Protect the water religiously from sunlight so as to avoid algae.
Sunlight = algae so a cover for the FT and ST is wise. Also do not flood the growbeds above the media.
abdul wrote: Aerate, aerate and aerate.
A O2 pump is inexpensive. No reason why not.
Will be putting my system together this weekend. Planning to:
1. Cycle with goldfish (about 50 for my 8000litres - 4 ST and 1 FT)
2. Start planting
3. Add Seasol for plants weekly
4. Test water weekly
I am hoping to get the system running smoothely by spring for some yabbies, silvers and tandanus.
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not even beer o'clock
I wish it was though