Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi can anyone help me I am new to aquaponics I set up a pond and 2 growing beds everything was going great for the first couple of weeks until i got an amazing amount of algae I dropped about 2 thirds of my water and the pond cleared for a couple of days then back came the algae with a elegance I ended up buying some algae killer that was supposed to be safe for fish and plants it cleared my pond but after a week my plants started to die i rang backyard aquaponics told them what i had done they informed me that the product is just watered down round up
I have dropped the water three times in one month the fish are fine but every time i put plants in the grow beds they last about 4 to 5 days then start to die dose anyone have any suggestions

thanks costa

Are you perhaps flooding too high in the growbeds??? .... are the plants wilting??

More than likely, in addition to the above.... you're system is still cycling... hence the algae... and may not yet be providing nitrates... try some seasol or maxicrop....

And shade your fish tank... one the fish like a bit of cover... and two it will cut down on the algal bloom... your water will clear as you cycle....

It would be helpful if you could post some pics of your setup... and your test results for pH, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and the water temp....

If you haven't got a test kit... please get one....

Costa,
The probably worst news you're going to hear, is that the algae (Pea Soup) in the tank is a "Normal stage".
Pretty much every system goes through this as the initial "Cycling" process happens and good bacteria is forming.
It will be green for a couple of weeks and then it will clear itself almost overnight.

The stuff you were trying to get rid of, was a sign that every thing was doing just fine!
As Rupert Said, it can be reduced by shade and aeration.

Roundup kills in 9 days but thats when they spray it on the plants. 4 days for roots soaked in it sounds right.

Anyone know how long the stuff will stay in water. We used algae killer before in the pool but the stuff never lasted too long. Maybe lay off the plants for a couple off weeks to see if the rest breaks down.

Costa what was the name of the algae killer so we can determine what was the active constituent of what you have added. When we can know this we should also be able to determine what may still be in the system and any long term effects. An aquaponic system is designed the combine the natural processes and we never use algae killer in any of our systems, we simply do not have the need.

Thanks for your thoughts on my plant problem I will try and be more patient.The product I used was Aquapro Algaway

Active constituent.... diuron....



http://www.apvma.gov.au/chemrev/diuron_FAQ.shtml


Supposedly harmless to fish ... https://my1.bizshop.com.au/thepondshop/ ... cts_id=375

One should always excercise caution when adding anything to a system that is designed to grow edible fish and plants.
The product used is designed for the use in ornamental ponds - not Aquaponic systems.

Warning

costa - put some detailed pics up - makes it much easier to see whats happening, give us some details of the system too. It will be something pretty simple, sounds like not enough water.

Flooding too high wont usually kill the plants within a week. Even 6 months does'nt hurt too much