Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

yea that salad looks amazing

I'm so sorry you are going through this frustrating period of waiting and worrying. That salad looks very tasty.

Sam, it was! I like going to Panera and checking out all their salads. Gives me good ideas on different ways to use greens.
The strawberries and almonds really made it tasty. The Malabar spinach is crazy once it gets going. I'm thinking about trying it in the dirt on a few fences I have. It grows as fast as most of the vines I use in landscaping. Edible landscaping...maybe I can charge more??

Boss, thanks. yeah, very frustrating. After another large water change, nitrites are back down. Try a light feeding this AM. KH is around 125, and PH is hovering around 8. I can't add anymore bicarb unless the PH starts to drop. PH on both sides of MBBR is the same...not a good sign. Added a 12" airstone to the shadecloth filter. It can't hurt??

Wait some more.

Big koi still very shy and not eating from the top. Small ones are rising. Put tops on both koi tanks. A little late for the 2 fish from yesterday.

Coach, as much as I think changing things up at this point is a bad idea.. I am very curious to find out what will happen after the addition of air in the shade cloth filter. My guess is a drop in nitrites.. Keeping my fingers crossed. [FISTED HAND SIGN]

I would expect that with the addition of either aerobic or anaerobic filtration. One way they'd likely go to nitrogen gas and the other way they should go to nitrates.

Last night, nitrites were up to about .5 after the light feeding in AM. PH is up around 8.0 and the same on both sides of MBBR? Not good.

If pH goes up without adding any bicarb or hydroxide means you have denitrification happening somewhere. If you turned on the air in the net tank my guess is that's where it's happening. Aeration will offgas CO2. This will raise the pH. What are your nitrite levels this morning?

The shade cloth was just cleaned Sunday, and I haven't fed more then 1 lb since then, AND I did a 1000 gallon water change.

The air in the shade cloth tank was just on yesterday and the nitrites soared?? Up to 5 maybe? very high...higher then I've seen since adding the K1. I'm pretty much clueless at this point. PH is around 8.1. KH is about where it should be 125-150. Zero ammonia.

No feed, major water change, bang head against wall.

What about your Radial flow settler, when was it cleaned?

Have you resumed the normal flow rate through the shade cloth tank or are you still trying to slow it down?

I know you hate to do any Excel sheets but truly a drawing on your system along with some numbers on tank sizes and flows would be helpful to everyone trying to advice you.. Sometimes seeing things on paper makes my light bulb turn on when I am looking at my own build.

Coach,
got a few other ideas from an aquaculture friend.

Seeing your video of the MBBR on youtube. He recommended possibly lowering the rate at which your MB3 media is boiling at (lower it by possibly distributing air between some more air stones) this could also help overcome any dead spots by placing airstones in the corners of the MBBR IBC. Boiling of the media too hard will possibly knock off bacteria that is trying to establish itself on the MB3 media.

He also suggested looping back flow from your sump back into your mbbr. So from the outlet of your pump loop some of the flow back into the MBBR to increase hydraulic retention time..

Things to think about.

Swede, I'll do both. Thanks

Chris, have you ever had a water analysis done on your source water?

I know you know this, but do it at your own risk. Perhaps make one change at the time to see if it helps or makes it worse

Sam, yes, the well water is excellant. No nitrates, ammonia, iron, not too hard.

Swede- I have to do 1 at a time. It's going to take a bit of work to add a "T" in and route water to the mbbr. Didn't have time today.

Coach... Hold your horses. I have had a very in depth conversation about these ideas I suggested and they won't work in your case I don't think.. Paul Van Der Werf has some other suggestions for you.