Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Slightly off topic for fly fishing enthusiasts:

http://index.hu/belfold/2011/05/29/oriasi_harcsa/

- 170cm (~40kg) welsh catfish caught with fly fishing!

browsing through I love the greenhouse and good looking system. I would say you should not use the well water in the system. My tap water is from a combination of rainwater and borewater and has a high PH (8) I was using this in my system in the early days and could not get the PH down no matter what I did. I then did a water change with my tank/rainwater which was PH 6, my system now runs at around 6.5 which is perfect.

Sunday afternoon:

ph: 7,5
am: 0,01
no2: 5
no3: 100+

Monday morning:
ph: 7,5
am: 0+ (still have some)
no2: 5
no3: 100+

Well water vs. rain water
BNDYBEAR @ PH is dow to 7,5 and I added no more accid. Normaly it should fall it self. We had some rain so I have collected some rain water again, I will reserve some for the next topup. As the well water is clean, and has some of desolved iron too, by using that I could buffer the falling ph and add iron to the system. I'll try both to see what happens.

Iron
My parenst said, in their childhood when they needed iron they had no pills but took an apple, sticked some old nails in it, let it wait a day, and ate the rusty apple. I also dug a piace of old rusti iron in one of my growbeds to support iron needs for the system. Anyobody ha some experiance with that? Currently I dont have iron deficiency thats for sure.

Flowering and no fruit
The first two flowers of the paprika has already fallen a few days ago, and the fruit doesnt seem to grow, while the dirt garden control plants growing their fruits. So what is the problem?

1. We had a late and rather big frost this year, that might have affected the bees. We realized thet they are fewer, when the sour cherry flovered. The regular buzzing sound was missing. It turned out that the half of the flowers havent been frustified. I havent seen bees around in the greenhouse, though the window and the door is open most of the time. (I have found dead bugs, in the water.) Could it be the absence of the bees?

2. My relatively higher PH in the since the startup could result limited nutrient uptake. The flowers had been pollened, but the inadequate nutrient makes the plant to throw the fruit. Could it be the result of high PH?

G'day zsazsa.....now that's one helluva a catfish.....are they ok to eat at that size or do you let him go ?

Your paprika [chilli family] doesn't need bees to pollinate, its like tomatoes and self pollinating.
Ideal conditions for chilli flower fertilzation is humid warm weather....which is a bit strange cos you would think the outside ones would be affected rather than the greenhouse.......

I am not sure, but I dont think it is a good idea to have some old rusty iron in your system. From memory I think it is bad for the fish.

Can someone with more knowledge than I please comment on this?

Some readings:







- They are ok to eat but they usualy released back.



- You are right, I got to talk with some experts. They said the same, bees are not to blame. It could still be caused by the PH or its just complitely a normal. I'm planing to do the hardest thing, sit and wait to see what happens



- Hmm, need more info, I'll check on my fish supplier. Anybody to confirm arbe's thoughts?

Haven't got more knowledge but OBO had rusty iron in his system at his old house and it didn't appear to affect anything

Iron shipwrecks dont harm the fish in sweet or salty water, in fact they love to live tham...

I remember reading mixed things about rusty metal in systems, I have some rusty nails and a rusty saw sitting around my system but not in it.

Your PH WILL be locking out iron, I think the only way to add iron to a system in a form that is easily absorbed by plants is Chelated Iron. Definately use the rain water to top up and adjust PH, it will eventually look after itself. But shell grit would be a good addition for a buffer if you don't have it in already.

I have brought the PH down to 7 by adding 1dl of HCl.

Amm level had finally hit the bottom. Its now absolutely zero.

I have some white flys, and the paprikas has some problem, their top leafes look like old skin, not healthy, it could be most likely Tobacco mosaic virus. I'll make photoes about it.

Only just saw this - great looking fish zsazsa !!

Its not my catch

I would of just claimed it

Hey Peter,

i think the dying growing tips are quite mostly the signs of chloride toxicity, comming from your excessive adding of HCl



In addition to that it can also mean that you'r in lack of phosphorus(dying flowers). I'd add some algea extract to your system and stop using HCl and wait until the pH stabilizes itself. I still think it's safer to use phosphorus acid (but in smaller quantities, 3-20 ppm per week). I had problems with fluctuating pH from the start too, but once the system is cycled and fish give u a steady source of nitrates, the nitrates themselves lower the pH. Rain water also helps to lower the pH and carbonate hardness (KH) of water.

Patience is a virtue, specially in aquaponics

Agree that you should really stop trying to lower PH with Hcl acid. I persisted with it for a while but my tap/bore water just kept bounceing back again. It wasn't untill I started using the rain water and my system properly cycled that my PH stablised.