Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Well, that's odd! On the 28th I had:

29th April (measured using solutions)
Ammonia: 2 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 7.5 ppm
pH (high): 8.3

Where the Ammonia had come down from 6 ppm on the 25th April, so I measured it yesterday, thinking that the same bacteria would have been munching away and got:

1st May (measured using solutions)
Ammonia: 2 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 15 ppm
pH: 7.6+
pH (High): 8.2
GH: 220+ ppm (new test, very high/hard)
KH: 220+ ppm (new test, very high/hard)

Using the strips I see:

1st May (using strips)
NO3-: 20 mg/l
NO2-: 0 mg/l
GH: 8 d
KH: 7.6 d
pH: 7.4
Cl2: 0.8 mg/l

I'm not sure how mg/l compare to ppm. My assumption is that because the temperature has dropped quite a bit, the bacteria are not very active (temperature was around 18-20C I would guess, and the last few days have been around 10C). Although, having said that, the Nitrates have still gone up (not sure where the ammonia to get that has come from though if ammonia levels are apparently the same?!). If temperature affects the bacteria converting, then I think I will definitely need to look into a cloche that I can heat over the winter in the UK, not just for the plants, but also the bacteria to continue to filter for the fish.

"Maxicrop - Between .25 and .5 Oz per each 10 gallons for first dose then 1 Oz per 200 gallons every two weeks. Reduce or stop additions if deficiency symptoms go away."

So for my 700-800 litres (which is about 200 US gallons) I have added 2oz (55ml or just over 3.5 tablespoons) of Maxicrop.

Hey Ben, that is a pretty intense green for your ammonia test - you sure its only 2 ppm? BTW, ppm is the same as mg/l. Its a good sign that your nitrate is going up. Just hold off on any CC or ammonia additions until the ammonia drops right down.

Mmm ... so with the arrival of our daughter over the past week has put this on the back burning for a while. However, I was surprised to see that ammonia was still at around 2ppm when I checked yesterday ... Any ideas why? When the ammonia went down significantly before the weather was pretty warm, I am wondering if the bacteria have gone a little dormant recently when the temps went down? Is this known behaviour? The temperature has picked up yesterday and today so hoping it will get the bacteria more active again if that is the reason ... but did get me thinking about what people do with their outdoor aquaponics systems over the winter ...

Related to that, my neighbour also gave me 2 cloches, so I've made these into a cover for the winter (thinking ahead!), which is actually on a hinge for the summer so won't get too hot. I was thinking I could possibly install LED lighting for the winter and keep temps up a little to ensure that the ammonia is being consumed over the winter. I would be interested to know about people running these systems over the winter (e.g. in UK or similar) ...