Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

System seems to be cycled. 11 days after first fill up !
Ammonia & nitrite fell to zero two days ago, so yesterday i've dosed again to 1ppm ammonia and today ammonia & nitrite gone again. Nitrates are @ 40ppm.
I've planning to add fishes in a week or so, 40 small (1 inch) Tilapias.
Should i "feed" my bacterias with a little ammonia in the meanwhile or should i leave them alone ?
Thanks,

Should i "feed" my bacterias with a little ammonia in the meanwhile or should i leave them alone ?
Thanks,

Yes,it will continue to build your filter nicely ready for your fish...

I've been yesterday to the hatchery and bought 50 small red Tilapias.
There's small ones and not so small, the size range from 1 to 3 inches...
They seem to enjoy the tank, everyone is fine so far !

I've also added a 75 gal/h air pump.

Hi all !

A quick update. It's been a month since i've added the tiliapias. They are fine & growing !
Plants are quite ok too, but some deficiencies are showing. Will open a topic about that.

Now, on to the pics !

Nice!

WOW that is a nice system. I am looking forward to seeing more

grow beds look fantastic. Did you find information on deficiencies? Check this link out http://trueaquaponics.com/nutrient-deficiency-guides.html

Thanks for the link Boss !
Here's a link to my topics about deficiencies :
http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=26029

Will add iron soon (available locally) and will try Seasol but i'll have to wait for this since i can't find it locally...

Hi all,

It's been a very long time since i've posted news about my system...

It started pretty well, growth was nice six month after starting but then i've began experiencing root and seedlings rot problems...
(see this thread here : http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=27369)

Now, one year and three month after starting, things are going much better.
I've managed to strongly reduce the rot problems by :
- Cooling the water which was very hot in the warm season (remember i'm in a tropical climate). I've added insulation and added extra circulation at night when temps are lower.
- Aerating the water : extra bubbles, and extra water circulation.
- Adding Trichoderma and mycorrhizae to the system. I've seen immediate and impressive effects from this addition !
- Also the air temperature is helping a lot, since we are i nthe cool season now. Water temp has gone from 27/28°C in september to 23/24°C now in january.

See a few pics of the system :






More news later !
Have a nice day.

Great news, and thanks for the update SebZ . Your tropical climate sure looks good to me at the moment. Last night got really cold here and both systems have about an inch of ice on top. One has a stock tank heater set to run at intervals on a timer. The other has part of the system in a greenhouse that's heated to 45 degrees and the rest outside - interestingly the water in the greenhouse is free of ice while the tank outside is completely iced over . I had to work at it to punch a hole in the ice with a piece or rebar.

Keep up the good work

Great system SebZ. Glad you seem to have gotten over the root rot problem.
scotty453, I am having the opposite problem of too much heat. 38C in the day and not dropping below 30C at night. My fish (silver perch) will start to die off at 28, so I've been adding lots of ice and fresh cold water to keep temps under control. So far so good (touch wood), but worried about next month when we could be in the 40's.
Oh to find that Goldie Locks place!

Yeah that's pretty toasty Nhibbo, I'd have to get an ice cold beer to survive in your climate .

Chuckle..chuckle....one or two in the evening have been very welcome. Most of the country is well into 40+ C this week, but fortunately here in Melb, we have only hit the high 30's a few times. Mattress covers stretched over the growbeds with mist sprayers have kept water temperatures pretty much under control (not the prettiest sight, but hey, it works).
Have a hot chocolate (with a dash of rum for me?) to cope in your cold climate.

I suspect problems associated with heat will return in the summer. The weather is indeed beautiful these days, but i know this wont last. Other than the isulation and aeration, are you employing a chiller of some sort?