Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Would I be better off to drain entire system, clean out the algae, and start all over again??

if you have the water to spare?
maybe also shade over the fish tank, and light shadecloth over the growbeds to keep the water temp down

hang on

you don't have any fish or anything in there? are you expecting more fish soon? if not, just keep running the pumps and the bacteria will get it done eventually

System is entirely covered with shade cloth. Its too hot here to have it running without it. Would it be of any benefit to stick in some anti-ammo chemicals or live bacteria......? Should I keep running the pump flat out 24/7?

The water in the sumps (bathtubs) looks pretty good to me... definitely not a lot of algae, or algael bloom...

Just in the fish tank???? .... where are you taking the test sample from ... and what was in the IBC before you used it???

The test water is taken from the grow beds. The IBC had citrus based envro friendly degreaser in it b4, but was thoroughly cleaned out for use. There is algae in the fish tank (throughout) and on the PVC pipe placed in the sump(tubs) for yabbies. There is definiately no deceased fish/yabs about and the nitrite test was done twice just to double check colour. I was told to chuck in some salt and some seasol for the plants - hence the colour of the water in the sumps.
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Yep, but the water in the sump has that golden sheen of a cycled system.... and a light algael growth on the side of the fiah tank... and PVC pipes in the sumps would be normal biofilm...

What colour is the water in the fish tank???.... clear, but amber???, or pea green??

And when you say the sample is taken from the growbeds... do you mean you are sampling the water from the fish tank as it enters the growbeds??

Interesting.

With that ph and ammonia, you should have a lot more algae in the sump, even at 30degC or 35degC. Perhaps the spores have not yet gotten into your system, but at least the sides of the tub should feel slimy from bacteria. (You never answered KP on water temps, but I'll assume they are not higher than that.) If nothing is growing I would bet on a high level of problem chemicals; either something from the containers (unlikely, but a water change would help), or lots of chloramine in your water supply in which case you can either give up on AP, eliminate the stuff with chemicals that break it down (ammonia will shoot up), or get water from clean source (bore or rain).

Do you know anyone local with fish? Call them or your local fish store and ask how they need to treat the local water. I've always been on a bore/well, so am not experienced with this issue.

Good luck!

Did you have a cat?

I'd take a sample of tap water and run the identical test. If you get similar results don't use this source again (also don't drink it). Try and rather use rainwater instead. I would definitely also use some form of aeration. Get a couple of cheap goldies as test fish and try and eliminate one variable at a time.

Think the GB is being used as a litter tray?

Are you home today Dave? I can come down and sort this out once and for all.

I can bring 500 litres of water from my system.

From a water corp report:

"Chloramination is used in the Goldfields and Agricultural Water Supply Scheme to
maintain a disinfectant residual along the length of the extensive pipe network."

However it would appear that only point of service (from the Kambalda Tank) chlorination is used.

My and Blissy's water supply is the same.

I can bring an air pump as well.

I second the suspect as being the water treatment. Chloramine is tough stuff to deal with. (Basically Chlorine and ammonia combined It is much longer lasting than chlorine alone and therefore needs an appropriate water conditioner or water ager before you use the water in fish tanks. If this is big in your tap water, you probably have to use filtered or bottled water when making bread as chloramine can kill off the yeast.)

This could explain the high ammonia reading. It could explain the fish deaths. It could explain the prolonged Ammonia spike with no apparent bacterial growth and it can explain the minimal algae bloom (normally that much ammonia in water would mean pea soup by now.)

Sort out your source water first. What sort of treatment it has, if you should condition it or perhaps you can find a better source of water for your AP system.
Next, do a water change and re-start populating your bacteria. Perhaps from a fellow APer, a friend's aquarium filter squeezings, some worm castings, compost, or just let it happen naturally.
Test the water again and if little/no ammonia, add some (either urea, pure ammonia if you can find it, or humonia.)
Finish your cycling without fish.
Then add fish. Or if you can't stand the idea of fishless cycling you could get some sacrificial goldfish but I suspect you have had enough of killing critters already.

As to the odd color of the nitrite test. I have experienced this on occasion if my water has a really strong tint of tannin the nitrite reading is hard to cope with since it is a completely wrong color. I have also witnessed the nitrite being hard to read when it is really really high.

Interesting problems what is happening lattely?