Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

here is the video update of both of my systems
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkOkX1LJYEQ

got a bowfin in the tank now and added 200g of sea-90 this morning also

wow, so what a difference in the water test today.....the only thing i did different from 2 days ago was add 10 gallons of tap water (that has aired out) and add the worms and the bowfin last night, i noticed brown algae yesterday which means i am in the ball park for living things, but i didn't expect to get these good results so fast .....has anyone else experienced these sudden changes? if not, it must have to do with the method i used....i hope this method worked.....its seems to have so far at least. you guys be the judge.

my fish are still alive (all 3) i found the other 2

COMMENTS ON THE METHOD.....PLEASE!!!!

well, i guess none wants to talk to me anymore....

what are your readings now? the first set looks like nothing has processed, or everything is.. ammo looks to be maybe .25 at the most, and 0 rites and rates.. so it's still not cycled
patience grasshopper

the first test i did, i messed up and didnt wait 5 min , the second test you see where all my readings are off the charts were due to the plant nutes that i put in the system to kick start it (which worked great!!) and the last test shows that it is cycled and working, i tested it yesterday and got .5-0-0 so everything is looking really good....i'll post some pics of whats growing.

i have 4 fish now and am adding some more this week (3 brim and 1 bowfin) everything looks great to me

oh and i deleted my youtube account and my facebook account

well as far as i can tell, i have not had any "failure"
it only took me about an hour to wash my pea gravel til the water ran clear
i planted my plants and and they are doing very well
i havent killed any fish

so feel free to use my method and you too will have a fully operational system up and running in just 2 weeks (with minimal effort and without killing plants OR fish)

feel free to use this path because it works

it's working so far, but it's still not cycled up yet.. give it a couple more weeks... if you get an ammo spike or nitrite spike and are feeding normally, you wills stress the fish, this is when they become more prone to illness/disease

i don't agree because i am not following traditional methods, i think i am cycled, and if i have a spike in the future i will dilute the water to lower the levels so they aren't toxic.

http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/P ... icleid=561


How long does the cycle take?
Typically, new aquariums can be cycled in 2 to 6 weeks, but the actual length of time depends on many factors:

The amount of ammonia being produced during the cycling period
The efficiency of the biological filtration
Whether live rock or live plants are used in this process
Whether you boost bacteria colonies with additives and bio media

Use a quality test kit to test your water conditions every other day, and when both ammonia and nitrite levels return to zero, you'll know the cycle is established.


i also boosted the bio by adding pond water

keep in mind my bio filter started on day 1.....most people let it happen over time, i dont think i should have to wait