Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

kudos on the steps you've taken to rectify

Before going down the expensive route of hiring a bloke, a cheaper alternative, and cause I figure you're a hard data numbers kinda guy - consider perhaps investing in a few extra test kits which would help I believe narrowing your troubles down?

I'm sure there would be cheaper sources, but for example:

RED SEA Aquarium Potassium Pro Test Kit K
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/like/2514560 ... =1&lpid=94

Salifert Magnesium Mg Profi Test 50 Tests for Marine reef coral aquarium
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/like/3606539 ... =1&lpid=94

No I'll be hiring a guy and spending all the money on putting the lab together.

As in a proper hydroponics testing lab where all the above tests and more could be done?

Man.. you are indeed getting serious about this

How big is your growing area?

Need more fish + fish food --> increases nitrogen and other nutes your darling tomatoes crave

Yep but hopefully not by me.

That is the odd thing. Nitrates are about 40.

I think I do need more fish and more everything but at the moment what has been coming through is still bound in solid form.

I think the biggest problem is not enough fish and asking too many fruiting plants to produce at the same time.

Nitrates are not the only thing more fish/food would provide. Your nitrates might actually be high because the plants are not absorbing nutes properly -- which could be caused by a deficiency in a mineral or vitamin.
Sooo I would also add some liquid kelp or seaweed, chelated iron, and bone meal.

I wrote a post on AP nutes a while back...
http://www.farmxchange.org/fish-friendly-fertilizers/

How new is your system? I have found it takes up to a year for systems to really balance out and build the bacteria needed to make all the vital nutrients available for the plants.

Oh gawd, just saw you joined in '07. You're a veteran, you know all this stuff!!

That's sooo funny.

The thing is I actually don't.

On design, engineering and construction (theoretical unfortunately) I do know what I am doing. When it comes to actually growing the plants, not so much.

My backyard system is 6 years old but has been mothballed for about 4 and only got it started again last October.

For the last four years I haven't had it going because I was about to start building a 2000m2 commercial system, next month.

Last May with useful planning permission finally obtained two bulldozers finally on site I got a call from the investor to put a stop to all works.

I'm now attempting to move onto another project with a different team and most certainly a different investor (who apparently was showing signs of being interested again but I wasn't going to put my hand into that mouse trap again.)

In the meantime my BY system is doing ok but the photos above show the issues.