Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

lol, that reminds me, I forgot to check the top of the waterfall for eggs!

Well! I dunno what the hell's going on pH has gone back up to 8.4! I give up

I'm not ready to put it down to the addition of the shell grit just yet, it's meant to buffer low pH, but not THAT much! I might take it out and see what happens tomorrow.

Other levels are doing what they should, but it looks like it's time for more fish! If the nitrite tomorrow is zero and the nitrate starts to drop, it'll definitely be time for a bit of golf

The shell grit is probably doing just what it's supposed to Kenour....

When the fish start doing their thing... producing ammonia.. and the fish poo and uneaten feed start to decay.... then the system will tend toward acidicy..... and the shells will buffer accordingly

I'd be tempted to take them out for the moment though..... that pH plus warm water temps wouldn't give you much leeway in terms of TAN (ammonia) when you put some fish in.

The green water you have could be a cause of pH swings too.
Depends on the time of when you do tests too,
morning low pH, midday around 7.5 and evening around 8.5. If it is, then it is the algae that do the pH swings by consuming O2 and producing CO2 at night (low pH because CO2),
midday is around neutral because the algae has been using CO² t produce O² that will increase pH,
evening very high DO due to photosynthesis and then high pH.

Just an idea, needs checking out. Or covering totally the water from light and letting the green algae die and get the water clear and more stable.

Good points Amaca ...

I do the testing between 3.15pm and 3.30pm everyday (as soon as I get home form work), try to keep it consistent so the daily pH swing wouldn't be an issue

I just though that it was weird to have a huge drop, then back to 8.4! I tested it 3 times when it happened just to make sure it was really 7.2

I think I'll leave things for as they are until the end of testing, fish seem happy enough

So yeah, hopefully new fish and seedlings go in this weekend

Cool and more plants will suck the nutes out of the water before the algae gets to it.
Take pics of the perch, because i'll give them a try sometime if i get to get a system going.
Have fun fishing!! Did you get a black suit and mud on you face to go fishing.

I never leave home without them

Right! pH dropping, ammonia zero, nitrite zero, and nitrate steady at 20. Hope to go 'fishing' sometime this weekend, need more fish poops!

I'll take the first photo of the seedlings in tomorrow, then I'll to a timelapse over the next 2 months. I should set up a fixed camera, or mark tripod points... hmm... yeah why not

You're gonna be the next AP spielberg if you start like that.
You'll see the plants grow if you read the pics one after the other.
Cool when will it be released...

Well, I just made my job a little harder and just covered all the growbeds in bird netting... thought it best to keep my ducks and wild birds away from the seedlings for the time being! I'll let them establish then whip it off (and just leave the waist high barriers as ducks LOOOOOOVE lettuce!).

I'm planning on building a green house over the growbeds (maybe just the 2 that will have the toms) to protect them all year round, I might do a 50/50, 2 beds under a green house, other 2 under bird netting. Finding it hard to find an 8m x 3m (approx) greenhouse kit that doesn't force me to sell a kidney (or on of my labs to KP )! They all seem to elaborate with glass and junk! I really want a simple kit similar to what the pro's use, no bells and whistles, I'm all for functionality over aesthetics and *sigh* factor Time to make a post in the hardware section me thinks!

Check the download part for a PVC greenhouse, and I suppose that you could replace some long straight pieces by bamboo, makes it even cheaper. Just have to buy plastic sheating and PVC pipings.
Check it out, it's pretty well done.
And you could keep small entrances in the bird nets for the insectivor birds, would clean the plants out a bit.

been in forum radio silence for the past week.

GOOD STUFF Kenny, you've taken the right approach in every descision you've made. whack in another SINGLE dose of urea and see how long it take for the ammonia and nitrite to be completely processed.

Welcome back! Behind enemy lines again aye?

I'm hoping to add more fish today sometime, I don't know if they'll be as tolerant to dosing as the goldies are Don't wanna kill all my new fishies



I did see that! Pretty good idea I kinda want to make/buy something I don't have to crouch down in, so something with straight walls at least 1.8m high This is a GH my mate made, he got himself a pipe bender and got some lengths of 25mm gal delivered and did the rest.

Right! Nitrate definitely dropping, need more fishies me thinks! It's still closer to 20 than 10 on the test, but slightly lighter than it was yesterday!

I just finished putting my seedlings in today, so they'll be hungry for the nitrate, new plants plus dropping nitrate... not a good combo

If you don't hear from me again... my fish collecting mission didn't go to plan