Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Has any one else tryed pine chips?
I have found them cheap, light and well draining, but they pink up the water and the fish dont like it.
I have moved the fish and im washing the pine, has any one else tryed them?

wouldn't pine chips eventually decompose and need replacing or swell and restrict water flow?

possibly, but im more concerned with the health issues connected with growing food in them.
The fish survived and I placed them in another tank, but ive been flushing for 3 days and the water is still pink.

I thought I wpould be smart and used a red striped towel to filter the water when I first did the gravel - result pink water.

A few water changes will get rid of that but the heart rate accelerated for a time there

Yeah but did your fish all turn onto their backs?

Ive only found one web site that suggests a few fish types dont like cypress water, and none suggest that chips are poisonous, but its some thing to keep in mind.

tickle their underbellies - fortunately it was only a bit of dye, it was an old towel too, been in the shed for ages and didn't think it would cause any hassles at the time (just didn't think more like it)

ah sorry - just hit me that your fish suffered

Thats cool,
Yes the water got redder and the fish (silver perch) got stressed,
I cant usally catch these guys without a net, but i had to find the last 2 on the bottom of the tank and rescue them by hand.

That could have been tannin... I would not use wood chip or bark due to tannin (mostly in the bark) and because it will swing your ph (down if I remember correctly)

ok, but its harmless right? (to people i mean) and it will wash out, just like it washes out of tea?

to people I would say harmless, but not so sure about fish...

Am's got a point, i don't suppose you meausured your PH when your water changed colour?

Might just have been a severe downward pH swing that did the fish in

well they didnt die, thats the strange thing.
Its as if theyt had been anethatised, as soon as I put them in clean water, they all recovered.
Im washing the chips in clean water until the colour goes, but i woundered if its safe to eat tomartoes that had been grown in this "Tannin"?

would be interesting to see if the water colour changes if I add an alcali to the water.