Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

After a little research this would happen fairly quickly if the wood isnt treated in some way.
Basswood would work better but would still need to be coated with a non-toxic water proof epoxy or paint

That's good to know and that clarifies some of my questions. Thanks guys. Had a rough night last night with sever storms and lots of hail. I think the plants came through ok, but they are under even more water as the pond is brimming. What should I look for as signs that the plants are too deep in water, yellow leaves, wilting?

The seedlings that are completely submerged continue to grow and will be above water soon. That looks promising.

Brad

Got a water test kit today and took the first readings:

pH: 8.0
Ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 0

So I figured we needed more fish. We bought another 7 dozen little feeders, this time Rosy Reds (something like Goldfish). Hopefully the nitrates will start showing up now. There should be around 100-110 inch long (25 mm) fish.

Not sure if that pH level is something to be concerned about yet or not.

Brad

It would be easier on most of your plants if only the bottom of the plant baskets were in the water. Or at least have the top surface of the gravel stay dry. Usually in DWC (deep water culture) there are a least a couple inches of air between the top of the water and the point where the plant is above the media in the net pot or whatever suspension device you use. Most plants have "air roots" or their top feeder roots that get O2 from the very top layer of soil.

I don't know how easy it would be to block up your rebar support frame to get the plants a little higher out of the water. Of course that would mean there isn't as much gravel in the water to do bio-filtering but remember that the bacteria only work with plenty of 02 also.

Signs that the plants don't like wet feet are likely to be droopy looking plants. Soft pail looking plants. If they reach the stage of brown and mushy, it may be too late.

New here also Brad, I saw this thread...and thought about this idea.

I had a floating "hosta" in our small 50 gallon pond using 3 "foam rings". snap tied together on top of each other. I found a bunch of foam shapes at a craft store last year and that might be an idea maybe?

Store called "Michaels" (I believe that is the proper name).

Thanks TC and Sam. I did raise the rebar support today to get the plants out of the water a little more. I think it will help. I may still need to raise it more but we will see how this works. I think our main issue now is getting some nitrates in the water. Hopefully the new fish will help with that.

Brad

I have no fish yet this year only decayed leaves laying in pond from last year and algae on water fall and sides of pond. Birds crap in it I am sure but who knows if that is nutritional for plants. This year for expirimenting I have 1 tomato plant and 1 lettuce both doing great so far. Getting some gold fish soon for this small pond just to make sure.

All this is interesting

By the way the plants in my pond are in water but I have the base filled with some "small lava rocks" so roots are half and half in and out of the water you might say. The lava rock is not real heavy and washed and tumbled small 1/4 - 1/2" pieces with and old rock tumbler for 1 week before using them. That takes the sharp edges off and smooths the lava rocks out a bit, not super smooth but good enough.

I am having a bit of trouble getting the system cycled, but I know it takes time. My first tests showed the pH at 8.0 with zero ammonia, zero nitrites, and zero nitrates. A few days later my pH had gone up to 8.2 and I was showing .25 ammonia. The pH has now gone back down to 8.0, and the ammonia has stayed at .25, though there are still no nirites or nitrates. I have done some calculations that show my pond may be between 300 gallons (1135 liters) and 500 gallons (1892 liters). I have had 3 fish die so there should still be 100-125 rosy reds and small goldfish. My plants are yellowing quite a bit and my research suggests that this higher pH is causing problems for the plants in absorbing iron. Iron chelate supplements seem to be the answer.

Should I be concerned about the pH enough to try to lower it? I have read that the pH will likely come back down on it's own when the bacteria start kicking in.

Should I be concerned about the ammonia level? I know it's pretty low but it has been steady at this level for over a week now. I assume the level is high enough to trigger growth of the bacteria.

Any recommendations on producats here in the US to get iron to the plants? Some sort of spray is recommended I think.

Thanks,

Brad

M- The ph is what is causing your problems, high ph reduces bacteria growth, they will probably eventually start to colonise, but would take ages. That ammonia level is good for cycling, just drop your ph down slowly over a couple of days (maybe .1 per day). Once you get down to 7.5 or so - 'Boom" off it goes

Foliar spray is all that will work for your plants with the ph that high.

Thanks Outback. I was suspecting that but it's good to have confirmation. I sprayed the plants with some iron last night and added some pH Down. I will test again tonight. I have some pics but left the camera at home. I will try to get those up as well.

Brad

outback and manic,

PH 8.0 is not high enough to fret over in your circumstances. nitrobacter likes 7.8 best, but regardless, 8.0 is fine (as long as you dont let your ammonia spike very high)

Also, the plants are more likely yellowing at this stage becasue of lack of nitrate.

when problem solving i have found that changing ONE thing at a time works best.

get the system cycled.

ONLY once you have zero ammonia, zero nitrite and measurable nitrates should you start 'playing around' with the other parameters and looking for deficiencies that may or may not be there.

the first few months requires a great deal of patience

Looked back at the previous page and saw the photo, Steve is right. While it is alright to start some seed in a system that has not started cycling, putting in a developed plant is not going to be easy to sustain as it would not have sufficient N available to sustain the growth pattern it is accustomed to. Those were some fairly well developed plants to start with. Give Patience some time and she will heal slowly. You may lose some plants with the combined no nitrate high Ph. Along with the fact that our overnight temps here are still rather anti-bacterial growth help. They multiply much better in warmer weather. Ah to live in balmy Australia

balmy oz? it was 5C last night

Sorry steve, i thought the bacteria thrived at a bit lower ph, apologies.

Ground temp at boddington this morning @ 6:30 was -1 deg c. Slightly cool

At least it wasnt raining for once.

LOL I knew I could get a quick report on the weather there with my statement