Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

You know, I think the growbed ratio makes an exponential difference!

I saw a blog in which they had trouble with a small growbed and things greatly and unexpectedly became MUCH better with more growbeds.
Most of my problems I think is the low growbed volume.

I have made a light mathematical analysis (simple)*. But for another day. I can show there is exponential effect on increasing growbed volume.

I mean, if you have only half the growbed volume, you don't have half the filtration rate capacity, you have exponentially much less.

*ONLY for flood and drain not continuous. Continuous is hard to analyse.

So what I have done is reduced the spray into the tiger barb tank(see picture in the first post)

Then, the circulation now happens mainly in the 30l goldfish tub.
Now the ratio is closer to 15 litre GB to 30 litre fish tank.

We'll see if things improve.

Of course the ideal solution is to arrange more growbeds, which I will surely do (when I have time, later).


PS: I am not multiple-posting to get a large 'posts' count in my avatar panel. (Though it is a nice side effect ) I am doing this to make things easier for you to read. I find reading long posts strainful.

Ok UPDATE:
The mint seems to be picking up. Or it is an illusion. Will have to wait for 2 more days to confirm this.
Under low nitrates, the mint will be the first to come out of a stall as it is an easy growing plant. Tomato will be next I guess, it can also grow with low nitrates.

Everything on the growbed looks dark green and healthy, except that the plants have stalled.

I have been feeding quite well. (15g a day I think).
Lets see if the nitrates increase.

The water smells more nice and sweet today. Remember I reduced the spray rate in the tiger barb tank. (I also increased pump timer's rate to once every 20 mins or so which I didn't tell you before.)

Here are some systems that are a little similar to my system:
easyihzy's experimental systemShallow, small growbed, 2 feet aquarium
timmy's system5 goldfish, 200l FT, 100l GB, nice tomato and strawberry
I think there was one of live beyond's system, with 10 goldfish, that I can't find.

And I add this (I can't edit the above post! why? no edit button.)
[url=http://backyardaquaponics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=1790&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a:*frack*]username_taken's system[/url:*frack*]

It says at the bottom
"You can post new topics in this forum
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The above link should be:
username_taken's system

The whole page has only my posts! I'm scared.
Please mods spare me, I am not a spammer.

But I have another update, just checked up.
The goldfish are again swimming near the surface, breathing from the air not water. And hanging out near the water spray.

Remember there was another such incident previous to this?
After I added the 4 more goldfish and fed well, the first one hopefully must have been an ammonia spike, the second one now hopefully a nitrite spike.

I hope it settles down fast.

(The things you have to guess when you don't have a test kit!)

To every dark cloud there is a silve lining. The end of a first ammonia spike means I have enough nitrosomonas bacteria.
Now if this (assumedly nitrite) spike ends, nitrobacter wil build up I will begin to get nitrates.

Then the stalled plants will start bursting!

(Also note that the nitrobacter will not do their job under an ammonia spike. This means nitrite will build up until the first bacteria have multiplied enough. Then after both grow, finally ... nitrates yay!)

Do they have enough air? Maybe give them some more until after the spike...

The spike is reduced now, it may be on its way out.

Yes, it is confirmed. The mint IS growing . (Though not explosively, it has just come out of its stall.)
The other plants are still appear in their stalled state.

So, the nitrates are on the way up! (This happens as the nitrite spike goes down.)

Will have to wait for one or two more days. The nitrobacter are much more slow growing than the nitrosomonas.

Luckily Bangalore's weather (here) is usually always perfect . The bacteria will grow well.

I am still continuing the feeding.

The goldfish have an apetite now, as they are pecking off the walls for algae and broken food particles.
The water clarity appears much improved but there is no way of knowing whether it is merely my illusion.

Oh dear.

It (the plants' growth) seems stalled again and I don't know what to do.

patience

Went back through the pages to see if you had a test kit - still havnt? I would say just be patient It will happen eventually, you have the basics right.

Yep patience Gokul..... even Rome wasn't built in a day....

Oh thanks! You made me smile even though you didn't make the plants grow! Thats really talented of you! (all of you)

Ok patience then... thanks for the encouragement that gave me another kick to keep going.


Feed update:
By the way, I ran out of the feed (moriga + wheat) today. (I usually prepare in very small batches so I can try different things and also get a balanced diet for the fishies. The batch lasted for a week or two.

I don't like the starchyness of the feed - wheat. I think it has mainly carbon (and not much nitrogen. Ammonia is nitrogen and hydrogen.). Now I am going to try a more 'protein-y' feed.(= more ntrogen = more ammonia = more nitrates). Vegetarian source though. I am going to add some cooked pulses or lentils - whatever - (we use them commonly in India and they are cheap and have proteins), plus moringa.
(yes Chappo, I know moringa has protein, but I want more variety in the diet . I cannot for instance, bring myself to grow only on moringa, though we have a tree.(maybe I could?...). Similarly the fish may also need a similar variety in diet.)

So I did grow four small leaves of mint in a day though, in the short time after the previous stall and before the current one.