Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Week 3 report.
Grow beds:
Have further reduced inner stand pipe height and am happy now. Running GB's with ball valves open and they are filling in about 8-10 minutes. Inner stand pipes overflow back to pond for the balance of the 15 minute timer cycle. This flushes more pond water through the GB system which I think is a good thing.
Moderate plant growth after three weeks. Some early morning frosts this week have not helped some smaller plants.



Some root growth encouraging.





Pond / Fish
Much sadness as have to report first death. Now have 105 silvers & 20 goldies.
Pond water now quite dark so goldies hard to see and silvers impossible to see.
Water a sort of tannin colour - may have been a bit heavy handed with the Seasol last week.
pH around 7.4 (without adding any pH down this week)
Ammonia 2+ (a bit of a worry still)
Nitrite 1 (up from 0.5 this time last week)
Nitrate 5+ (no Nitrate reading this time last week).
I am hoping the warm autumn weather (ave day max around 22C / 72F degrees for past week) lasts through this week to help cycling.
Sorry no thermometer yet. Will buy this week as keen to record water temp before shadehouse to note difference.

Overall still happy. Hope to see some reduction in ammonia this week or will do a partial water change. Fish still seem active and are definately feeding.

I think a small water change would be a good idea Andrew, evn 10 % will give a little releif on the ammonia, but watch the ph dopesn't go any higher.

Or if doing a water change will up the pH, then perhaps just reduce or stop feeding while you wait on the ammonia to start dropping.

Very nice looking system!

Wow - what an amazing looking system - I am VERY impressed! One of these days I will be back in my own place and be able to sink a tank in the ground - until then it has to be an above ground tank for me which does not look anywhere near as nice as yours!

I was about to ask what Lysofoss was - then I reminded myself I had google - this is a good descrition of what it is and what it is for...

https://my1.bizshop.com.au/thepondshop/ ... Path=25_45

I think I have just worked out how I can cycle my system without having to pee in the fish tank!

Maybe dont feed for a couple of days and test the ammonia again. Fish wont care too much. Seasol colour will eventually clear up a bit.

Week 4
System is now producing nitrate!
Today's pond water readings include pH 7.4 and this seems pretty steady now. Though I note water returning to the pond from the grow beds is slightly acidic.

Ammonia below 2 - last week's was above 2 and completed a 20% water change during the week and did not feed fish for 2 days. This morning I also tested water returning to the pond from the grow beds and noted the ammonia for this water at below 2.
Nitrite above 1 (last week below 1)
Nitrate 40 (last week around 5)
Water temp 13.8C in mornings and 14.2C in afternoon.

I assume nitrite and nitrate are not toxic for fish and the plants will start to take up more nitrate as they grow and the system cycles. Should start to see some better plant growth now. Best growth so far has been shown by the celery.



I think adding the Lysofos probably/may have helped with the establishment of the bacteria colony but certainly did not hurt the system.

Looking good.
Almost inspired me to start digging a big hole!
Hang on, better finish my existing system first.

nitrite IS toxic to fish, there have been discussion in at least two threads over the last two days on it

Wow, that celery looks good. Steve's right, Nitrite IS a killer, ask me I've lost a quite a few fish. But looking very good though. By the way I am copying your tank design for my 3rd home system.

Week 5
Water reading shows reduced ammonia this week which is a relief -
pH 7.4 (been steady for 4 weeks now)
ammonia 0.25 (improved from 2 last week)
nitrite 1 (will add salt this week)
nitrate 40 (hoping this will start to come down soon)
water temp unchanged 13.8 / 14.2
Was going to add 3kg aquarium salt (to 3,500 ltr pond) throughout this week but might go for epsom salts instead per Steve's suggestion to Gemmell 10/5. Assume still add 3kg? Am also getting some old cast iron brackets to support a wooden plank as shelf for under water pots (keeping the pots off the bottom will make pond easier to sweep/clean). Cast iron should also slowly break down and add iron to system?

Week 6
Still minimal plant growth.
Water still a dark tannin colour. I don't know whether this is a "pea soup stage" but suspect not as the water is not clowdy - just dark. We can now only just see goldies and have not seen SP's for a couple of weeks.

pH 7.4 (steady)
Ammonia nil (excellent)
Nitrite 1 (been 1 for a couple of weeks now)
Nitrate 10+ (well down from 40 last week)
Water temp 13.6 / 14.1 (steady)

Plants looking a bit yellow so added some liquid iron to the GBs this week-end and will apply weekly now until colour improves.



Awaiting more rain in Adelaide (as is everyone) to top up tanks. Then can do a 50% + water change as suspect this is what is required to dilute persistent dark water colour.
Have not added any salt yet but will do this after the water change.
Am hoping lower nitrate figure will lead to more vigorous plant growth soon.

hodge,

just skim read the last two post, be aware that epsom salts will do nothing to relieve nitrite tox. it has to be a chloride salt to do that.

Despite the lack of rain in Adelaide, the warm temps have my SP's still feeding really well.
To the point where I think I may have been underfeeding them in the past month or two.
My summer vegies have naturally slowed their growth and the winter crop seems a bit lethargic.
Hang in there Hodges.

ahhhhhhhhhhh, whadd-i-miss?

what makes you think lower nitrate readings will make your plants grow better?

Plants are like the Borg, your nitrates will be assimilated, resistance is futile.