Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

We started this system late November and have had it running flat out since then. My system consists of 8 grow beds (205l drums cut in half), 2 sumps (bath tubs) and 1000l fish tank. System is flood and drain thru 25mm flood and 19mm drains. They seem to be working well. I got a little over excited and put carp and yabbies into system too early and have lost all due to poor water quality. I have been without fish/yabs for approx 3 weeks now but the water levels haven't changed. I have done a 50% water change out but the levels have surged. My levels, as of today, are as follows:
Ammo: >8.0 (can not see thru test tube...)
Nitrite: Light green colour
Nitrate: 5.0
PH: 7.8
My wife has discovered that I should have treated the tap water before doing the water change out due to ammo and chlorine. Our tap water ammo level is 0.05-0.10.

Can anyone suggest how/what I can do to lower the levels or get my bacteria to work quickly?
Photos attached of my system and water quality tests.
Thanks, Blissy

WATER CHANGE.

more plants?

No Fishies. Sorry saw the ammonia and panicked. I'd still do a water change. You can gas off the chlorine in the water. I use a container with air stones. Do you have any air running in the system. Once you off gas the chlorine do a check and see what the ammonia levels are before adding it to the system.

check with your water board, they may use chloramine to treat the water

no dont have any air in my system. should i? will it matter that i have ammo in the tap water?

Chlorine kills bacteria...
Chloramine apparently cannot be offgassed, needs to be neutralised with chems.
I can only guess that you have no bacteria.

Perhaps (you said it was early) your system is still cycling?
During cycling process, you should see an ammonia spike, followed by a nitrite spike, followed by a nitrate spike.
When these spikes occur, the previous spike should be reading almost 0.
Maybe you're still ammonia spiking?

Do you have anything other than water in your FT?
do you have your GBs planted?

the only thing that i have in mt ft is algae and yes i have got some seeds and a few small vegie plant i nicked out of the misses vegie patch

Simpleton tech support question: are you following the instructions for the test kit properly?

I would have assumed that you had something dead and rotting in your tank. You're certain all the yabbies and fish have been removed?
What's your temperature?
The GBs are flooding and draining happily?

I would say no bacteria, and that nitrite test colour is weird, never seen a green one before...

Didn't even see that. Could not get passed the ammonia.

yep even the wife done the tests and have come up the same and am preety certin that all my deceased buddies are gone. i would not have the foggiest on the temp has been very hot last couple of weeks here. growbeds are flooding and draining happily also i am running system all the time

Think the nitrite test might have been using the low range pH bottle... did that once myself... grabbed the wrong one...

This is what I was trying to ascertain... I don't get how he can have no bacteria with what we've been told though... makes no sense

Could put some duckweed in the tank, it prefers to eat ammonia even over nitrates. But it's not a long term.

If the air temps have been hot, regular flooding is occurring, and it's been like this for 3 weeks, WTF is going on, there should be a culture by now.

all i can say is very dishearting all i want is to eat good vegies and fish
i dont know what to try next