Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Water results for today
temp 17C
pH 8.2
ammonia - 1
Nitrite - 1
nitrate - 5

I'm not sure why my pH would have gone up. The fish are still flashing. I don't know if that indicates that they have a infection or whether they are just responding to the water quality. I am away for the day so hopefully they will be okay. I have added one kilo of salt into the system. My vegetables seem to be getting bigger.

Do you have a lot of algae growing? That can affect the pH, like early in the morning the pH will be lower and in the late afternoon/evening the pH will be higher.

Well judging by your nitrate increase something is happening...
Must be close

My water is really clear. It is like it has just come out of the tap. There is no algae growing at all. I have the tank 3/4 covered with insulation and there is shade cloth over the opening. The sump tank is half under a growbed (dug into the ground).

Can someone please explain the when you should do a water change?
I am really confused My understanding is that you should let nature take its course as much as possible. You should only do water changes to protect your fish if the water is really bad..... What is really bad???? At what point do you change water? Are the fish acting differently....do your water tests get to a certain level? I am sure there are many newbies reading this post who would like to know.

I still haven't fed the fish. How long should I leave them before feeding? Do my water levels need to come right down?

I really appreicate everyones help. I am enjoying learning about aquaponics. I am a bit worried about how long you can spend staring at some fish going round and around

Fish going round and round are a good sign "Fishrcool".... at least as long as they're not doing it floating on the surface...

Post your most recent tests... or do one in the morning... then we can see how things are going...

thanks Rupert, I'll post in the morning.

Yup, fish like to swim, the concept of a tank sorta inhibits them a bit, hence the round and round, especially if you're generating a circular current for them to enjoy.

I've found that Aquaponics can cause people to do odd things like watch the fish for hours or even watch water flow for hours. Just waiting for the siphon to kick in then waiting for it to stop then watching the bed fill back up again.

And the whole water change thing is what tends to slow down cycling with fish. It can be tricky to know exactly when you should do water changes and when you should just stand by. Lots of testing, resist feeding and keep an eye on things.

Yep... that old aquaponics acronym... "P".... patience...

It was only two days ago that your nitrites began to show...

You've salted to counter nitrite poisoning and/or "Ich".... just keep off the feed until your ammonia drops... your nitrite will follow shortly after...

Continual water changes... just slows the whole process... as TCL says...

My test results today
temp 18C
ammonia - 1
nitrite - 1
nitrate - 5
Fish are still flashing but seem a bit happier. Water is clear and plants are starting to grow. I thought the fish were going to mob me this morning while water testing...I think they are a bit hungry I managed to resist feeding them.

Ok... yes your fish are probably hungry now.... and your test are stable...

Feed them 1 tablespoon of feed today... as your fish are flashing, they're probably doing so from "Ich" - a parasite, rather than any nitrite irritation.... add another 3ppt of salt....

Test again tommorrow... chances are you'll get the same readings.... feed again the next day...

Test and watch your readings... with nitrates starting to show... I'd expect your ammonia to come down any time soon... and your nitrites to drop very soon after....

Once your fully cycled you can begin feeding daily... but watch for any ammonia spike, as this is a new system it may take a day or two for the system to expand to increased feed levels...

If you get a spike ... just back the feed off for a day

thanks for the help rupert. I just fed them 1Tablespoon. They just about jumped out of the tank to eat it
If I salt another 3ppt I need to add 9 kg of salt. I think that is right. Will see how they go in the morning.

9kg in a 3000L tank = 3ppt ....

Water tests today
temp 18c
ammonia - 1
nitrite - 1
nitrate - 5
My test results haven't gone up with feeding the fish yesterday. I will give them another feed today and check my results tomorrow.

If my fish do have itch how long after salting do they usually stop flashing? they seem to be a bit better today. I put the salt in at 5pm last night. It will be interesting if they stop today or take longer. Aquaponics is very addictive

If I add salt it usually decreases flashing within a couple hours or so with my fish, but I've only had catfish and tilapia. It seems to give similar relief to anything causing irritation, ich or nitrites or ammonia..

To really get rid of ich takes weeks at 18degC, days at 30degC (but trout can't take that temp). Cross fingers that it is only nitrite and ammonia causing flashing.