Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hey Guys

Help needed!!!!

Have found a fish upside down today and others looking dopey.....My Ph looks too high( test kit turning blue) I thought doing a partial water change would help but our tap water is the same Ph!

Any ideas I have a 1000lt system with 17 trout in!

Cheers Matt

ok so for us to help you we will need more info, such as test results from the last couple of days, or today only - ph ammonia, nitrite minimum,
what oxygenation are you using for the FT,
what is your GB size / volume
what is the system, CF, FD, siphons??
and most importantly pics, LOTS and LOTS of pics

at least ! All you've said is "Help, something's wrong."

Hi Freoboy

Ph 8.5
Amonnia 1.2
nitrite 1.5
nitrate 10-25

Ft 1700x630
GB 2200x1200x300
Flood and Drain normally but on Continuous flow now!

Hope this helps you help me....new to this but i dont want to lose any more fish if I dont have too :0)

M

do you have any additional aeration? pics of the dead and alive fish would help too. how old is the system?

I think the usual advice can be given here.

Dont feed until ammonia and nitrite levels are down to 0 (or close to)

Salt to 3 ppm (3kg of salt for every 1000 litres of water)

Dont mess with the PH.

If you dont have additional aeration - add some.

Salt your system to 1 ppt - can't tell you how much is required as we don't have your FT volume, just two dimensions.

Don't feed your fish, and make sure there's lots of aeration.


Damn Arbe, you just beat me (salt doesn't need to be 3ppt - 1ppt provides enough Cl ions to negate the nitrite).

at those levels, and dopey fiah my first thoughts would be ammonia poisonins or low DO. do as arbe says and post some pics

Yes I have a air stone on, they dont seem to be gasping for air so dont think that is the problem .....they are not feeded well since the weekend so have stopped!
I cant do pics at the mo, at work now,
The hadnt died but i couldnt get it back so dispatched him, he was the only one so far to go to no return, but some others are not theirselfs!

Good to know chillidude.

Salting aready done at the weekend!

Your ammonia is well into the toxic zone with pH at 8.5 and an assumed temp of 15°C.

Spot on with the water temp.....lost another fish since posting, how do I get the ammonia down without chemicals?

Do a partial water change be carefull of chloromine tap water it will add more ammonia. Stop feeding all together until ammonia levels drop off

Changing from siphons to constant flood (which you have done) and not feeding until the levels come down will help.

So will water changes, but they can introduce other problems - like a sudden change in pH.