Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I lost one more GF yesterday. That takes me down to 9. What is the minimum amount of fish that system can still function? How do you know that you may need to add more fish? The plants will start stressing I would guess, but what kind of water readings would be present? Low nitrates?

There may still be a tinge more of color in the ammonia than 0 but its hard to tell. Nitrites are 0. My 2 jalapeno plants are putting fruit on. The one plant has 5 little green heads poking out and the other has just the start of buds. We also have 5 jalapeno plants in the big dirt garden and they are struggling. Tomato plant has 4 nice yellow buds but no fruit yet. We thinned the raised lettuce beds the other day and put them in net pots in the top float bed. They seem to be doing good. My 2 strawberry starts from seeds are still alive and growing, not fast, but they didn't die. We had a strawberry plant that was in limbo in the dirt and still had the one leaf it had the day it was planted over a month ago. I pulled that yesterday and put in the GB to see if it would be happier. Haven't been out there to check this morning.

Next item is going to be worms in GBs. Temp in the greenhouse yesterday hit 124 F highest water temp hit 81, outside temp was 90 F, outside temps are still dropping into the low to mid 40's at night.

Fish are being fed pellets in the morning and flakes noon and evening. No particular reason other then I have both types of feed. And it's easier to clean out the uneaten pellets. We are weeding the yard also and come across a few worms that find their way to the FT and don't have a chance to get to the bottom.

Later

Hi,

If no one knows how many fish, on the minimum side, will support the system, any ideas where I could look. I have been looking for 2 days.

Thanks

Each of those beds will support around 3 x 1/2 kg fish easily. More can be done, but it gets risky

go easy for now, the fish you have should be enough to get your system cycling..
gf grow fast!

Just wanted to put in my two cents and say congrats!



Jeff C

Something is going on with this system and not sure what. Leaves are dropping off my one jalapeno plant. fruit is still growing. Leaves are a little on the yellow to pale side of color chart. Nothing in the GBs are growing. They are not dying but not making a dash upwards either.

I took water reading: Ammonia, .50 nitrites, 0 Nitrates 10-20. Fish seem ok. PH on high test is a light 8.2, On the low test, 7.6. Couple days ago, ammonia was showing a tich more than 0, but not .25. Been feeding 3 times daily. Have removed uneaten pellets. Will withhold food for a couple days and see if things improve. Do I have to, or should I try to bring the PH down a tad with vinegar? Dosage?


Also, how is anyone handling flea beetles? Any of the catnip, mint or sage methods working? They are not in the AP, but have invaded the dirt garden.

Thanks

Think you pH might be looking out Iron.... add some chelated iron... or get some Maxicrop+Iron.... you'll find it on Amazon...

OK thank you for your reply, how about adding some vinegar till I can get the maxicrop or chelated iron? Is it locking out iron because it is so high? When the system is aged some, how much will the PH come down?

The pH will drop with time... how much, and how soon will depend on the "carbonate" buffering of your source, and any top up water... and whether or not your media may also be buffering your pH....

The easiest, and best, way of adjusting your pH if you feel the need to do so... is using Hydrochloric Acid (Muriatic Acid).... either directly into the tank in small (stress small) doses... or by treating the top up water, if the source water is highly carbonate buffered...

If your water is carbonate buffered... you may well see the pH drop when you add the acid... only to see it bounce back within hours...

It will continue to do so until the nitrification, and any acid treatment... exhausts the carbonate buffer... at which time the pH may fall rapidly...

Great looking system!

I have barrel envy

and...you can hang a fishtank heater from its cord. Depending on it's length, that might do.

UPDATE: Got a qt. of Maxicrop. Sprayed the whole dirt garden yesterday. Did a water test before dosing the AP system: reading haven't really changed a lot if any. Amm. .25+ PH a lite 8.2, Nitrites 0, Nitrates, 20. I dosed the FT with 1/2 a cap of the Maxicrop, probably should have put in the float tank to disperse quicker, (one of those afterthoughts) I threw some radish seeds in last friday. They started sprouting Monday. Dirt garden got planted same day, no sign of them yet.

Have gone "no feed" for a few days to get that ammonia in line. Been wondering how long it takes for the water to clear up after the Maxicrop? Gonna be sorta hard to do a "color" water test with the water tinted. I put some thinned lettuce plants in the float tank. They are growing like gangbusters. A few of the plants in the GB's are starting to grow also, and some are dying. Looks like too much water for the dying ones.

your water will clear up in a few days.. the maxicrop should't really affect your water test

System and I are having a difference of opinions this summer. The system was cooking right along, had cycled and things were growing nicely. Then as the summer went along, the plants started dying. My water tests were all out of whack. I had to keep adding water to maintain the level in the FT. Duh, light bulb went on. My water was evaporating and I was having to replace. Hence out of balance water tests. I have been adding (or loosing to evaporation) about 10 to 12 gallons every other day. The system is so diluted that it isn't doing much of what it is supposed to be doing but keeping the fish alive and one beet plant lol.

For this winter I am going to try to get something set up in the basement. That way I can keep the fish and maybe use the winter FT water to get the summer tank going if I can figure out how to keep it going in our low humidity and very dry heat.

I will be looking for a fairly inexpensive light system that will work. Any ideas on summer heat and water evaporation?

cindy

Hi Cindy,



The water in your system shouldn’t be too diluted because of evaporation. If you are only replacing the evaporated water the nutrient concentration in the water will still be the same. Heavy rain flooding your system will cause nutrient dilution, but not evaporation.

If there is a lack of nutrient in your system… you need more fish.

But in saying that, a new system stocked to a suitable level probably won’t sustain fruiting plants once they start flowering/fruiting, leafy greens should’ve been doing alright though. From my own personal experience, I wouldn’t add fruiting plants into a new system until it’s at least 6 months old… a bit difficult in your situation I know.

The ideal set-up in your situation would be to have the outdoor and indoor set-ups linked, but plumbed so they can be run in isolation. If you could keep the indoor GB going all year round, add worms and banana peels etc to it, then in spring plumb your outdoor system back into the indoor one. This way you could have a base load of nutrients already built up in your indoor system, and you could also cycle your outdoor GB much quicker.

Cheers.

Man I'd love to be able to link them, but due to the distance from greenhouse to basement that kinda makes it impossible. There is about 100 feet,a garage and a 6ft. block wall between the two locations. I did a water test last night. (8-30-11) Nitrites are 0, and the ammonia is between .025 and .050

I would like suggestions on lighting though for the basement.

Thanks