Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

whatever you do, do it slowly... no more than .5 per day.

The following will work:
lemon juice
hydrochloric acid
vinegar
phosphoric acid
citric acid

Not sure how safe any of those are for your fish. I would take out a bucket of water, adjust the ph in the bucket down 1 point, then dilute that back into your sump. Do that every day until you get to around 7.5. The bacteria and cycling system should do the rest over time.

Just takes time.
If PH is high, lemon juice can help. If PH is low, baking soda can help.
But, just wait, do not rush it.
If possible get few cheap fish to start the system. Feed them properly so they creat a good amount of waist. If you can get some water from a lake, that will start the system a little faster. You do not need only ammonia, you also need the bacterias that consume ammonia into Nitraite and then into Naitrate.
After a couple of weeks, your ammonia and Nitrite goes up, if you got fish in there, then you should add some sea salt to your water. If you do not have any fish in there, then just wait till your system kicks in.
I had 44 minows in the fish tank, and used my pond water to fill up the fish tank, and still it took 4.5 weeks till system got cycled. I think that is the quickest I have read about.
So, just be patiant.

Thanks for all your answers.
I don't have fish in a tank yet. I think i'm gonna start with gold fish cause i can get them for free.
I'm just impatitent i guess

Wohooo!
I finally got some nitrites in my water. Ph is still the same. Is there to much ammonia in my water?

I'd say yes. Don't add any more for a long while.

Wait for it to drop down to 0.25 or zero, during this time the nitrite will also peak and start to drop. Nitrates will then rise dramatically.

When nitrates start exceeding 20 or so add some plants.

Once amm and nitrites are back to zero either:
- Do bunsun's ammonia spike test to see if you are truly cycled
- just add a small amount of fish and hope for the best

Thanks Dr Luke. Can you explain what is bunsun's ammonia spike test please. I searched forum but can't find an answer.

Basically, it means that you should be able to see any ammonia spike disappear within 24 hours...

so if/when you think you're cycled... (fishless)... you can add a little additional ammonia source... and measure how long it takes to dissapate...

Thanks for explanation Rupert

he's a good little explainer isnt he

Yup, he is
One more question:
Is high ammonia level harmful for plants?

Not as much as it may be harmful to the fish. Some plants are considered to take up ammonia directly, but that is a whole different discussion.

Yeah sorry, that was supposed to be "bunson". He is very particular with what "cycled" actually means

Just an update. It's raining here for a few weeks and diluting my system water but plants are fighting good with all that water and no sun.

You have produced a very attractive system, ezone. I hope that my first IBC setup looks as good.
Tell me, are you a CCR fan?

Thanks PLJ. I made it very quick just for test but now i'm getting hooked
Yeah i like CCR a lot.