Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I have been browing this forum for quite awhile now. I love the fact that this exsists. I now have an issue that has caused me to become an active member, so I hope that you all can help me.

I have read that root temperatures above 80 can cause wilting and fruit damage yet I know tilapia like to be around 82-86 degrees.

I currently have an empty tank due to nasty issues with ich. I am currently seeding the tank to keep the bio-filter going. I have a small grow bed with plants. It has been suggested that I increase the temperature of the water to 90 for a period of time and then reduced. I've known about temperature control for ich in the aquarium circle but I do not know what effect it will have on my plants. So, my question is what temperature ranges can plants in aquaponics handle, and what are the optimum temps for an AP setup? Also, with regards to nutrient absorbtion are there temperature ranges that cause blocks?

Thanks in advance.

Welcome triv!

Folks here typically use salt instead of temperature to get rid of ich or other parasites. Raising the salinity quickly is the technique, haven't heard about temps. Some plants don't like high salinity but most are OK with the ppm that is usually tried.

Thanks for the answer. The reason I ask is that I have heard that salt causes the food to taste horrid and can cause fruit and cell damage to plants as a whole. What salinity do you try to get to and how long do you maintain? I assume that the plants take up the salt; so adding salt would be a regular thing for a period of time? Do you perform a set of water changes afterwards to reduce the salinity or do you just let the plants take it up?

bump,
I think the last few questions in this previous post deserves more specific answers as they seem more specific than the normal salting questions already asked. Furthermore, I'm curious about everyone's different methods.

Plants will take up a degree of salt... some seem to more than others... or at least seem to reflect it...

Tomatoes and celery are two examples.... both commonly often "salted" when eaten anyway... ...

Salt isn't necessary at a constant level in aquaponics... although I, and others have at times run a level of 1ppt for long periods....

That's the same level of salinity that is used to treat transport stress... mitigate against nitrites... and generally promote slime coat... and blood osmotic balance....

Salting to 3ppt is usually employed to treat parasites... and apart from strawberries and a few other things... most plants will handle 3ppt... and up to 6ppt... which is used to treat fin rot, and some bacterial infections or wounds....

Even at 6ppt.... most plants generally handle the salinity... for the period required to treat any disease... and dissaption through water top ups into the system...

If 6ppt has to be held for any extended period... and is impacting on the plants.... then it's really a matter of... do you wear the cost/time... involved with replacing the plants if necessary... or lose, and replace your fish...

Any salt treatment above that level... like salt dips/baths... at 10-12ppt.... are better done externally from the system...

thanks so much Rupert, I appreciate your quick response.

I can add that my system has been at 3ppt for a couple of years. My tommies and celery do taste salty to some degree but its actually quite pleasant as a beer snack or tommie on toast that only requires a dusting of pepper and the meal is complete.

At 3ppt there are a few plants that suffer or struggle. My observations so far include cucumbers, a few herbs like basil and parsley, strawbs and watermelon.

To date my fish have never had ich, fungal or infection of any description... not that I can claim this is due to my salt content but I am happy with my results so far.

Good reminder. I should check salt levels tomorrow as I haven't for a while

I just had an Ich attack from hatchery fish (yep I forgot to quarantine them).
My system is 2 250gl tanks set up as 1 system sharing water.
What I did was separate the 2 tanks, put all fish in 1 tank then I drained and cleaned the empty tank.
I refilled the empty tank and ran my grow beds off it by adding 2ppm ammonia.
The tank with the fish I added 4ppt sea salt with no additives. They will stay in the tank for 11 days.
They are on day 10 so far so good.
I can't add salt to my system because I have allot of strawberries.

A good explanation of Ich

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/ich.php

jim (can't figure out how to make that a hyperlink)