Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi everyone, i am new to here.
I have recently started doing Aquaponic for fun.

Mine is a floating raft beds system.
My filter is packed with low to high density matalas.

To get the bacteria to start reproducing, i poured some mircobe lift into the filter.
http://www.microbelift.com/products/pond-and-water-garden/water-clarifiers-liquid/pl/

I let it sat for 3 weeks with water inside.
Then, i started running the system with some baby goldfishes and sprouted lettuce.

The water is 90% chlorine and chloramines free. (because of some mixed tap water)
I have maintained the water temperature at 25 Celsius at all time.
Air pump on all the time.
The system filters itself 6 times a day for a hour long each.
fish tank: 40 gallon
filter box: 20 gallon
fishes: 10 small goldfishes

Three days later, i tested the water quality.
Ph: 8.2
Ammonia: 0.75 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 2.5 ppm

so, my questions here are:
1. why my ph is so high?
2. am i using the right bacteria starter kit? if not which product should i use? product that only contain nitrobacter and nitrosomonas?
3. i understand fishes can not withstand high concentration of nitrates, but the plants require nitrates to grow.
how do i know if my filter is killing the nitrates as well?

Answer 1. Perhaps the correct question should be -'Should I worry about a pH of 8.2?' No. My ph was high for the first couple of months and then crashed below 6 due some things happening in the grow bed. I now have shell grit to provide some buffering to keep the pH a bit higher.

2. Who cares what bacteria you start with, it is what you end up with that is the most important. The general consensus that I get from this forum is that the bacteria starter kits provide very little, if any, speed up of the cycling of your system. I have seen no evidence on this forum that people have not been able to get the right bacteria growing in their systems, it is just that some people take longer than others (generaly the lower the temperature the longer it takes to get the bacteria to the required amount). Based on your ammonia reading your system is not yet cycled and as such I would not be feeding the fish much until the ammonia level is at 0 or 0.25.

Rupet of Oz is the person to talk to regarding the types of bacteria that are active. Definately an interesting discussion but knowing what bacteria is in your system will not make it work any better than somebody who does not know the names of the bacteria.

3. Fish can generally stand high concentrations of nitrates (they dislike ammonia and nitrite). A high nitrate level means you do not have enough plants (provided you have not done something drastic in the last few days). I am not sure how you would tell if your filter was killing the nitrates? 10 small goldfish though will not provide you with much food for the plants until they grow up and your plants are likely to use up all nitrate produced until your fish get bigger so do not be surprised if you do not have any nitrate readings but the plants are growing well.

1. pH is high because of your source water. Let your system mature. It will eventually come down. The nitrogen cycle releases acids that will eventually bring your pH down. If it causes high pH swings during top ups or water changes then you might want to look into changing your pH in your replacement water. HCl is what I am using ATM.

2. Seems like the kit you used had the right bacteria. Just give your system some time. The "good" bacteria take a long time to reproduce and settle into your new system. Trying to rush the system doesn't work.

3. Most fish can tolerate high Nitrate levels. I've been running a newer system with around 40-80 ppm nitrates for several weeks. I figure they will lower once my beds are fully planted, but until then the fish don't seem to mind. Your filter should not be "killing" the nitrates.

yeah, after looking at the msds on that stuff, i'd empty my system and start over (but i'm a bit paranoid)
cycling will take about 6 weeks.. you can speed it up with media from a mature ap system or by squeezing a fish tank filter or two into your growbeds..
i have seen some real "bacteria in a bottle" but it has to be shipped and used immediately as it has no shelf life..

Thank you for your valuable information Jeff and Zeknix

Thanks for the reply keith.
what is wrong with my bacteria starter kit?
where did you get your bacteria from?

Today, i have a fish die for some reason.( i don't know why)

The water quality today is
ph: 8
ammonia: 0.5ppm
nitrites: 0 ppm
nitrates: 0 ppm

maybe i will put the fishes in a salt bath today.

Bottled bacteria needs to be the real expensive stuff to work, which you wouldnt find at the local pet shop. With a PH of 8 and .5 ammonia, it is quite toxic to your fish.

Thank you for that table Charlie

Have anyone of you tried this bacteria product or similar before?

http://nsspo.com/p1/mega_spo.htm

You've got goldfish in the system.. producing ammonia....

The bacteria necessary will turn up by themselves.. and do their thing... be patient...

Speaking as a Microbiologist, I can only say avoid any of those bacterial products, what they contain are NOT part of the nitrogen cycle and would only cause more problems than they would solve in the long run. As Rup says, the bacteria will turn up by themselves.

Woz

And as a microbiologist Woz... you'd no doubt know that bacteria need food and oxygen to survive... and/or grow....

And that you're not likely to have either in a sealed bottle sitting on a shelf for more than a few days...

Correct Rup, Although most bacterial products of this type are probably freeze dried (which keeps them "alive" for a long period, containers should have a use by or equivalent on them at which point a given % [say 90% for example] of the bacteria would be recoverable under lab conditions) and stored in an appropiate storage formulation which would enhance there survival. But definately no point in adding the bacteria in that second link - all they do is convert the Ammonia to gaseuos Nitrogen, which is lost to the environment.

Woz

As i have said before for all the good those off the shelf bottled bacteria does you may as well pee in the system

How do you keep bacteria "freeze dried"... in a room temperature bottled solution??? ...



Yep... that's what the product says... "denitrifying" bacteria...

Thanks everyone

To Woz:
so you are saying that, with ammonia, proper dissolved oxygen in the water, right temperature, and right ph level,
the nitrobacter and nitrosomonas would grow on its own?

I am sorry for asking so many questions and being non patient, but i am just curious.
Thank you

Yep, its called the nitrogen cycle.

http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/infor ... gen-cycle/