Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Maxicrop plus iron for your ph is best. Check ebay.

I already have enough iron in my system. I can take a bucket of it from the tap add a capful of chlorine and watch the iron precipitate out into a red-brown layer in the bottom

It's all about uptake and ph brother. If your raisin bait you will be fine. If the veggies are impotant then...

I won't say the veggies aren't important otherwise semblance wouldn't be on board with the project. I also am working on an upgrade to another tank for perch which the bait will be feeding on occasion. My ph is dropping slowly it was down to 7.6 yesterday from 8+ at startup. No idea where to get Maxicrop, would a hydroponic store carry it or something similar? The guys who work at the one near me are more focused on cannibas than aquaponics.

Is it possible that a high iron content is killing off my fish? I'm losing between 3 and 4 every day it seems. Granted they are only bait shop minnows but it is the idea of losing them that's bugging me. It is also worrisome if I graduate to an edible species.

High iron can kill fish, do you know what level of iron you have in your system?

I believe it was tested when the well was drilled but darned if I know where that test is. Do you have a recommended test kit for it? I have access to the following stores locally. Petco, The Big Green Tomato (hydroponics) and The Growing Point (specialty pet store)

What waste of time and money that was. Water safe test from silverlakeresearch just told me I have zero total iron in the system.

Today's test
ph 7.8
ammo .5
trite 0
trite 0
I know the ammo spiked from dead fish that had gotten sucked to the pump I just found him

Okay I'm tired of losing fish. I'm gonna dump my tank scrub out the iron or whatever it is inside it and refill with the rain barrel. Maybe stop at the hydro store and get some ro water if I dont have enough in the tank.

So when I do this I'm planning on flooding the beds to the point just b4 the siphon kicks in

Newly upgraded. Installed a sump with another barrel turn on its side under the growbeds. Also includes 6 dutch buckets for tomatoes and peppers. Putting a SLO in the main tank draining to the sump with the GB's draining into the FT. When I went and do the 75percent water change I was leaving with only 12 fhm. I think now I'm down to 1 or 2 and waiting for the bait shop to have them after spawn. I'm hoping I can get some pics up of the upgrade on Mon.

Question? Is it possib. for your bacteria to crash without outside intervention?
today's readings
ammo. .5-1
nitrite 0
nitrate 0
ph 7.8

So you see my conundrum any help here plz

Okay about ready for second yr go around with this. All my broccoli last yr bolted and flowered without setting any heads. Think i got 3 whole tomatoes and 4 strawberries total. My friend from work was happy though since i kept her supplied with wheat grass all yr.

Think lot of my problems steel from my siphons not being able to stop the draining and were pretty much at a constant drain drain at all times. Think resulted in the bacteria not getting fully integrated into the media beds and the result in loss in conversion of ammonia. Need to pull the screens off the drains and clean the media once the weather warms enough to do so..

Yeah i know. No updates for the year..
Had a big issue with a filament algae in the fish tank that resolved itself when i lost a couple of bait leeches into the tank in between fishing trips (little suckers squeezed out of a perforated container and a minnow bucket) since the species they sell are actually a vegatation eater they cleaned up pretty much all the algae in my system.
once i stopped losing nutrients to the algae my plants did pretty well. Still couldnt get any broccoli or cauliflower to do anything but bolt and seed but cherry tomatoes and cukes do very well.
the rack that the beds were on has collapsed and will need to be rebuilt for this season l