Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi all..

Re the above,has anyone used CC to buffer their PH
I'm currently adding lime..everyday..my PH goes down quite rapidly ..
I am aware of the dangers in raising it /changing PH too rapidly so I feel
like I'm on the PH slave wheel..
I've even had a 5.2 recently..too low for My Jade Perch..
I've got some crushed egg shells in two of my four GB..

The fish shops here sell CC by the bag but am not sure if there may be some
adverse results in the long run...

Any help most welcome

Ps.
I know PH will decrease in AQ..but so quickly..is this normal??

Cheers ..

Go for it.

Crushed coral will buffer the pH but it is a very slow process. The CC dissolves in acidic water and releases calcium carbonate which increases KH and pH. When the pH reached neutral (or slightly higher in my experience), the CC stops dissolving and sits dormant until the water shifts acidic again. It can take weeks for this to move the pH even one point. It works faster if the CC is in an area of water flow but avoid splashing water on it as this can erode the calcium carbonate out irregardless of the pH.

I think if you're having to add lime everyday then you probably have other issues at play. No pH buffering capacity combined with over stocking, over feeding, excess of dead plant material/tannis or excessive CO2 can cause pH to drop very low.

I use potassium bicarbonate to bring the KH up to 3 or 4dKH to buffer the water and prevent rapid swings. The aquarium guy's standard rule of thumb is 4dKH is the magic number to provide a strong buffer. I then use about 30 whole oyster shells (essentially the same as CC) in a mesh bag in the sump to maintain the pH around 7

Hi Chiumangu..
Very helpful.. Thank you for your info..
If I can add some details of my system for you to comment on.

I am running 1 x 1000 IBC
2 x 180 litres blue barrels
1 x 400 litre ST
4 x gb each with approx 350 litres clay balls
I'm in the process of harvesting my year one Jade
The initial no being 40
I have about 15 of these left
I have just added 65 fingerlings.. Each being around 3 to 4 inches in size
I was given too many fingerlings ,only wanted 50 but was given more

My gb are very clean .. I've made sure of maintaining good filtration

My water is about 0.25 to 0.5 in Ammonia
My Nitrites are near 0 but I have very high Nitrates..always have..

So if you can comment in the above please do..

Will go to fish shops to buy some KH liquid additive.. Hope they sell it here in Homg Kong..

Thanks very much for your help

Cheers

In addition to the above,.
My PH can move 0.2 to 0.4 points per day
I'm adding hydrated lime each day
About 1 teaspoon in the morning and again one at night
This will keep my ph at around 6.2 to 6.5

I've got loads of DO via two sources
One Venturi and one large air stone
My blue barrels are used as a settling filter and K1 filter which has about 100 litres of K1
in it..this has a large air stone in it which is rated at 30 litres/ minute..
Thanks again for any help ..
Cheers