Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

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We have had quite a windy week and the seedlings have been buffeted a lot. With such large scoria (20mm), they aren't quite as bedded down as they would be with smaller pebbles. Inside a GH this is not an issue of course but for those building outdoors with just a roof, smaller rocks might give more stability around the base of the plant.

I have also noticed a slight slowing in the drain cycle, so i guess biofilm is starting to build up in the siphon pipes. Really looking fwd to that little job soon. Not.

Didn't include any fish photos due to reflection on the water, but they are doing well. Flashing has stopped, one looks a bit mopey but is feeding ok, so i won't isolate it at the mo.

Getting plenty of fish poo in the tank. The submersible pump is located on the seat of the spa, not the floor, so i wonder if it is picking any of the poop up? I think i will run the spa pump for an hour and see if any gets cleared thru the spa filter instead!

This is a great learning exercise and i am enjoying it immensely. Friends are amazed at how it works, but let's face it, we are only replicating nature simply on a small scale. Loving it.

nice one TT. cool pics.

judging by your levels i'd say you're probably still a week or two away from being cycled comlpetely. Have you put any carbonate in yet? i'd probably get the PH above 6.5 at least.

The snailtrail on the leaves looks like a pic that someone posted of leaf miner.........?

I was thinking leaf miner, too.

The low pH is protecting the fish against the ammonia right now. When you are fully cycled, the ammonia and nitrite will read zero, and the nitrate will probably not be zero. A little calcium carbonate would be nice, though.

That's great that the duckweed is doing so well. It likes ammonia, as I recall.

Def the salt Steve. Grown caulis for a long time and this happened within 2 days of dumping 2kg in. Too much of a coincidence.

I was waiting for nitrite to drop b4 adding some shell grit, didn't want to have a high nitrite reading with rising pH> dead fish. Reckon i could get away with it now tho and you have reminded me, so will dump some in and keep an eye on things. Ta.

colon leaf miner colon

Humor us. Inspect the leaves carefully from the underside and inspect them for eggs, and for little bugs inbetween the layers of the leaf and in the trails.

Salt damage looks more like browning or burning.

May be coincidence TT, but that is definately leaf miner damage..

Though the coincidence may not be as strange as you think, the change in the plant because of the salt may have made it more susceptable to attack, or more attractive to attack..

Cool! i know nothing about leaf miner and prolly much less than many of you on horticulture, but that pic stuck in my mind.

TT, the rising PH affects the toxcicity of ammonia, not nitrite. But i get what you mean.

My view is that your ammonia is low enough to raise your ph, and the extra capacity that the raised PH will give you in relation to nitrification is well worth it. PH 6 is really getting to the BOTTOM of the useful scale unless you got a seriously large / mature system. crush up some shells /shell grit and add it to your system. The ph rise will be slow enough. maybe do a water change at the same time, that way you can rasie ph closer to your mains water and remove some of the ammonia at the same time.

Been out all day, will have a look see under the leaves tomorrow morning. Looks like i am still a little ways from fully cycled. Got home late from the footy, missed feeding time and yes, most of the duckweed is gone again. Seem to have misplaced a tub of shellgrit, so will have to get some 2moro.
Now to catch up on other threads, I hear Aussie P is using Olympic Dam as his sump pump.

Hah, he was gunna, but Jaymie pinched all the water upstream LOL

I hear the kiwis aren't happy about the north island being used as a biofilter.

LOL!