Backyard Aquaponics
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I had a accident and I was down for about 8 and a half weeks. My system went down to. My water had dropped so much I had turned off the grow bed water. I just added water to my system and it was well water. Now ammonia level is 2.0 ppm and nitrite is 2.0 ppm and the nitrate is 80. My ph level is 6.8. I changed my filter so I’m going to check it tomorrow to see if anything change. I just wanted some feedback on what could I do. The water is dark I can’t really see anything. But fishes are still swimming around. I put aquarium salt in the water before I put it in the system. I’m just trying save my system. I work so hard to get it right.


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What sort of filter are we talking about?

If the gravel in the grow bed has still retained some moisture during the 8 weeks it was empty, there should still be a small colony of beneficial bacteria present. They would also be on the wall of your tank and any other wet surfaces in the system, so it shouldn't take too long for the colony to get back up to speed and start reducing the Amm and Nitrite. That's provided there is sufficient bio-filtration capacity (wet gravel etc) in the system for the number/size of fish in it.

You should try and get the Nitrates down, as 80 is getting up there and it will soon rise further as the Amm and Nitrites are converted. I would densely plant some fast growing leafy greens, ie: Lettuce, Asian greens, coriander, spinach etc.

P.S. Your Amm level should be fine at that pH, but if your Nitrite rises much further as the Amm is converted, you should consider some small partial water changes, 25%-30%, which would also help reduce the Nitrates. Just ensure the top-up water is chlorine free and salted to 1gm/Ltr for the Nitrite in the system.

Thank you


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+1 on what Mr Damage said. Be careful if you have to do water changes that you are not raising the pH, which would make the ammonia more toxic. Probably a good idea to check the pH of any additional water before adding.

Thanks


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