Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Latest Update.

pH 6.0 (down again)
Amm 0.25
Nitrite 0.50
Nitrate 80
Temp 19 deg C

Two goldies still have redness on fins and body....others with problem seen to heal..Adding the salt seem to helped.
But noticed a couple of the Silver perch are turning to their side now and then.(I premused this is Flashing?) Should I add more salt? part water change?

Some pics of growth

Hold off on the feed for a day or two and do a water change. That should get the ammo and nitrites down. I can't remember, how often does your pump run? Can you increase it a bit? A higher rate of water turnover will increase the filtration level and also lower the A & N.

Looking good though.

Nova

Thanks Nova
I did a 30% water change re-salting new water...Stop feeding them for two days also....pump cycle is 15 minutes on 30 minutes off

Temp 20
pH 6.5
amm 0.25
Nitrite 0.25
Nitrate 80

Going to add two more grow beds (adding 0.8M3) and two more tubs for sumps (350 litres) interconnected with existing sump to increase overall water capacity for new grow beds.
Will mesh top of new sumps and try some yabbies, redclaw etc..

Hi LB, did u get ur silvers from Lindsay and Glynnis at Kangaroo Ground? I have been speaking to them this week. They have lost a few with the weather being so cold. They tend to run their set up a fair bit warmer to begin with too.

Salt will give u a bit of a nitrite buffer, u need to get that pH up tho mate. I had a bit of leaf miner damage after i added salt, plants don't like salt much! Keep a bit of an eye out for that. It shows as road maps in ur lettuce and brassics.

My silvers are a bit sulky with the weather and a couple of smaller ones have died. I think if we can get thru the next 6 weeks things should pick up.

Hi TT yep got from kangaroo ground...great setup they have there...They run their temps at 15 in the unheated area..
Been using a little bit of sodium bicarb but fish tend to pull the pH down still. Have to source a better buffer...
Got 2kg of shell grit in sump...need more of that too.
I am still using 400w of heaters in tank.....Wont be long before we will need cooling methods...The greenhouse internal day temps are reaching 32 deg lately..Need more thermal mass to store for nightime...(bigger tank...if I had the space)

I am lucky that the insects haven't discovered my plants yet..but when the temp rises a war will begin...

We have massive problems with birds here. Even saw an indian miner having a crack at leaves on my lemon tree in the depths of the drought!

The soon to come warm weather has me really undecided about fish for my big tank. I can get rainbow trout just off their egg sac in 3 weeks, but am concerned about thermal conductivity of water from my gh pushing temps beyond their liking. (Tank will be in shed.) I can get 2-3 inch silvers at the same time for a bit more money, but they might be a little easier to handle with regard to summer water temps. Rainbows need high DO and a bit more looking after, so silvers may be the go. Yet to decide.

If my setup looks half as good as urs i will be rapt.

Do the bossy ones keep the smaller ones in a corner or say a retreat place?

TT - What you think of Murray Cod?

Creative - The Bossy two headbutt the others for the best postion near the heaters..They dont boss the goldies thou.not what I have seen

Interesting.. would you say the same thing happens at feeding time?

Those GH temps are comparable to mine LB (34c today), my water temp is slowly rising (day min 18c to ~21c) - a bigger tank is certainly the way to go (space permitting )

LB, I'm not sure that the plants will like the sodium bicarb over time. Shell grit (calcium carbonate) would seem to be the answer, but I'm having problems with low pH, and I have 28 pounds of crushed coral in the system. I have started trialing calcium hydroxide (James Rakocy uses it), and potassium hydroxide is another possibility. Calcium hydroxide is sold as "kalkwasser" in the marine aquarium trade, or as I just found out, "pickling lime" for those who do home food preservation. Potassium hydroxide is used by soap hobbyists in making liquid soaps.

I've been adding "kalkwasser" very slowly to the system, but I only started 2 days ago. The pH hasn't moved yet, but I'm being very very cautious. Last thing I want to do is bounce my pH all over the place.

Oh, and the low pH explains at least part of your ammonia and nitrite levels. The bacteria doesn't work so well at low pH. I am having the same problem.

Janet, i used to be concerned about using bi-carb, but i've been thinking...........its the sodium content that the plants don't like, but many of us have atleast 1ppt NaCl in our systems without detriment to the plants.

I still prefer the CaCo3, but the bi-carb might not be all that bad if you have to use it

Hmmmm...good point, Steve. And bi-carb is easier to get hold of. Prolly wouldn't hurt to use a bit, then.

i've previously been anti bi-carb, just thought i'd set the record straight