Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

did anyone else see the little smilie fish faces in the spa? It looks like there are already two fish stuck in the pipes

I did see the fish faces....

Any idea how big the new fish tank is DRD?

holds 250 gallons

a little over a week ago (7/23) I went out and bought a master test kit and an air pump and bubbler. I took tests on that day and got the following readings @ 2pm on a much cooler day:
Ph 7.4
Ammonia 0-0.25
Nitrite 0-0.25
Nitrate 10
I was not really alarmed at the ammonia and nitrite and thought perhaps the bacteria was converting nitrate over to ammonia.

Today I took readings @ 2pm air temp is around 95f water temp 84f:
Ph 8.0
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0

I had been checking the Ph with a pool test strip before I got the dropper test kit and in fact I use it to determine which test in the master kit I should use the high Ph 7.4-8.8 or Ph 6.0-7.6
Those strips also have a total hardness spot on the test strips and it shows the total hardnes at 250 ppm. So I should not have to worry too much about Ph swing is that correct?
I will check again in the am to see the difference. But dang who is sucking up the nitrates.?

The test strips are not very reliable. Use test tube and drop style tests.

I agree Janet although I have never used the strips for aquaria.

I bought the API freshwater master test kit for aquaria. But I had been using the old pool strips before to monitor the pH. It seemed to be spot on when I checked against the tube and drop testing. The pool strips test for pH, free available chlorine/bromine, total chlorine, total hardness, total akalinity, and stabilizer. So they will give a general indication of when the chlorine has been gassed from the tap water also.

This morning about 6:30 I checked parameters again and pH was 7.8
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0

I removed all the remaining basil last night as it was getting tired looking anyway. One tomato cutting I will remove as well. Not actually a cutting but a branch that I accidentally broke off one of my plants. Might even transplant some of those onions that are beginning to take off. Hopefully I can get more nutes to those cukes and beans.

Getting too late in the season to start the larger outdoor system so I have begun assembling an indoor one in the basement. Need to figure out what grows well in limited light conditions. Maybe some shade loving plants of some sort would be the ticket.

Having great fun and learning so much. Thanks to all of you.

Thats what its all about! You're welcome!

Thankfully we in the sub tropics don't need to worry about indoor and outdoor systems - love your AP work DRD

Dan,
Check out the info on the thread about growing under lights. If you want to try it you can get some cheap four foot flourescent shop lights at, you know where, and install a couple of grow bulbs in them along with a couple of regular ones. The grow bulbs will give you proper wave length light to encourage growth, and the two regular bulbs will help give you more natural light for working under. You can install a timer to lengthen the available period of light to make your plants think it is summer/spring even in the dead of winter. Good luck in the planning.
Kevin

Dan,
Too bad about the Fire Captain there in Topeka. My heart goes out to his family, friends and co-workers. Firefighters try so hard to protect our lives and property it is a real tragedy when one of them falls in the line of duty.

Well, take care and hopefully this hot weather won't wilt all of your plants.

Kevin

Yes Kevin it is sad losing a firefighter. They all have been busy around here lately. Three house fires today.

Took some readings on August 13th

pH 7.8
ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 5-10
water temp 85f
air temp 90f

yesterday and today the water temp 90f
air temp running 107-108f in afternoon

tried using small water bottles frozen to bring water temps down but little help there. maybe not using enough of them.

As evident in one photo I am flooding one bed very high at the moment. Necessary even with the associated algae and increased evaporation.

brought home a dozen new goldfish last Thursday. One was ill the next morning. It was a wonder all of them didn't shock a rama going from very cool water to my hot tank water. Anyway they are a lively bunch even in this heat wave.

Even with the heat the plants and fish look like they are doing good.

How many beans have you harvested so far? (Just curious about how many bucketfuls you've gotten.) My renter's were out Mon & Tues nights picking green beans, cukes, summer squash and okra from the soil garden. The corn didn't do very well, she got it out late, planted it too close together and the raccoons got to it. They have a few small watermelons on the vine, too small to eat probably will be ready in a couple of weeks, if the heat breaks and we get a good rain. I told her she might get some more beans, if they bloom again. (I've seen some varietys that will bloom a couple of times. The second harvest isn't as good as the first, but still worth leaving them in.)

Take care!
Kevin

Not to sure how many beans I got ate several meals worth and gave away a couple pounds worth. This system was just a proof of concept and I experimented quite often.

Had a bad algae bloom last week in the header tank caused some other problems. Last weekends readings were not good. These readings were on 8/26 the day after I removed the beans and cukes.
pH 7.8
ammonia 0-.25
nitrite .25-.5
nitrate 40
temp h2o 74f
temp air 81f

spent some time last weekend and this past week busy working

last weekend I completed my first bell siphon. It consists of 1'' and 2" pvc and not sure what size the air line is. Just some laying around needing something to do.

Then on Wednesday I see in the paper an ad for convicts. Went and picked up 12 of them.