Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

My ammonia test tonight was very yellow, zero.

The nitrite look to be .25 or just a touch higher.

I fed the fish a couple very small pinches of gold fish flakes and a pinch of duck weed. It seems that they really like duckweed.

That is great news to me!

This is running only on my bio filter. When I add my grow beds to the system they will have to cycle. Will there be any problems when do add my grow beds? The local farm supply is trying to see if they can get the 12 inch deep 50 gallon rubbermade stock tank. So I may be two or three weeks from having my grow beds installed.

I am down to 12 gold Tilapia mossambica and 6 gray Tilapia Hornorum. So my fish count is down from almost 30 to 18.

Sorry to here that Dandee... If you'd posted that I think we probably would have advised a water change somewhere along the line....

The fish I that I lost were from the them getting into the pump.

Are yes... sorry mate, do remember you saying that now.... didn't realise there was that many though

So... we'll put that one down to the fish attempting to escape rather than a fish kill

Dan, if your system cycles (as it almost is), then you add more growbeds, the bacteria will build up in the GBs as the water flows through them - you don't have to go through the cycling period again (unless you remove the biofilter )

So don't remove the biofilter for a couple of weeks, infact there is no need to remove the biofilter at all

or just put the media from your biofilter into your new beds if you want to remove it.

After feeding the fish the ammonia is between 0-.25 and the nitrates look to be somewhere just under .25 (not sure).

Doesn't take much to bump the ammonia when things are cycling....

that's why we advise either not feeding the fish at all for a few days or very sparingly over the first few weeks....

Doesn't take much eh

That's assuming they didn't sucker you in with those pleading "jezz I'm starving" eyes and kept you throwing food at them for ten minutes

What is the coldest I should let the water get?

Ok here is todays second test:

Ammonia:


and Nitrite:


Looks ok to feed them a little more, so I am going to feed them some duck weed.

Looks like a 4 days cycle just like the guy at the fish store said!

Thats some amazing bacteria starter, and it should be for $300 for 32oz... I think he gave it to me because he was wanting me to buy fish from him..

good stuff dan I usually hold the tube a little back from from the white card.

it tends to go a darker shade when its placed right up against it. However i dont know which method is correct.

Tilapia will go belly-up (die) at 60F, and I really wouldn't let them get colder than 70F. If you want the best growth, they would like it at 85F - 90F.

Don't count yourself as completely cycled yet. Increase food slowly so you don't overwhelm the bacteria you have.

Yea, I noticed they were much more active at 83 when I was testing my heater. So I will shoot for a minimum of 70 and try to reach 80.

Winter is coming and I want to be ready. I don't know if I will have my insulated building done in time so I may have to heat them outside.

Yesterday I fed the fish enough duckweed to cover half the surface of the water in the tank. They ate it up quickly.

Today, Here is the test:


The ammonia is still 0, however the nitrite is back up to .25

I don't have a nitrate test kit yet. Should I hold back on feeding them again?