Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Today's test results:
pH = 7.4 (could be lower due to lemon yesterday - this is lowest reading on high pH test. As long as it stays below 8 I'll be happy. I have fought to get it off 8.4)
NH3 = 0.5
NO2 = 1.0
NO3 = 10
Temp = 16.5°C
Here are a couple of photos:

Today's Nutrient Test results:
pH = 8.2 (May need more lemon)
NH3 = 0.5
NO2 = 0.5
NO3 = 20 Beans are working hard to cope with the nutes. Growth is rapid.
Temp = 16.5°C

I used some barley straw in my filter, I did not see that much results and it was a mess to clean up. If I try this again they make holders for the straw for the ponds, I would not try again until I had the holders, if I try again.

Joyce,
Thanks for the heads up on the mess it made.
I have some hay straw in my pond at the moment, will report on any obvious benefits should they occur.

Here are today's readings:
pH =8.6 OK, I have added another lemon since this reading, I hope it will drop tomorrow's reading.
NH3 = 0.25
NO2 = 0.25
NO3 = 10 The veggies are getting the Nitrates down OK.
Temp = 17.4°C

Here are the most recent nutrient test results:
Date - - pH - - NH3 - - NO2 - - NO3 - - °C
14/10 - 8.8 - - 2.0 - - 1.0 - - - 5 - - 21.3 Added lemon juice & skins
15/10 - 8.0 - - 2.0 - - 0 - - - - 20 - -20.4
16/10 HSM :SHOCK: I had put a filter & Pump on the pond and went to work, came home to find pond with about 10% water in it - no readings today, busy filling it up again. - Dunno where the water went - no damp patches??? Removed filter & Pump.
17/10 - - 7.4 - - 0 - - - 0.25 - - 5 - - 16.7

Ah Tony, the unscheduled water-change is not good for the heart is it?

Jaymie,
Heart in mouth moment.
I did find that the suction hose was not secure, but that could not have caused the emptying. Perhaps the pump return to the tank somehow was not returning water to the pond (shooting out, rather than into the pond) and that caused it. I don't know.
All I know is that my effort at filtering out the algae was not successful. The remaining water was as green as ever. .

I have copied my table from previous post and added today's results - below:
Date - - pH - - NH3 - - NO2 - - NO3 - - °C
14/10 - 8.8 - - 2.0 - - 1.0 - - - 5 - - 21.3 Added lemon juice & skins
15/10 - 8.0 - - 2.0 - - 0 - - - - 20 - -20.4
16/10 90% water change (HSM :SHOCK: ) - no readings.
17/10 - - 7.4 - - 0 - - - 0.25 - - 5 - - 16.7
18/10 - - 8.4 - - 0.5 - - 0.5 - - 10 - - 17.4 I might take the plants out of the pond to see if that helps slow the increase in pH.

Tony

Your readings just constanly confuse me Tony......

There's just no sane sensible explanation for a swing from pH 7.4 to pH 8.4 in one day.......

You'd have to be pouring caustic soda into the pond to get that reading....

not disputing your readings Tony..... just bambozzled

not quite, bi-carb would do it...........................

do you have an algae problem? ph will be higher at peak light levels

Still reckon those rocks in the growbed and surrounding the growbed are "marble" Tony.... calcium carbonate.... limestone.....

That's the only consistent theory I can come up with....

And Steve's comment is along similar lines.

The surrounding rocks do not contact the water.
There are rocks in the pots which hold the plants, I plan to remove them from the pond tomorrow afternoon, but need a suitable container to keep them wet so they don't die.

It could be a bigger jump than that, the Master Kit high pH test scale starts at 7.4, so the pH could have been lower at the start.
I do have an algae problem and it is the reason that I am into BYAP, would you believe?

did you add lemon juice to get the tank down to 7.4 tony?

Bio-farmer,
No, my bore water has a pH around 6.5
I went ballistic, pulled the plants out, drained the pond to 100mm deep and refilled it again. I will do readings tomorrow and see how it looks then.

BTW, our 4 GF are now 6, so they don't seem to mind the high pH.

We did have 4 goldfish and 4 black ones, the black ones have matured and 2 have coloured up. They are around 100mm long now. I can't find the other black ones, but they easily hide in the black polythene pond.

Here are the readings from today (2 days after 90% water change)
Date - - pH - - NH3 - - NO2 - NO3 - Temp
21/10 - 8.0 - - 0.25 - - 0 - - - 0 - - 19.4 We shall see how it goes without plants in the pond.
22/10 - 8.4 - - 0.25 - - - 0.5 - - 10 - NA The spike in NH3 was due to some P to kick start the system after the water change. I have some rocks in the GB which may be contributing to the pH rises. I will try to remove them and add more Hydrotron.