Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

The growth in my GB has died right down. Currently seedlings in dirt are growing quicker than seedlings from the same batch in the GB.

Ammonia/Nitrate/Nitrite levels are all low, I'm feeding the fish plenty. The only issue I have is a battle to keep PH levels down.

Initially growth rates were brilliant. I'm gonna move my fish into a different container, currently they're in a glass tank which grows algae pretty quick on the sides, but I haven't had a 'bloom' at all.

any thoughts ?

To do the plants show any signs of disease or deficiencies?

I'm assuming your ammonia and nitrite levels are zero... if your nitrate levels are also near zero then your plants are taking up everything you're throwing at them.....

Either up your feed - depending what sort of fish you have or add more fish - depending on what your current stocking level:tank capacity is now.

If you're going to move them into anither tank, then don't do anything else until you have and they're happy.

How many fish (sort?) do you have in your current tank and how big is the tank?

How big will the new tank be?

some pics of your system (link to it if you already have some and I have missed them)
Algae will be taking nutes out, maybe cover 3 sides of the glass tank to stop so much light getting in. Algae will also swing your ph from night to day. Normally we have trouble keeping the ph up, not down, so you have a new challenge there. Other than that, are you flood and drain or continuous, and are the roots getting down far enough etc. How many floods per day?

Here's his system thread Monya ....

Username_Taken's System Thread

flood/drain on a timer 15 minutes alternating, to 15/45mins flood/drain overnight.

I've got about 7 goldfish in there, and 2 convicts. It's a pretty small tank, maybe 2 foot ? I already feed the fish an obscene amount. I'll photo some test kit results when I'm actually at home and there's light to see by.

The big tomato all but died, and the beans died off too. No sign of disease or nasty critters. I pruned the tomato to a stump and have a bunch of seedlings in there. The strawberry is doing well still though, I found an offshoot and ducked it under media, it's started to root from that fine.

The roots are deep enough, if I try and pull the stump of the old big tomato bush it tries to pull up half the GB with it.... hrmmm maybe that's the problem? The smallish GB couldn't handle the size of the tomato bush?

Strawberries are really heavy feeders and tomatoes aren't far behind UT...

Think you've done pretty well with what you've got so far..... new plants will have new vigour.....

A dash of seasol probably wouldnt hurt either.

Here's my test results


My PH seems to be a lot better than it was a few weeks ago, I was having trouble keeping it on the scale of the high-range, now it seems to be right on the border of normal/high cards.

Nitrites/Ammonia - nil

Nitrates somewhere between 0 and 5

High-range PH around 7.4

time for some humonia - you have no nutrients

ph is fine, i make out the NO3 to be almost zero!

NO3 is about half way between 0 and 5. The photo makes it look more like 0.

I overfeed the fish, so I'm not sure what else I should be doing to add nutes, maybe the occasional splash of seasol into the GB ?

I do have a sponge filter in the tank, mostly for the 02 mixing ... maybe I should pull the sponge out? although I doubt it would be stealing any nutes, just picking up solids.

yes but your plants can be using the solids in the growbeds. As your system matures you will get better growth. Y ou may need higher stocking densities. you have virtually no nutes to speak of.

seasol will not add any NO3

more fish

more fish it is! I'll go get 10 feeder goldies from the LFS this weekend.