After a month the PH of my tank is 8.2, the local tap water is only 8.0.
I think that the 'stuff' which I was told was food grade may be leaching out of my tank and causing this.
Using hydroton as the medium, nothing added to the set-up besides pvc pipe and the pump that is in contact with the water.
Ph 8.2
Ammonia .25ppm
Nitrate 0ppm
Nitrate 0ppm
Still loosing fish every few days, even without water being added.
thoughts...
Well how big is your tank? Also how much water( if any) are you replacing on a daily basis?
Do you have algae growth? If so, try measuring pH in the morning and evening.Originally Posted by khune
Are there any pictures of your system? Are you sure your test kit is ok? Cycling with fish is not the best idea anyway.. and what is the stuff?
"Progress doesn't come from early risers - progress is made by lazy men looking for easier ways to do things." --Robert Heinlein
I add water every few days, around 7 gallons at a time. Seems to take 3-4 days to loose that much.
I have a 275 tote that has been cut down. If I did my math right there are around are around 100 gallons of water in the system. I could probably add another 50 gallons to the system.
I have it so when it drains it causes the water in the tank to 'spin' like in a bait tank. You can see the down pipe in a few of the pics.
I am using water to aerate the system... I guess I could move to stones and a pump. This may be better since I think the splashing water causes the majority of my evaporation.
Here are some pics.
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I would suggest adding more air. It never hurts. You may have an issue with CO2 depletion raising your pH. The good news is CO2 readily dissolves in water. So extra aeration should do the trick. Have you tried measuring pH in the morning and evening as I suggested?
Also, what's the deal with that metal cage? What is it made from? If it's galvanized the zinc could be harming your fish.
Hi Khune,
Any fish production system will use water.....and systems that incorporate plants will lose even more. Given that, and that it's summer in your part of the world, seven gallons every few days shouldn't be an issue.
The difference between the pH of your source water.....and that in your system.....is not really a problem either - except that I'd recommend that you gradually reduce it (using hydrochloric acid) to some thing around 6.5 - 6.8.
That will put you in the safer (ionised) end of the pH scale (should you have an ammonia spike) and it will make more nutrients available to your plants.
Gary
"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." - Arthur Schopenhauer
www.microponics.net.au - for candid dialogue on integrated backyard food production.
www.urbanaquaponics.com.au - the home of the Online Urban Aquaponics Manual.
Yeah, the fish kept getting caugth in the pump. I will remove the cage. It is 'hardware cloth' and it is galvanized.
Eeek!
There are mesh bags you can get at aquarium stores; you put the pump inside of it and pull the drawstring up at the top around the cord and pipe. You'll have to clean it somewhat regularly, since it'll get clogged with solids. But that's not the end of the world.
Here's an update:
Added a airpump from Wal-Mart for $20 to the system with 2 stones. One is in the primary fish tank and the other is in a 40 gallon water sunning tank. The sun tank has been filled with water plants (duck weed etc...) After the water suns for a week I use it to top off my primary tank as needed.
With the new air-pump going, and not using 'goo' to clean the water, I have not lost a fish... and have since added 15 more and still no loss for over 2 weeks..
Tomatoes, basil, and peppers (bell / jalapeno / Serrano) seem to be doing great. Water melon seems to hate it... and the cucumbers got stunted when the fish count got so low (not enough nutrient in the water?).
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