My System is producing Pure water ?

[Woftam]

My System now is producing pure water: Great growth, in vegetables, very happy fish, what’s left of them after the unknown death took the others. And needless to say I never received my replacement twenty. For the seventy deaths, so only have 30 left, 28 fingerlings and two Larger fingerlings, the $3.00 ones.
So:
Have I got too few fish?
with too much water??,
Problem regarding fish: I can not get any more silver perch, till mid December, from a more reputable supplier this time.
I have two grow beds- app 200lts each.
Have a 200lt fingerling tank.
A Main tank, of app 800lts (which all the fish are in).
A 800lt buffer tank, that is connected by siphon, 2x32mm pipes to keep the main tank , reasonably full, when both grow beds are full together: as synchronizing the grow beds without a flow meter is quite hard, if not near impossible when they are individually fed.
So-
What’s best remove plants, or remove buffer tank till I get more fish.
My last two readings:
13th: PH-7.5/7.2 AMMONIA-0.25 NITRATE-5 NITRITE-0.25
14th PH-7.5/7.2 AMMONIA-0.0 NITRATE-0.0 NITRITE-0.0

I understand the fish should be my first priority: maybe its early days.

I do have lots of geese and chicken poo around, can that be added to the plants, ??? without effecting the fish,
There is a container I fill each day for the goslings to bath in : can some of the murky water be added for nutrients ?? (The dogs like it)

[GaryD]

Hi Woftam,

Have I got too few fish....with too much water?

While you appear to have the capacity to carry more fish (with 2 x 800 litre tanks), I'm unclear as to how the various components in your system are hooked up and what your water flow path looks like so, given your circumstances and experience.....and that your system has barely cycled.....I'd stick with the fish you've got until your system has the opportunity to develop more resilience.

Can you provide a diagram of your system? It will make it easier to work out exactly what's happening around the grow beds, etc.

What’s best remove plants, or remove buffer tank till I get more fish.

I wouldn't suggest that you remove plants - they'll help to get things settled down.

I understand the fish should be my first priority: maybe its early days.

Getting things right for the fish is absolutely the right thing to do. I'd usually advise that you don't add any fish or plants initially.....until your system is fully cycled. I advise fishless cycling because it provides for much greater certainty around nitrification.

Given that you're nearly there, I'd suggest that you don't change things too quickly or radically. Just give things a chance to settle down.

I do have lots of geese and chicken poo around, can that be added to the plants, ??? without effecting the fish,
There is a container I fill each day for the goslings to bath in : can some of the murky water be added for nutrients ?? (The dogs like it)

I wouldn't put the goose and chicken poo into your system......save it for the dogs. I'm not even supportive of having fish poop in the system for very long and chicken food can sometimes contain some "interesting" additives.

You can make much better use of the chicken and goose poo (and fish poop, too) in other growing systems......like wicking beds.


Gary

[Woftam]

Few pictures of system:
The reason for the sump tank (240lt barrel is) to deliver water to small tank above, which then cascades to lower tank,
Level of top tank is controlled by two 50mm pipes raised to 300mm. the drop creates an air cage of about 100mm to 150mm deep in main tank.
Should the sump pump fail, it automatically overflows into main tank.
The main tank is also aerated by four separate air pumps:
There is also an air venturi system I have installed into the Sump pump, also acts as a break to back flow.