Giving it a go - backyarder style!

[backyarder]

Hello all,

I'm new to the veggie growing/aquaponics thing and was wondering if you could help guide me a little.

I have a few 160lt fish tanks which i have kept and bred african cichlids in for a few years now so i understand a little on water perameters etc but i'm no expert. I am very keen on the self sustainability that aquaponics can help provide and so have researched on the web, a couple of magazines and trusty youtube.

I went out and found a reasonably priced IBC 1000lt tank, cut the top off and tested (many frustrating hours!) a bell siphon which i finally got working! i have a small grow bed now about 55lt full of washed river rocks cycling with 12 small comets and about 450lt of water, some from my pond, some rain water and some from my cichlid tanks (as i figured it would help stimulate bacteria). I am going to add another 4 of these soon.

Ok now to my questions...

-Do i need more or bigger fish or not yet?

-When should i plant seedlings, once i have certain water perameters?

-how many grow beds can/should i have running off how much water and how many fish do i need?

-how often do i test the water and what am i looking for for healthy plany and fish growth?

-can i plant now and seasol it up to support the plants until the fish start working their magic?

any help would be appreciated
cheers
Leigh

[GaryD]

Hi Leigh,

Welcome again to APHQ.

The more water you add from an already cycled system, the faster your AP will cycle.

Do i need more or bigger fish or not yet?

Twelve Comets may not make much impression on 450 litres of water.

I'd be inclined to put them back into one of your 160 litre aquariums and put some sulphate of ammonia or urea in your 450 litre tank.....a little bit at a time.....until you get a reading of 2 - 3ppm. Around this time, you'll start to notice low nitrite readings which should (over a week or so) climb to about 2ppm. When the ammonia and nitrite readings have returned to zero (at which time you should detect modest nitrate readings, your system has cycled and it is now safe to add fish.

When should i plant seedlings, once i have certain water perameters?

if you go down the fishless cycling route that I've suggested, I'd wait until your system has cycled before you add the plants.

how many grow beds can/should i have running off how much water and how many fish do i need?

If you are relying on your grow beds for nitrification, you will need enough volume to achieve that function. If your fish are very small, you can (depending on their numbers) start off with a single grow bed and then add others as you get ammonia readings and your nitrate levels begin to build up. The final number of grow beds that your system will support depends on a number of things......see here.

how often do i test the water and what am i looking for for healthy plany and fish growth?

I'd suggest that you test water daily until your system has cycled and then every 2 - 3 days until it begins to mature in about six months.

can i plant now and seasol it up to support the plants until the fish start working their magic?

You can use your fish and some Seasol but, for a more decisive cycling, I'd still recommend fishless cycling.

Gary

[backyarder]

thanks Gary

dang, i just planted a few seedlings and seeds but on a side note i have a small ammonia reading, i will check it again in the morning but maybe i'm on the way?

After reading the thread about the system in kalgoolie i am liking the trout over winter idea, so the aim is to have the system ready to handle some trout in maybe april? ive got to check availability tho i guess.

So i plan to have four little tub grow beds for the tank, i'm guessing i should be adding them from the start to stabilise it all? will the bacteria grow more quickly to an added bed if the system is already cycled?

lots of questions, sorry!

[drewb]

I glad you asked the questions cause i was just about to ask the same thing

Cheers D

[backyarder]

Ok tested for ammonia and have between 2 - 4 ppm which is good, but no nitrites yet...

In terms of supplimenting the iron, has anyone tried 'iron gravel'? i got some from my local fish shop and thought i might give it a go but no idea on how much i'll need.

Also my gb fills in 2ish mins and drains in 30 seconds - should i try to mod this at all?

[backyarder]

Well i'm pleased to say that the cos lettuce i planted and the mini tomato plant seem to be doing well but with all this sun and hot weather in melbourne the water has turned green, is this a really bad thing? I have temp covered it but will make a better version, will this fix my problem?

cheers
Leigh

Also how do i add pics?

[GaryD]

Hi Backyarder,

I'm sorry about the lack of response to your questions.......your posts slipped past me.

So i plan to have four little tub grow beds for the tank, i'm guessing i should be adding them from the start to stabilise it all? will the bacteria grow more quickly to an added bed if the system is already cycled?

The media in the grow beds will definitely assist with the colonisation of beneficial bacteria. They are the bio-filters for your system.

Ok tested for ammonia and have between 2 - 4 ppm which is good, but no nitrites yet...

In terms of supplimenting the iron, has anyone tried 'iron gravel'? i got some from my local fish shop and thought i might give it a go but no idea on how much i'll need.

Use iron chelate - available from Bunnings.

Also my gb fills in 2ish mins and drains in 30 seconds - should i try to mod this at all?

I'd probably opt for a longer fill cycle but, at the end of the day, it all depends on how your plants react. It will be good for the bacteria and the fish.

Well i'm pleased to say that the cos lettuce i planted and the mini tomato plant seem to be doing well but with all this sun and hot weather in melbourne the water has turned green, is this a really bad thing? I have temp covered it but will make a better version, will this fix my problem?

You're experiencing an algae bloom. Covering your tank will fix it in a couple of days. You'll have an elevated pH but if you have no fish in the system, leave it......the high pH will suit the bacteria. If you left the fish in, then I'd lower the pH (very slowly) using a bit of white vinegar......slowly!

If you've had ammonia at 2 - 4ppm, you should have had nitrites by now, too. Check your water and see if they've gone back to zero.......and if you've got nitrates. If so, your system has cycled......and you can put the fish back in......after you've adjusted the pH. Did I mention that you should adjust the pH.....slowly.

Gary

[backyarder]

thanks for the responses gary, i did a bit of testing and have big spike in amm nitrite and nitrate. Im confused as to weather this is due to me adding the seasol a while back or not.

the ph is really low b/w 6 and 6.5 the water is green but the plants seem to be doing ok as do the fish?

the first pics is when i planted them in the fresh system 16 days ago

the water readings are off the scale. i have only added seasol powerfeed concentrate... maybe too much?

[GaryD]

Hi,

thanks for the responses gary, i did a bit of testing and have big spike in amm nitrite and nitrate. Im confused as to weather this is due to me adding the seasol a while back or not.

.......the water readings are off the scale. i have only added seasol powerfeed concentrate... maybe too much?

You're not kidding. I'd suggest that you change out about 30% of your water to drop the ammonia levels. Stop feeding the fish and adding Seasol.

You should see the ammonia levels drop......then the nitrite levels will drop......then the nitrate levels will begin to rise. Then you can resume feeding.......gently.

The algae problem is caused by too many nutrients in the water in the presence of sunlight. Cover your tank and it will clear up in a few days.

Gary

[robinmill]

hi backyarder

listen to gary..........take it slow

I have seen my ammonia levels go up.......so
dont add as much nitrogen to the water eg the fish will poo it out and the seasol
give it time and it will balance it self out

it takes a bit of time for the system to sort it self out then these ammonia levels will settle down

also do you have much in the way of oxygen in the water? algae is usually caused by sun, warm water and low oxygen levels
maybe some air stones in an air lift pump. perhaps
enjoy robin