Vidar's system log

[vihalvor]

Ok lads and ladies... ill be posting my log here along with questions i have.. hope ppl can offer some fine feedback ( of course you can.. hehehe )

so.. i have this micro setup:






Its doing well,.. sorta... the AM, Nitrate and nitrite are stable, but kind of on the higher side, with normal test results as follows:
PH 6,8
Nitrite: 5,0
Ammonia: 2,0
Nitrate: 10 ...

I have one set filled with Sweet Basil, whom have had a great run.... now they are starting to wain and get small discoloration.. im assuming thats due to old age...

whats more worrying is that the new lettuces i transplanted, are also having lighter spots of green in their leaves....

so... question is.. how come theres discoloration ? .. what can i do ?
I heard somewhere it could be due to iron deficiency, so ive had a few tablets of iron into it ... not sure if that will help.....

[Pugo]

I am also interested in the iron pill idea, so let me know how it works out.. as your PH is low, it does appear to be a deficiency problem. But most young systems have this issue.

[GaryD]

Hi vihalvor,

I'm assuming that you have fish in the system.

• Cut back on your feeding - allow the ammonia level to drop to 0 or thereabouts.
• Add salt at around 1 - 2ppt - this will help to address any stress arising out of your nitrite levels.
• Boost your air

Gary

[vihalvor]

more ait ... already have 1dual aerator, and one single aerator there = 3 airstones ...

feeding .. yeah .. will do that .. have a nagging feeling the wifey gave gone "oooohhh... but hes so hungry looking!! without me presence :P ...
salt ... had half a teaspoon in it a while back ....how much d\should i put in in a 55l tank ?

thanks

[Shane]

I heard somewhere it could be due to iron deficiency, so ive had a few tablets of iron into it ... not sure if that will help.....

Hi Vihalvor,
What sort of iron tablets are you using?

[vihalvor]

uhmm.... dunno ... says " iron " on the package :P might be some vit C there too...

[Madodel]

Haha! Use Stresstabs, multivitamins + iron. If it's good for you, it may be good for the plants too

[vihalvor]

yeah.. hehe i have some ... centrums lying about .. might drop them in .. i DONT think they can harm anything.. heheheh..

Truth be told.. im playing with the thought of redoing the whole system, when i come backfrom my norway vacation in September.. there are always some sale at the hardware store, so im thinking of getting a 200 Liter tub, reinforce it with some chicken wire and black ducktape, and redesigning the 2 round towers to 4 square vertical towers.. if only i can find the correct supplier.... Do you know of anyone selling square rain-downfall drain pipes anywhere near ? ...

[Madodel]

Check Ortigas home depo. The nearest I can give you where there is a sure stock of the pipes is in ACE SM Pampanga, 2 hrs from manila. Why not use horizontal round pipes (cut to the length that will fit your space), just like NFT, mounted stacked on your wall in a zigzag pattern, and save you the trouble of looking for parts that are hard to find? Vertical towers tend to clog easily.

[vihalvor]

well... i have round ones already.. and they arent space efficient ...
If ACE SM Pampanga have those, then the local ace should be able to get them ... ill check with the one here in makati....

As for clogging, i dont have that problem at all ... i threw a rough sift in the bottom of the pipes, so no stones could get into it... works like a charm ... if at all that would become a problem, il simply change to a bigger outlet... but the sift really makes a difference...
For the squared ones, ill make a bulkhead fitting with a sift or any other preventive measure... should stay unclogged for the next year i need it to ... heheheh...