Vidar's system log

[vihalvor]

im reading on PUGO's system .. my PH is 6.8 .. should i aim to increase it to 7.0 or even higher for the benefits of the plants ? .. if so .. how ?...vinegar ???

[Pugo]

No, your PH is perfect. It is really just where I would like mine to be..I am only using vinegar as I don't really have anything else to use right now. As soon as I find some acid I will use that instead..

[EdwardHill]

think pugo is right, your PH seems fine, however if you were tying to get from 6.8 to 7 you would need to add a base not an acid as an acid would lower your PH.

[Hercules]

Fish and plants live at optimal pH levels. For fish, this would be around a pH of 6.5 to 8.0 and for plants, around a pH of 4.5 to 6.5. Therefore, Aquaponic systems are a compromise between the pH requirements of the fish, and those of the plants. The best pH to run at is around 6.7 to 6.9. This is O.K. for the fish (as it protects against ammonia toxicity), and is O.K. for the plants (as it allows them to uptake the nutrients they require for growth).

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[vihalvor]

OK ... so i figured my small fish tank could have been a part of the measurement issues i had... and... i really wanted a GB system rather than the vertical towers... so .. as i bought the wife a Wii game system, i argumented i could go spend 50 $ ( 2000 peso ) on some noew playtoy for me .... i..e .. new tank and stuff...
so i tripled the Liters from 55 to 165, and poured up 40 liter of GB to suit.... since its still a small GB, i didnt expand the amount of fish... i have the 1 feeder/poopoer machine ( koi), until i can find a better way to increase # of GB ...


the new Fishtank.. securely fixed with black duct tape to shut out sunlight...


The Finished GB , with drainage and pebble-filter...



GB with the old basils already fitted... they LOVE their new home...the square markings you see on the FT is the feeding hatch i cut out for the koi... it needs foor too every now and then... hehe.. and its an easy way to get water for the tests from ....
Its also fitted with perforated pipes, as you might be able to see in the GB .. the water is squirting in the picture....



And the new recruits for the new growbed.... some 20 assorted lettuces... to be transplanted end of next week.....

[Pugo]

Kind of miss your towers they looked cool... But glad to see you are still experimenting :P As for me I am more or less done just starting on the finishing touches, Put the top molding on the grow-beds today. Then build a wooden top for the fish tank, after that boring time just watch stuff grow.. It is really weird, I can leave the garden for a couple of hours and when I return, to find plants have grown. Never mind what I see every twenty four hours.. But honestly it is getting a little boring now that the build is over
I guess nothing much is happening until the Tilapia arrive.. Think I have an issue. Two different people are getting fish for me.. each one is getting me a hundred Tilapia... I went to a second person because there was a communications problem, them come to find out it was only a delay. I have no real way of stopping the order. One is getting the regular Tilapia. the other one is getting me red Tilapia.. I hope they can live together in the same tank, it really has me wondering..

I guess I will be pushing the system beyond the limit very soon... eeecck!

[vihalvor]

.. i DO envy you your opportunity to build that big system .. hehe... maybe next year IF we get to rent a house with a garden, and not an apartment..... i can only dream

[vihalvor]

ok .. so the readings of today are as follows....
PH: 7,2
ammonia: 0
Nitrate no3:10
nitrite no2:5

[vihalvor]

humm.. that PH was supposed to be 7.8 .. now.. i need to bring it down... in a 165 liter tank .. w/ about .. 140 liter fillled im guessing.. how much muriatic acid should i put in to lower it to about 7.0 ?

[Pugo]

Once you build a larger system, that is what you are stuck with... play time is over..