Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Balance of plants in the environment CATMANDOO Aquaponics Experiment

Here's another vote for showing your system Brian.

another vote to get your thread up brian..
i'll have to update mine as well. i just topped off all 4 growbeds, the gravel had settled and the top layer was getting a little to wet..
got some asparagus, onions garlic and chives in, but i still have to finish planting the rest of the growbeds
i was working most weekends from last fall through spring, and my plants got a little out of control.. i only lost a few tilapia over the winter and 2 eggbound yp.. but 5 baby tilapia made it through the winter and are growing fast in their own tank..
found 4 berried crayfish last weekend too.. i've had 6 hatches of marmokrebs, the bg and yp love them.. i think i've put 40 or so larger crays in the ft to grow out and keep making babies.. still trying to figure out kind of structure i can put in - right now i'm using a bunch of pvc cutoffs with one end capped

Hey Brian,
We would all love to see your system, so post away! Should be really cool!

We also need to resolve this salt issue with Aquaponics. Any technical insight would be welcomed.

Don't be shy with any other technical details as well. Get right into it!

Thanks!!

And another vote!

Me too.

Two days ago I added six 3-inch tilapia and six more 5-7 inch bluegill to the tank. One of the tilapia and one of the bluegill died yesterday. It was an hour trip from my place to my son's, where the tank is now located. I think they may have died from stress or temperature shock.

The tomatoes, peppers, and lettuce are producing. The color of the tomato, pepper, cucumber, and squash leaves are all dark green, and the fruit is great. The cucumbers and squash don't yet have blossoms. My son said the lettuce was delicious and the jalapenos in the accompanying salad required a couple of glasses of milk.

When I did a water test this afternoon, the ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates were unmeasurable. The pH was at 7.1.

I'd appreciate any guidance. I'm thinking of adding about 30-40 more inches of bluegill tomorrow because the nitrates are so low.

Any thoughts?

Don't add more fish load than your filtration and Flow Rate can handle.

If my ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates are immeasurable -- why not add more fish?

From my measurements, it seems that I either have too many plants, or I don't have enough fish.

I've got a zillion BG I can sacrifice, and it appears my tilipia are reproducing, so I probably will have a few extra there too.

I still have room for more plantings. I would think that I could safely add more fish, in increments, while monitoring the ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. D.O. remains high. pH remains neutral.

Am I doing something wrong that I just don't see?

If you can add more plantings, then you will be adding filtration (bio-conversion). Adequate flow rate is paramount in order to maintain Oxygen levels.
I can't see where you are doing anything wrong, just a friendly word of caution.

You hope ammonia and nitrites are all ways zero. And zero nitrates is not necessarily bad. Unless you have added additional grow beds, your IBC top grow bed only has about 45 gallons of substrate. I think your max fish load should be about 7 lbs at harvest time.

Incremental adding fish is a good idea.

brian

catmandoo, how are your plants being pollinated(sp)? If they're outside, I understand.