Aquaponics System, Passive Solar Greenhouse build - Page 12

pinballlooking · 05-18-15, 02:00 PM

The system has to cycle it can take 4 weeks or more. I added some Nitrifying Bacteria to jump the cycling. Another way to jump start the cycling is to get water or rock from another system. A aquarium sponge or filter from a healthy system.

I am thinking about buying some water from the local system I visited. Once cycled and I see nitrates I can add my fish I can’t wait to get fish. I have to test the water every day until it is cycled.

But yes I will need to add more Maxicrop I am not really sure how well the plants will do without fish.

I need to add a shade cloth over the plants it really is too much sun. Our sun is pretty intense here in SC. At Clemson U they keep a shade cloth over the green house all year around.

I wrapped the silver tarp two layers around the fish tank and wire tied the tarp around it. Then I put one tarp over it so when the time comes to feed the fish it will be easy.

pinballlooking · 05-19-15, 09:04 AM

Here are the test after one week cycling.
The first tube is PH it is about 7
Second tube is ammonia is about 3 ppm
And the last test is Nitrite it is just starting to show up this is good news.
Tomorrow I will have to add Nitrate testing.

pinballlooking · 05-19-15, 10:01 AM

Here is a blog someone is cycling their system.
Articles | GreenAquaponics.org
This tells about system startup.
Cycling Aquaponics

This chart does a good job showing what is happing.

pinballlooking · 05-20-15, 09:12 AM

This is after 8 days cycling
PH it is about 7
Ammonia is about 2 ppm
Nitrite is up to .25 ppm
Nitrate is showing up at about 10 ppm
This looks like good news to me.

Daox · 05-20-15, 02:47 PM

What should the levels be at?

pinballlooking · 05-20-15, 02:55 PM

I need to see the Ammonia going down while the Nitrite continues to go up.
I want Nitrate to keep going up.

When the Nitrite and Nitrate cross on the graph above while Ammonia goes down then I can add fish.

But seeing Nitrites increase and Nitrate show up is great that meant both good bacteria are in my system and it is just a matter of time now.

PH it is about 7 : This is good

Ammonia is about 2 ppm : if this gets lower and it should I will add some more Ammonia to bring it back to 2-4 ppm

Nitrite is up to .25 ppm : This is good and I want this to rise even more.
Nitrate is showing up at about 10 ppm : This is great and I want it to keep going up.

pinballlooking · 05-21-15, 09:16 AM

This is after 9 days cycling
PH it is about 7
Ammonia is about 2 ppm
Nitrite is up to .50 ppm
Nitrate is showing up at about 10 ppm
It is good to see Nitrite increasing. Ammonia has a slight decrease.

It all looks good and we are heading in the right direction.

I know this is the boring part but hopefully someone finds it useful when they cycle their system.

5/22/15 test

This is after 10 days cycling
PH it is about 7
Ammonia is about 2 ppm
Nitrite is up to .75 ppm
Nitrate is showing up at about 20 ppm
It is good to see Nitrite and Nitrates increasing.
I would like to see Ammonia decrease more.

5/26/2015 I added a small amount of Ammonia.
It looks like we are getting closer.
PH it is about 7
Ammonia is about 2 ppm
Nitrite is up to 5 ppm
Nitrate is showing up at about 35 ppm

5/27/2015 I added a small amount of Ammonia.
It looks like we are getting closer.
PH it is about 6.8
Ammonia is about 1 ppm
Nitrite is up to 5 ppm
Nitrate is showing up at about 35+ ppm

5/28/2015 I added a small amount of Ammonia.
PH it is about 6.6
Ammonia is about .50 ppm this came down from yesterday.
Nitrite is up to 5+ ppm
Nitrate is showing up at about 80+ ppm

5/29/2015 I am not going to add Ammonia I want the Nitrite to come down.
PH it is about 6.6
Ammonia is about .35 ppm this came down from yesterday.
Nitrite is up to 5+ ppm
Nitrate is showing up at about 80+ ppm

5/30/2015 I am not going to add Ammonia I want the Nitrite to come down.
PH it is about 6.8
Ammonia is about .0 ppm this came down from yesterday.
Nitrite is up to 5+ ppm
Nitrate is showing up at about 80

5/30/2015 I am not going to add Ammonia I want the Nitrite to come down.
PH it is about 6.8
Ammonia is about .0 ppm this came down from yesterday.
Nitrite is up to 5+ ppm
Nitrate is showing up at about 30

I tested nitrites about 13 hours later. and they were coming down.

6/1/2015 I am not going to add Ammonia I want the Nitrite to come down.
PH it is about 6.7
Ammonia is about .0 ppm this came down from yesterday.
Nitrite is up to 0 ppm
Nitrate is showing up at about 20

pinballlooking · 05-22-15, 10:16 AM

They recommend planting leafy green plants to start with. We really like tomatoes and planted a lot of them so I am not sure how this first planting will turn out but here it is anyway. You can already tell I have a few Nitrates the plants are greening up. I posted todays test in the test photo above.

jeff5may · 05-22-15, 01:14 PM

Tomatoes are voracious consumers. Either go fishing this weekend for blue gill or grab a box of miracle grow for tomatoes. That will keep you going until they get a set of roots. Pour on the cal mag and Epsom salt, the tomatoes will reward you generously later on.

pinballlooking · 05-22-15, 01:21 PM

I added Epsom salt yesterday.

I need to see the Ammonia go down before I add the fish.
I think I am going to get tilapia for the summer. I am thinking about adding 25 medium size ones. Then wait a couple weeks and get 25 more.

05-18-15, 02:00 PM	#111
pinballlooking Super Moderator Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: SC Posts: 2,923 Thanks: 172 Thanked 564 Times in 463 Posts	The system has to cycle it can take 4 weeks or more. I added some Nitrifying Bacteria to jump the cycling. Another way to jump start the cycling is to get water or rock from another system. A aquarium sponge or filter from a healthy system. I am thinking about buying some water from the local system I visited. Once cycled and I see nitrates I can add my fish I can’t wait to get fish. I have to test the water every day until it is cycled. But yes I will need to add more Maxicrop I am not really sure how well the plants will do without fish. I need to add a shade cloth over the plants it really is too much sun. Our sun is pretty intense here in SC. At Clemson U they keep a shade cloth over the green house all year around. I wrapped the silver tarp two layers around the fish tank and wire tied the tarp around it. Then I put one tarp over it so when the time comes to feed the fish it will be easy. Last edited by pinballlooking; 05-18-15 at 09:57 PM..

05-19-15, 09:04 AM	#112
pinballlooking Super Moderator Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: SC Posts: 2,923 Thanks: 172 Thanked 564 Times in 463 Posts	Here are the test after one week cycling. The first tube is PH it is about 7 Second tube is ammonia is about 3 ppm And the last test is Nitrite it is just starting to show up this is good news. Tomorrow I will have to add Nitrate testing. Attached Thumbnails

05-19-15, 10:01 AM	#113
pinballlooking Super Moderator Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: SC Posts: 2,923 Thanks: 172 Thanked 564 Times in 463 Posts	Here is a blog someone is cycling their system. Articles \| GreenAquaponics.org This tells about system startup. Cycling Aquaponics This chart does a good job showing what is happing. Attached Thumbnails

05-20-15, 09:12 AM	#114
pinballlooking Super Moderator Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: SC Posts: 2,923 Thanks: 172 Thanked 564 Times in 463 Posts	This is after 8 days cycling PH it is about 7 Ammonia is about 2 ppm Nitrite is up to .25 ppm Nitrate is showing up at about 10 ppm This looks like good news to me. Attached Thumbnails

05-20-15, 02:47 PM	#115
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	What should the levels be at? __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

05-20-15, 02:55 PM	#116
pinballlooking Super Moderator Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: SC Posts: 2,923 Thanks: 172 Thanked 564 Times in 463 Posts	I need to see the Ammonia going down while the Nitrite continues to go up. I want Nitrate to keep going up. When the Nitrite and Nitrate cross on the graph above while Ammonia goes down then I can add fish. But seeing Nitrites increase and Nitrate show up is great that meant both good bacteria are in my system and it is just a matter of time now. PH it is about 7 : This is good Ammonia is about 2 ppm : if this gets lower and it should I will add some more Ammonia to bring it back to 2-4 ppm Nitrite is up to .25 ppm : This is good and I want this to rise even more. Nitrate is showing up at about 10 ppm : This is great and I want it to keep going up. Last edited by pinballlooking; 05-20-15 at 06:02 PM..

05-21-15, 09:16 AM	#117
pinballlooking Super Moderator Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: SC Posts: 2,923 Thanks: 172 Thanked 564 Times in 463 Posts	This is after 9 days cycling PH it is about 7 Ammonia is about 2 ppm Nitrite is up to .50 ppm Nitrate is showing up at about 10 ppm It is good to see Nitrite increasing. Ammonia has a slight decrease. It all looks good and we are heading in the right direction. I know this is the boring part but hopefully someone finds it useful when they cycle their system. 5/22/15 test This is after 10 days cycling PH it is about 7 Ammonia is about 2 ppm Nitrite is up to .75 ppm Nitrate is showing up at about 20 ppm It is good to see Nitrite and Nitrates increasing. I would like to see Ammonia decrease more. 5/26/2015 I added a small amount of Ammonia. It looks like we are getting closer. PH it is about 7 Ammonia is about 2 ppm Nitrite is up to 5 ppm Nitrate is showing up at about 35 ppm 5/27/2015 I added a small amount of Ammonia. It looks like we are getting closer. PH it is about 6.8 Ammonia is about 1 ppm Nitrite is up to 5 ppm Nitrate is showing up at about 35+ ppm 5/28/2015 I added a small amount of Ammonia. PH it is about 6.6 Ammonia is about .50 ppm this came down from yesterday. Nitrite is up to 5+ ppm Nitrate is showing up at about 80+ ppm 5/29/2015 I am not going to add Ammonia I want the Nitrite to come down. PH it is about 6.6 Ammonia is about .35 ppm this came down from yesterday. Nitrite is up to 5+ ppm Nitrate is showing up at about 80+ ppm 5/30/2015 I am not going to add Ammonia I want the Nitrite to come down. PH it is about 6.8 Ammonia is about .0 ppm this came down from yesterday. Nitrite is up to 5+ ppm Nitrate is showing up at about 80 5/30/2015 I am not going to add Ammonia I want the Nitrite to come down. PH it is about 6.8 Ammonia is about .0 ppm this came down from yesterday. Nitrite is up to 5+ ppm Nitrate is showing up at about 30 I tested nitrites about 13 hours later. and they were coming down. 6/1/2015 I am not going to add Ammonia I want the Nitrite to come down. PH it is about 6.7 Ammonia is about .0 ppm this came down from yesterday. Nitrite is up to 0 ppm Nitrate is showing up at about 20 Attached Thumbnails Last edited by pinballlooking; 06-01-15 at 10:04 AM..

05-22-15, 10:16 AM	#118
pinballlooking Super Moderator Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: SC Posts: 2,923 Thanks: 172 Thanked 564 Times in 463 Posts	They recommend planting leafy green plants to start with. We really like tomatoes and planted a lot of them so I am not sure how this first planting will turn out but here it is anyway. You can already tell I have a few Nitrates the plants are greening up. I posted todays test in the test photo above. Attached Thumbnails

05-22-15, 01:14 PM	#119
jeff5may Supreme EcoRenovator Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: elizabethtown, ky, USA Posts: 2,431 Thanks: 431 Thanked 619 Times in 517 Posts	Tomatoes are voracious consumers. Either go fishing this weekend for blue gill or grab a box of miracle grow for tomatoes. That will keep you going until they get a set of roots. Pour on the cal mag and Epsom salt, the tomatoes will reward you generously later on.

05-22-15, 01:21 PM	#120
pinballlooking Super Moderator Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: SC Posts: 2,923 Thanks: 172 Thanked 564 Times in 463 Posts	I added Epsom salt yesterday. I need to see the Ammonia go down before I add the fish. I think I am going to get tilapia for the summer. I am thinking about adding 25 medium size ones. Then wait a couple weeks and get 25 more.