Nitrates are zero...

Maui’s Handmaiden

I have had my aquaponics system running system since March 2017. It’s been running smoothly with only a few mineral deficiencies that were easily corrected. At one point I noticed my tilapia were not eating. I suspected one of two things. Either Nitrate toxic (water tests were showing greater than 160 ppm) or they were holding babies in their mouths and not eating). We immediately started doing daily water exchanges with daily testing. We also planned more plants in the grow bed. It took a while but slowly the Nitrate ppm started dropping, and the tilapia started eating. We stopped the water exchanges and went back to monitoring our levels once a week. Shortly after we had our first baby fish show up. Not sure if the high levels of Nitrates any anything to do with the poor appetite at this point to just a combination of them both.

Long story to a short question. Remember that adding more plants part? We grew an enormous white squash plant.

This photo was three weeks ago. It’s even bigger now. My actual system is behind the tree. Well, it’s sucking everything out of the system. Adding iron and see weed every week. Water tested the iron indicates it's needed.

My Nitrate is now ZERO. I want to remove it buy spouse wants to keep.

What are your thoughts about supplementing the system with ammonium chloride?

I still have plenty left from my fishless cycling. I would go back to frequently water testing. I don’t see any post regarding this approach.

Thanks

Maui’s Handmaiden

Few updated photos from today

Maui’s Handmaiden

earthbound

Nitrates are rarely an issue, especially for tilapia and levels at 200-300 are fine, as is 0... Personally I wouldn't add anything extra to the system, perhaps just increase feeding.

Kiara98

All the systems I've made have been better when nitrates read around 50.
0 isn't ideal for plant growth. Some people scrape by with nitrates at 0, but the more successful growers among us keep a few nitrates in the system.

-K98

Maui’s Handmaiden

12 1/2 ft up into the tree.

Maui’s Handmaiden

Update on the supplementing my system with ammonium to increase nitrates.

Added one tsp to about 250 gal

Starting reading:
Ammonia Zero > 0.25
Nitrite Zero > Zero
Nitrate Zero > 5

1/2 tsp

Ammonia 0.25 > Zero
Nitrite Zero > Zero
Nitrate Zero > Zero

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

rininger85

I think you need a bigger ladder... not many people have to climb on top of their houses to harvest their food... unless their system is a rooftop system lol.

Omaha fire before moving to the island life?

earthbound

Kiara98 wrote:

All the systems I've made have been better when nitrates read around 50.
0 isn't ideal for plant growth. Some people scrape by with nitrates at 0, but the more successful growers among us keep a few nitrates in the system.

-K98

Lol Really?

rininger85

earthbound wrote:

Kiara98 wrote:

All the systems I've made have been better when nitrates read around 50.
0 isn't ideal for plant growth. Some people scrape by with nitrates at 0, but the more successful growers among us keep a few nitrates in the system.

-K98

Lol Really?

Joel if you haven't figured it out yet, Kiara knows everything. Not sure why anyone else even bothers posting anymore, we should just sit back and wait for Kiara to tell us how to do everything one liners at a time with no pictures to back up that they even have a system. Now they'll post "how do you post pictures?" So, I guess I really should say Kiara knows everything except how to post pictures, or how to research how to post pictures.

Maui’s Handmaiden

I have continued to supplement my system and it’s working great. Just thought I would pass it along to others know.

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