cold weather - Aquaponic Gardening2024-03-29T00:02:48Zhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/forum/topics/cold-weather?commentId=4778851%3AComment%3A294545&feed=yes&xn_auth=noi see, i was getting a sample…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-02-20:4778851:Comment:2958742012-02-20T21:45:43.215ZM D Fowlerhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/MDFowler
<p>i see, i was getting a sample of water and feeding them while waiting for results. good idea! thanks</p>
<p>i see, i was getting a sample of water and feeding them while waiting for results. good idea! thanks</p> You are cycling up. You need…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-02-20:4778851:Comment:2956412012-02-20T12:39:23.909ZTCLynxhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/TCLynx
<p>You are cycling up. You need to base your feeding on the water quality. Do ammonia and nitrite tests before you feed. Anything above a trace or .25 on either ammonia or nitrite readings and you probably should either reduce the feed or not feed at all depending on how high above .25 either of those readings are. Prolonged exposure to ammonia and/or nitrite is probably what's killing the catfish off first since they are more sensitive to either than goldfish, koi or tilapia…</p>
<p>You are cycling up. You need to base your feeding on the water quality. Do ammonia and nitrite tests before you feed. Anything above a trace or .25 on either ammonia or nitrite readings and you probably should either reduce the feed or not feed at all depending on how high above .25 either of those readings are. Prolonged exposure to ammonia and/or nitrite is probably what's killing the catfish off first since they are more sensitive to either than goldfish, koi or tilapia are.</p>
<p></p> my cat fish is what's going f…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-02-20:4778851:Comment:2958022012-02-20T02:56:29.241ZM D Fowlerhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/MDFowler
<p>my cat fish is what's going first. is it my feeding? i feed them koi pond food, is there something better or something wrong with the food now. i'm feeding them every other day or every third day and only a little at that. </p>
<p>what do feed yours?</p>
<p>my cat fish is what's going first. is it my feeding? i feed them koi pond food, is there something better or something wrong with the food now. i'm feeding them every other day or every third day and only a little at that. </p>
<p>what do feed yours?</p> Hang in there. Patience is t…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-02-19:4778851:Comment:2947702012-02-19T00:00:44.229ZTCLynxhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/TCLynx
<p>Hang in there. Patience is the hardest ingredient to find for most people.</p>
<p>Hang in there. Patience is the hardest ingredient to find for most people.</p> i would like t think all that…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-02-18:4778851:Comment:2947382012-02-18T14:36:13.423ZM D Fowlerhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/MDFowler
<p>i would like t think all that have responded and helped me. i am putting their knowledge and experience to work. it has really taught me a lot. my main problem i need to learn is patience. i was so caught up on one thing or another either being too high or too low when i just needed to let it cycle and wait to see if it would catch up on its own.</p>
<p>i don't think i'm going to add the chemicals that i bought from the pet store, but just wait until the bacteria catch up and if i make…</p>
<p>i would like t think all that have responded and helped me. i am putting their knowledge and experience to work. it has really taught me a lot. my main problem i need to learn is patience. i was so caught up on one thing or another either being too high or too low when i just needed to let it cycle and wait to see if it would catch up on its own.</p>
<p>i don't think i'm going to add the chemicals that i bought from the pet store, but just wait until the bacteria catch up and if i make changes do it naturally and in small increments.</p>
<p> once again i appreciate and enjoy listining to higher knowledge and experience</p> In the month before you added…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-02-18:4778851:Comment:2947182012-02-18T10:39:19.788ZVlad Jovanovichttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/VladJovanovic
<p>In the month before you added the fish MD, were you cycling by adding ammonia (and going through the whole fish-less cycling process) to prepare for the fish? If not, then you are currently cycling with fish, which is ok, but you really, really, need that test kit. (A lot of folks choose to cycle up their bio-filter fishlessly to avoid the stress of killing a bunch of fish, but you <em>can</em> cycle up the system with the fish in there as well). You can use the search field on this site to…</p>
<p>In the month before you added the fish MD, were you cycling by adding ammonia (and going through the whole fish-less cycling process) to prepare for the fish? If not, then you are currently cycling with fish, which is ok, but you really, really, need that test kit. (A lot of folks choose to cycle up their bio-filter fishlessly to avoid the stress of killing a bunch of fish, but you <em>can</em> cycle up the system with the fish in there as well). You can use the search field on this site to look up the topic of cycling, or check out the 'Rules of Thumb' page, I think there is a little bit of info there as well. Not cycling up an aquarium or AP system, and just putting in a bunch of fish, can be a good way to get some (hopefully not all) of them killed, as your system is not yet ready to process the ammonia and nitrites.</p>
<p>Get the test kit, and read up on cycling a bit to try and ease the situation with the die-off's and get your system cycled and your bio-filter 'on-line' and doing it's job.</p>
<p>Oh yeah, you in all likelihood <strong><em>do not</em></strong> want to add any ammonia/nitrite sequestering (or other) chemicals that the pet store gave you.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that in this type of system, you not only have the fish, plants and bacteria to consider...but yourself as well, since you will be consuming 2 of those 3. Hopefully on a regular and bountiful basis :)</p> i just started everything thi…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-02-18:4778851:Comment:2944822012-02-18T02:02:39.769ZM D Fowlerhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/MDFowler
<p>i just started everything this year. i started with the tank running for a week then added gravel grow bed then added some plants after another week. about a month after water was started i added fish and from there i just kept adding plants until it became full, i figured i could put the plants in the ground if it got too full. like i said it is all new to me and i have a lot of learning to do.</p>
<p>i think i will get a complete test kit</p>
<p>i just started everything this year. i started with the tank running for a week then added gravel grow bed then added some plants after another week. about a month after water was started i added fish and from there i just kept adding plants until it became full, i figured i could put the plants in the ground if it got too full. like i said it is all new to me and i have a lot of learning to do.</p>
<p>i think i will get a complete test kit</p> MD, When you said "Just Start…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-02-18:4778851:Comment:2943722012-02-18T00:46:55.678ZVlad Jovanovichttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/VladJovanovic
<p>MD, When you said "Just Started" on your page, does that mean that you just started the cycling process or...?</p>
<p></p>
<p>MD, When you said "Just Started" on your page, does that mean that you just started the cycling process or...?</p>
<p></p> I'm not terribly trusting of…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-02-18:4778851:Comment:2945452012-02-18T00:19:24.599ZTCLynxhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/TCLynx
<p>I'm not terribly trusting of stuff pets stores sell to "balance" things.</p>
<p>Seeing as we don't want some of those chemicals in our food supplies and others might do things like lock up ammonia.</p>
<p></p>
<p>We want the nitrates for the plants and getting past the ammonia and nitrite spikes is part of cycling up a bio-filter.</p>
<p>I highly recommend getting a test kit so you can test pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate yourself.</p>
<p>If ammonia or nitrite are high, don't feed.</p>
<p>I'm not terribly trusting of stuff pets stores sell to "balance" things.</p>
<p>Seeing as we don't want some of those chemicals in our food supplies and others might do things like lock up ammonia.</p>
<p></p>
<p>We want the nitrates for the plants and getting past the ammonia and nitrite spikes is part of cycling up a bio-filter.</p>
<p>I highly recommend getting a test kit so you can test pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate yourself.</p>
<p>If ammonia or nitrite are high, don't feed.</p> i took a sample of water to t…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-02-17:4778851:Comment:2944642012-02-17T23:34:13.878ZM D Fowlerhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/MDFowler
<p>i took a sample of water to the pet store today and they said my nitrite and nitrate was high but everything else was fine. they sold me something to balance everything. </p>
<p>i'm still new to this and i am learning so much, but i still have so much to learn. it is fun though!</p>
<p>i took a sample of water to the pet store today and they said my nitrite and nitrate was high but everything else was fine. they sold me something to balance everything. </p>
<p>i'm still new to this and i am learning so much, but i still have so much to learn. it is fun though!</p>