How do you supplement with Maxicrop?

[Roger & April Frederick]

I have a new system, ~ 2 months running but fish only a little better than a week now.  Plants in the media beds are starting to look a little stressed, yellowing leaves on beans, pepper leaves with browning edges, yellowing cucumber leaves, wilty spinach, overall slow growth.  New seedlings in the raft bed are starting to get yellow leaves.  I'm wondering if it might be nutrient deficiency since the fish are really too small to provide nutrients at this point.  We've added some Maxicrop to the water by diluting and directly watering plants and leaves, but I'm not sure exactly what is the best and safest way to add it to the system.  The tank water has taken on a brown cast, though the fish seem fine and still interested in eating.  So, I guess I'm hoping for some more straight forward instructions about how, when and how much supplemental nutrient to add to the system until the fish get bigger.

Here are my specs:

appx 700 total gallons of water in the system  (275 OBD fish tank, 2 half IBC media beds, 2 half IBC sumps, 2'x10'x8" raft)

pH  ~7.6

Amonia 0

Nitrites 0

Nitrates 80 

temp ~80

 

Thanks in advance for sharing!!

[Keith Rowan]

i used maxicrop with iron, about a cap ful (of the liquid, it comes in both liquid and powder) for a 110 gallon system.. i'd go with a quarter cup, (it will stain the water for a few days) and add more in 3 weeks or so..

is this an outdoor system? (what kind of light are the plants getting)

what are you feeding the fish?  - you should use a high quality aquaculture food, which will provide plants and fish with just about everything they need for best growth, but in a new system, it takes a little while for everything to get into balance..

 

oh.. and do you have worms in your growbed? (to assist with the mineralization of solids).

[Roger & April Frederick]

Thanks for the reply, Keith.  It is an outdoor system, but the plants are now receiving mostly indirect sunlight.  We have shades up for the Florida summer sun.  We were worried about burning everything this time of year.  We're feeding the fish Aquamax 400.  We put some worms in the media beds, don't know where they are now though.  :)

I'm hoping it is a nutrient thing.  I wasn't able to pick up the Maxicrop with iron so may have to find some other way to supplement iron  

Keith Rowan said:

i used maxicrop with iron, about a cap ful (of the liquid, it comes in both liquid and powder) for a 110 gallon system.. i'd go with a quarter cup, (it will stain the water for a few days) and add more in 3 weeks or so..

is this an outdoor system? (what kind of light are the plants getting)

what are you feeding the fish?  - you should use a high quality aquaculture food, which will provide plants and fish with just about everything they need for best growth, but in a new system, it takes a little while for everything to get into balance..

 

oh.. and do you have worms in your growbed? (to assist with the mineralization of solids).

[Keith Rowan]

don't be discouraged by early results, it sounds like you're on the right path, but it does take a bit for a system to mature..

i got maxicrop with iron from amazon.. a liter lasted about a year...