New system planning

[Cindy A Dages]

Hi all

This may be a very basic question but here goes.  The further you stretch a system out, or add onto, by the time the water gets to the end of the system, how diluted are the nutriants in the water?  FT will be bottom part of IBC, top will be a GB then maybe a couple 1/2 blue barrels,,later addons would be some type of NFTs, or a couple towers that may be taken to market as they are, not sure how that will play out yet.  Items left unused yet would be the little upper float tank from a barrel ponics along with the the FT from that system and the middle supply tank from that system.

[TCLynx]

Nutrients are in solution and the nitrification takes place through out the system so I wouldn't really worry about plants in one part being starved to nutrients or anything.  It is more about an overall balance.  It generally doesn't take a huge amount of fish to keep a large number of plants growing in a mature system.

[Cindy A Dages]

Thank you for replying TCLynx,  When I get the FT ready in the new system I can just dump my 10 gal aquarium into it correct?  That is where my goldies spent the winter when I shut down the system last fall.  Rinse the filter in there also?

Thanks

TCLynx said:

Nutrients are in solution and the nitrification takes place through out the system so I wouldn't really worry about plants in one part being starved to nutrients or anything.  It is more about an overall balance.  It generally doesn't take a huge amount of fish to keep a large number of plants growing in a mature system.

[TCLynx]

Well I wouldn't simply dump them in, make sure you equalize temperatures for them before dumping them into a new bigger tank with more water.

And yes, swishing the aquarium filter into the new system will help seed the bigger system with bacteria (actually if you can take half of the aquarium filter and swish it into a bucket of system or aquarium water and pour that into the media of the new system as you set it up but before you actually go to move the fish over you can help get things a head start too.

You might even look up fishless cycling to get the system really rolling before you move the fish.

[Cindy A Dages]

LOL  I didn't really mean to "dump" them, sorry,  I will acclimate them properly.  Poor things won't know how to act with all that space in the IBC.  8)

TCLynx said:

Well I wouldn't simply dump them in, make sure you equalize temperatures for them before dumping them into a new bigger tank with more water.

And yes, swishing the aquarium filter into the new system will help seed the bigger system with bacteria (actually if you can take half of the aquarium filter and swish it into a bucket of system or aquarium water and pour that into the media of the new system as you set it up but before you actually go to move the fish over you can help get things a head start too.

You might even look up fishless cycling to get the system really rolling before you move the fish.

[TCLynx]

Good to know that you would acclimate them.  But I've heard enough stories about people who really do know better about fish and will still skip the normal steps (like cycling up) when they start an aquaponics system unless reminded so I'll repeat the simple things for the benefit of all.