nitrates in fish tank

[mary proctor]

we have been having alot of nitrate problems with one 39 gallon tank.  We have about 100 Tilapia fingerlings in this tank.  We have changed the water "full"water change day before yesterday.  Yesterday we did a 1/3 water change.  this morning I did another 1/3 water change.  We did not feed the fish yesterday.  Help....  trying to get that nitrate back down.

 

also anybody know about Neem oil.  I am having a aphid problem on my red cabbage.  What amount of Neem oil to water ratio and "I think you can use it with aquaponics???"  Please respond  I am thinking about ordering Liquid ladybug spray, what do you think about that.  Have a blessed day  Mary

[Vlad Jovanovic]

Hi Mary,

Why would Nitrates be a problem? Nitrates would rarely if ever be a problem for the fish. If that wasn't a typo...you could prob stop with the water changes (changing out that much water will likely mess with your bio-filter).

Oil to water ratio's for soft-bodied insect spray is 3% to 5% and you will need a surfactant (like dish-washing soap) in the neighborhood of 0.5%. Please do not feel tempted to over do it on the oil side I've noticed that anything over 6-8% tends to damage my plants.

Oil is horrible for fish. So if you decide to do this, use some common sense precautions, like protecting your tank from over-spray, cover your grow beds if you can etc...Liquid lady bug spray is also a mixture of essential plant oils and surfactant, so same deal applies.

Also, if you can use tea tree oil, or lavender oils you may be a little better off than with neem, as neem seems to be particularly fish un-friendly, but again if you protect your system from over spray, within reason, it should go a long way in avoiding potential problems.

[Sylvia Bernstein]

Mary, I'm with Vlad - nitrates usually aren't a problem...was that a typo?  And what levels are you experiencing?  I've used neem,  insecticidal soap and Liquid Ladybug (for spider mites) in my systems and if you do what Vlad it suggesting - cover your tanks to prevent overspray - they all work reasonably well.  I'd go with insecticial soap over neem, though.  I've seen better results.  

[Rebecca B]

Aphids can be washed off using plain water, and I've been told they won't climb back up---unless ants carry them up. So dealing with the ants might be where you need to concentrate. Do a forum search for both aphids and for ants for some more ideas.

[mary proctor]

Hi, everyone!  My husband "Randy" found live ladybugs and triple threat spider mite predators on line thru Natures Control .

They were not that expensive.  I used water and washed the bugs off but didn't work.  Also used molasses with just a tad of liquid soap in a spray bottle.  It didn't work either.  I thought about the diatamacious earth but was afraid because of the fish.  We have hydron clay pebbles for our beds.  I hadn't thought of borax soap but again worried about it having effect on the fish

 

thank you for your reply to the fish and nitrates.   I will continue to monitor and do what I have to do to keep my fish alive.  Be blessed Mary