Water Topic - Aquaponic Gardening2024-03-29T00:36:59Zhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/forum/topics/water-topic?id=4778851%3ATopic%3A8957&feed=yes&xn_auth=noThanks for the info TCLynx th…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-05-22:4778851:Comment:3384322012-05-22T02:53:37.231ZDavid Acklinhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/DavidAcklin
<p>Thanks for the info TCLynx that helped a ton.</p>
<p><br></br><br></br><cite>TCLynx said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://aquaponicscommunity.com/forum/topics/water-topic?commentId=4778851%3AComment%3A338347&xg_source=msg_com_forum#4778851Comment338347"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>I'm not a big fan of flexible pvc or Vinyl. There are some Vinyl liners that claim food grade but I doubt the billboard tarps can claim that. Even the ones that are food grade, the plasticizers they…</p>
</div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p>Thanks for the info TCLynx that helped a ton.</p>
<p><br/><br/><cite>TCLynx said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://aquaponicscommunity.com/forum/topics/water-topic?commentId=4778851%3AComment%3A338347&xg_source=msg_com_forum#4778851Comment338347"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>I'm not a big fan of flexible pvc or Vinyl. There are some Vinyl liners that claim food grade but I doubt the billboard tarps can claim that. Even the ones that are food grade, the plasticizers they use to keep them flexible are questionable in my book.</p>
<p></p>
<p>That said, I am using some of the billboard liner as the bottom of some regular soil garden wicking beds. See, I'm not going to go out and get any more of them but........ If I have something on hand that could be useful in the garden, I'm likely to use it instead of sending it to the landfill in order to go buy something else.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Now if you don't have the billboard liner on hand, I'll give you this warning. It is used, there is no guarantee the one you get won't have holes or abrasions or pinhole leaks and there is no guarantee that the materials used are really safe long term so I would probably advise getting a high quality liner. The Durascrim liner is good and food grade. Or for more ornamental use and even for personal backyard garden use, the EPDM firestone pondguard liner is good stuff and can stand up to abuse from rocks. The durascrim is not terribly flexible so I would restrict it's use to rectangular tanks and troughs. The EPDM is flexible and far better for fitting into a more complex shape for ornamental ponds.</p>
<p></p>
</div>
</div>
</blockquote> I'm not a big fan of flexible…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-05-22:4778851:Comment:3383472012-05-22T02:44:00.246ZTCLynxhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/TCLynx
<p>I'm not a big fan of flexible pvc or Vinyl. There are some Vinyl liners that claim food grade but I doubt the billboard tarps can claim that. Even the ones that are food grade, the plasticizers they use to keep them flexible are questionable in my book.</p>
<p></p>
<p>That said, I am using some of the billboard liner as the bottom of some regular soil garden wicking beds. See, I'm not going to go out and get any more of them but........ If I have something on hand that could be useful in…</p>
<p>I'm not a big fan of flexible pvc or Vinyl. There are some Vinyl liners that claim food grade but I doubt the billboard tarps can claim that. Even the ones that are food grade, the plasticizers they use to keep them flexible are questionable in my book.</p>
<p></p>
<p>That said, I am using some of the billboard liner as the bottom of some regular soil garden wicking beds. See, I'm not going to go out and get any more of them but........ If I have something on hand that could be useful in the garden, I'm likely to use it instead of sending it to the landfill in order to go buy something else.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Now if you don't have the billboard liner on hand, I'll give you this warning. It is used, there is no guarantee the one you get won't have holes or abrasions or pinhole leaks and there is no guarantee that the materials used are really safe long term so I would probably advise getting a high quality liner. The Durascrim liner is good and food grade. Or for more ornamental use and even for personal backyard garden use, the EPDM firestone pondguard liner is good stuff and can stand up to abuse from rocks. The durascrim is not terribly flexible so I would restrict it's use to rectangular tanks and troughs. The EPDM is flexible and far better for fitting into a more complex shape for ornamental ponds.</p>
<p></p> I have a question about what…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-05-21:4778851:Comment:3379952012-05-21T17:22:44.500ZDavid Acklinhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/DavidAcklin
<p>I have a question about what to use for the storage of water I found these tarps online <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Heavy-Duty-Vinyl-Tarp-Billboards/dp/B002EKZMT8/ref=sr_1_89?ie=UTF8&qid=1337617494&sr=8-89">http://www.amazon.com/Heavy-Duty-Vinyl-Tarp-Billboards/dp/B002EKZMT8/ref=sr_1_89?ie=UTF8&qid=1337617494&sr=8-89</a> they claim to be useful for ponds and stuff but I am building a deepwater culture system and wanting to use rammed earth for the fish hold and grow tanks…</p>
<p>I have a question about what to use for the storage of water I found these tarps online <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Heavy-Duty-Vinyl-Tarp-Billboards/dp/B002EKZMT8/ref=sr_1_89?ie=UTF8&qid=1337617494&sr=8-89">http://www.amazon.com/Heavy-Duty-Vinyl-Tarp-Billboards/dp/B002EKZMT8/ref=sr_1_89?ie=UTF8&qid=1337617494&sr=8-89</a> they claim to be useful for ponds and stuff but I am building a deepwater culture system and wanting to use rammed earth for the fish hold and grow tanks does anyone know if these vinyl tarps are safe to use as a liner ive been looking at the HDPE liners and <a href="http://www.pondarmor.com/">http://www.pondarmor.com/</a> which claims to be non toxic but the prices for the sizes I need are outrageous.</p>
<p> </p> Hang in there, slow and stead…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2010-11-30:4778851:Comment:249552010-11-30T02:06:57.000ZTCLynxhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/TCLynx
Hang in there, slow and steady but I expect things will get better.
Hang in there, slow and steady but I expect things will get better. So reassuring to have that in…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2010-11-29:4778851:Comment:248452010-11-29T05:21:33.000ZSheryl Gambardellahttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/SherylGambardella
So reassuring to have that information. Funny enough- when I needed emergency plant replacements- mints and basil, herbs and garlic were all that was available and so thats what is struggling its best for me now. I have swiss chard seedlings coming along now. I will nurse this through the pH adjustment and see what happens. And let you know. Thanks from another arid area :) <br></br>
<br></br>
<cite>Kobus Jooste said:…</cite>
So reassuring to have that information. Funny enough- when I needed emergency plant replacements- mints and basil, herbs and garlic were all that was available and so thats what is struggling its best for me now. I have swiss chard seedlings coming along now. I will nurse this through the pH adjustment and see what happens. And let you know. Thanks from another arid area :) <br/>
<br/>
<cite>Kobus Jooste said:</cite><blockquote cite="http://aquaponicscommunity.com/forum/topics/water-topic?commentId=4778851%3AComment%3A24843&xg_source=msg_com_forum#4778851Comment24843"><div>If you have any nitrates without adding it with fertilizer, then some cycling would have happened - I think the very high pH would not have been as bad for the bacteria as very low pH. Funny thing is most people try to add lettuce as a first plant to AP and they can be quite full of nonsense in a new system. I would try to get the pH down to at least 7.5 over about a 48 hour period (not to bomb the fish or bacteria out with sudden swings) and then try again with a mix of leaf crops such as lettuce, mint, basil, parsley atc to see if it was maybe the plant species you chose that were unhappy. Goldfish are quite tough and if you do not want to loose more water (I know that feeling), you should be able to nurse the system to correct pH without too much problems. Most basic kits do not pick up ammonia and nitrate levels well, but if you have alage, you have nutrients. You could start treating a container of tap water with a bubbler on the side just in case you do need to make a change, but I pulled a AP system with Ammonia levels of 7.5 mg/L and Nitrates of around 50 mg/L back to normal without changing the water and did not loose a fish - you will have to keep a close eye on it though for signs of stress with the fish.<br/> <br/>
<cite>Sheryl Gambardella said:</cite><blockquote cite="http://aquaponicscommunity.com/forum/topics/water-topic?commentId=4778851%3AComment%3A24832&xg_source=activity#4778851Comment24832"><div>Hello all! I am new to AP and having problems with my new system. I know it is the water- I have learned so much from reading on this site. But I wish for a place to put down the specifics and to get some feedback!<br/>I started a 160 gallon stock tank with 4 Zip grow towers 10/9/10. I introduced 10 gal water from my outdoor goldfish tank and ran the system for 11 days then added lettuce type plants and seaweed/fish fertilizer for another 14 days and then added the 30 small goldfish. Locally purchased testing kits were poor quality so the info from this time is sketchy but certainly the water pH was high and best guess now that it was 9. The pH Down product from the aquarium store started killing the plants so I changed out 50% of the water with rainwater (pH 7.2) twice and now have these readings: Ph 8.4, Ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 10 to 20, alkalinity 300, hardness 0. Water temp now ranges from 60 to 68 degrees(it was steady at 68 to 70 until 3 weeks ago), Air temp from 45 to 95 (its in a sunroom). The system has already had a small ammonia and nitrite spike and we have a little algae growing. The fish are doing OK but the plants- which were doing fair at first- are now dead and dying. And now no more rain water left.<br/>I read on this site that General Hydroponics pH Down is safe for fish and plants so that is what I am planning to use to slowly bring the pH down. My question I guess is.... has any cycling happened at all? and what I might I expect when I bring the pH down?</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
</blockquote> Hello all! I am new to AP and…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2010-11-29:4778851:Comment:248322010-11-29T03:53:54.000ZSheryl Gambardellahttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/SherylGambardella
Hello all! I am new to AP and having problems with my new system. I know it is the water- I have learned so much from reading on this site. But I wish for a place to put down the specifics and to get some feedback!<br></br>
I started a 160 gallon stock tank with 4 Zip grow towers 10/9/10. I introduced 10 gal water from my outdoor goldfish tank and ran the system for 11 days then added lettuce type plants and seaweed/fish fertilizer for another 14 days and then added the 30 small goldfish. Locally…
Hello all! I am new to AP and having problems with my new system. I know it is the water- I have learned so much from reading on this site. But I wish for a place to put down the specifics and to get some feedback!<br/>
I started a 160 gallon stock tank with 4 Zip grow towers 10/9/10. I introduced 10 gal water from my outdoor goldfish tank and ran the system for 11 days then added lettuce type plants and seaweed/fish fertilizer for another 14 days and then added the 30 small goldfish. Locally purchased testing kits were poor quality so the info from this time is sketchy but certainly the water pH was high and best guess now that it was 9. The pH Down product from the aquarium store started killing the plants so I changed out 50% of the water with rainwater (pH 7.2) twice and now have these readings: Ph 8.4, Ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 10 to 20, alkalinity 300, hardness 0. Water temp now ranges from 60 to 68 degrees(it was steady at 68 to 70 until 3 weeks ago), Air temp from 45 to 95 (its in a sunroom). The system has already had a small ammonia and nitrite spike and we have a little algae growing. The fish are doing OK but the plants- which were doing fair at first- are now dead and dying. And now no more rain water left.<br/>
I read on this site that General Hydroponics pH Down is safe for fish and plants so that is what I am planning to use to slowly bring the pH down. My question I guess is.... has any cycling happened at all? and what I might I expect when I bring the pH down? Sahib Punjabi said:I came acr…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2010-09-18:4778851:Comment:119942010-09-18T14:28:33.000ZTCLynxhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/TCLynx
<cite>Sahib Punjabi said:</cite><blockquote cite="http://aquaponicscommunity.com/forum/topics/water-topic?commentId=4778851%3AComment%3A11991&xg_source=msg_com_forum#4778851Comment11991"><div>I came across an interesting filtration method today, one using "Coir". What a wonderful idea especially if you subsequently use some of the coir as part of your medium for seed starting. Does anyone else use this method of filtration?…</div>
</blockquote>
<cite>Sahib Punjabi said:</cite><blockquote cite="http://aquaponicscommunity.com/forum/topics/water-topic?commentId=4778851%3AComment%3A11991&xg_source=msg_com_forum#4778851Comment11991"><div>I came across an interesting filtration method today, one using "Coir". What a wonderful idea especially if you subsequently use some of the coir as part of your medium for seed starting. Does anyone else use this method of filtration?
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/sep/17/backyard-aquaponics-shows-promise-kitsap-couple/" target="_blank">http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/sep/17/backyard-aquaponics-shows...</a><br />
<br />
</div>
</blockquote>
<br />
I'm not immediately finding a description of the filtration you mention. Can you point us to the exact reference or perhaps describe it for us?<br />
<br />
Oh, sorry, I found it now, it's in the video. They don't really explain much about the filter. Just show the water being run through a bin with coconut fiber as a filter. I wonder how long they have been running it and how often they have to change out the fiber when it gets too clogged with fish waste or starts to rot down. I also wonder if they experience renewed ammonia/nitrite spikes when they do change out the fiber as I'm sure it contains a huge portion of the Bio-filter bacteria since it gets first crack at the ammonia.<br />
<br />
I also notice that he says carrots rot. Well yea, if they are constantly submerged but I've grown lovely carrots in flood and drain gravel beds. Yes, I do use rainwater, but…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2010-09-18:4778851:Comment:119912010-09-18T13:52:58.000ZSahib Punjabihttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/SahibPunjabi
Yes, I do use rainwater, but only in small amounts, say 50 gallons every month or so (depending upon rains). Given that my Koi pond is approximately 1,000 gallons, this amount has not so far (touch-wood just in case I jinx myself), caused any negative action. I do like the diagram of the "sand filter" shared by Giorgio and I will try to build one soon.<br />
<br />
I came across an interesting filtration method today, one using "Coir". What a wonderful idea especially if you subsequently use some of the…
Yes, I do use rainwater, but only in small amounts, say 50 gallons every month or so (depending upon rains). Given that my Koi pond is approximately 1,000 gallons, this amount has not so far (touch-wood just in case I jinx myself), caused any negative action. I do like the diagram of the "sand filter" shared by Giorgio and I will try to build one soon.<br />
<br />
I came across an interesting filtration method today, one using "Coir". What a wonderful idea especially if you subsequently use some of the coir as part of your medium for seed starting. Does anyone else use this method of filtration?<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/sep/17/backyard-aquaponics-shows-promise-kitsap-couple/" target="_blank">http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/sep/17/backyard-aquaponics-shows-promise-kitsap-couple/</a><br />
<br />
<cite>zero power said:</cite><blockquote cite="http://aquaponicscommunity.com/forum/topics/water-topic#4778851Comment10627"><div>thats an interesting diagram of the sand filter.. I may try to make one... thank you<br/> <br/>
<cite>Giorgio said:</cite><blockquote cite="http://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/forum/topics/water-topic?commentId=4778851%3AComment%3A10579&xg_source=msg_com_forum#4778851Comment10564"><div>I collect rain water but haven't used it on my system yet, after doing some research and talking to some people I realized that before using the water it must be filtered properly.<br/>My friend's fish also died after using rainwater directly. At this moment I'm working on a sand bio filter that can be built cheaply. This is what I'm doing: <a href="http://www.slowsandfilter.org/illustrations.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.slowsandfilter.org/illustrations.html</a>.<br/>In the mean time I just use tap water and let it sit for at least 24 hrs before putting in system</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
</blockquote> thats an interesting diagram…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2010-09-05:4778851:Comment:106272010-09-05T22:54:32.000Zzero powerhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/zeropower
thats an interesting diagram of the sand filter.. I may try to make one... thank you<br />
<br />
<cite>Giorgio said:</cite><blockquote cite="http://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/forum/topics/water-topic?commentId=4778851%3AComment%3A10579&xg_source=msg_com_forum#4778851Comment10564"><div>I collect rain water but haven't used it on my system yet, after doing some research and talking to some people I realized that before using the water it must be filtered properly.<br></br>My friend's fish also died after…</div>
</blockquote>
thats an interesting diagram of the sand filter.. I may try to make one... thank you<br />
<br />
<cite>Giorgio said:</cite><blockquote cite="http://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/forum/topics/water-topic?commentId=4778851%3AComment%3A10579&xg_source=msg_com_forum#4778851Comment10564"><div>I collect rain water but haven't used it on my system yet, after doing some research and talking to some people I realized that before using the water it must be filtered properly.<br/>My friend's fish also died after using rainwater directly. At this moment I'm working on a sand bio filter that can be built cheaply. This is what I'm doing: <a href="http://www.slowsandfilter.org/illustrations.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.slowsandfilter.org/illustrations.html</a>.<br/>In the mean time I just use tap water and let it sit for at least 24 hrs before putting in system</div>
</blockquote> I use the same rain water on…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2010-09-05:4778851:Comment:106232010-09-05T20:48:11.000Zzero powerhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/zeropower
I use the same rain water on my inside tank and all is good.. I have origional gold fish in it that are still alive... I used a ph up to bring up the level and all has been fine since about june.. I refill it with rain water also as the water level goes down..<br />
<br />
<cite>zero power said:</cite><blockquote cite="http://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/forum/topics/water-topic?commentId=4778851%3AComment%3A10564&xg_source=msg_com_forum#4778851Comment10622"><div>ph of 6 1/2.. I didnt add anything to…</div>
</blockquote>
I use the same rain water on my inside tank and all is good.. I have origional gold fish in it that are still alive... I used a ph up to bring up the level and all has been fine since about june.. I refill it with rain water also as the water level goes down..<br />
<br />
<cite>zero power said:</cite><blockquote cite="http://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/forum/topics/water-topic?commentId=4778851%3AComment%3A10564&xg_source=msg_com_forum#4778851Comment10622"><div>ph of 6 1/2.. I didnt add anything to it... Our tap water is so harsh here .. ph of over 9<br/><br/><cite>TCLynx said:</cite><blockquote cite="http://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/forum/topics/water-topic?commentId=4778851%3AComment%3A10564&xg_source=msg_com_forum#4778851Comment10579"><div>Rain water is going to be soft and could also be acidic. If using rain water one will probably need to add some minerals to help harden the water up a bit, first on the list will be a bit of limestone to provide calcium and buffering. Depending on the type of lime used, extra magnesium might be needed too. Most fish like a certain amount of hardness and the bacteria needs a certain pH range to work well. If a system is started with minimal buffering material added and is using rain water, it is highly likely that the pH will drop as the system starts to cycle up and the process may halt and ammonia spike causing all sorts of problems.<br/><br/>Zero power, what was the pH of your system you were having problems with? Did you add any lime or shell grit? Rain water may be great but you do have to provide it with some buffering to make it work.</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
</blockquote>