What's the cure for clouded water? - Aquaponic Gardening2024-03-29T05:24:07Zhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/forum/topics/what-s-the-cure-for-clouded-water?groupUrl=aquaponicsforbeginners&commentId=4778851%3AComment%3A411982&groupId=4778851%3AGroup%3A28135&feed=yes&xn_auth=noGreat video! Thanks Aleece, N…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-11-03:4778851:Comment:4131942012-11-03T13:37:52.455ZJohn E Windsorhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/JohnEWindsor
<p>Great video! Thanks Aleece, Nate nailed it. It took some hunting, but I found what I was looking for after watching the video. I had to go online to get the potassium hydroxide and I found a small bag of hydrated lime at a local garden supplier. Starting with a 5 gallon bucket of system water, even using a small amount of a 50/50 mix moved the pH off the scale (blue, blue, blue). Anyway, long story short, over a 2 day period I managed to move the pH up to 6.4 without killing any fish. I know…</p>
<p>Great video! Thanks Aleece, Nate nailed it. It took some hunting, but I found what I was looking for after watching the video. I had to go online to get the potassium hydroxide and I found a small bag of hydrated lime at a local garden supplier. Starting with a 5 gallon bucket of system water, even using a small amount of a 50/50 mix moved the pH off the scale (blue, blue, blue). Anyway, long story short, over a 2 day period I managed to move the pH up to 6.4 without killing any fish. I know now for future dosing, 1 tsp of a 50/50 mix will move the pH in our 850 gal. system up .1 on the scale.</p>
<p><a style="cursor: pointer;"><img src="http://www.bkserv.net/images/Grin.gif"/></a></p> John,
I'm hesitant to say…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-10-30:4778851:Comment:4122752012-10-30T21:36:26.581ZTCLynxhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/TCLynx
<p>John,</p>
<p> I'm hesitant to say this but,.......... yes it would raise your pH. However using the calcium carbonate tends to be slow and it is really easy to use too much. (As in the pH will keep rising after you stop adding it and you could wind up with the pH too high and have to wait ages for the carbonates to get all used up again.)</p>
<p></p>
<p>Actually, instead of me trying to explain it, let Nate Tell you…</p>
<p></p>
<p>John,</p>
<p> I'm hesitant to say this but,.......... yes it would raise your pH. However using the calcium carbonate tends to be slow and it is really easy to use too much. (As in the pH will keep rising after you stop adding it and you could wind up with the pH too high and have to wait ages for the carbonates to get all used up again.)</p>
<p></p>
<p>Actually, instead of me trying to explain it, let Nate Tell you</p>
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zP1rUMyklyc?wmode=opaque" frameborder="0"></iframe>
</p> Before I use this product, wi…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-10-30:4778851:Comment:4121782012-10-30T21:24:46.645ZJohn E Windsorhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/JohnEWindsor
<p>Before I use this product, will it do the job? I found this at Home Depot.</p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2772233148?profile=original"><img width="721" class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2772233148?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="721"/></a></p>
<p>Before I use this product, will it do the job? I found this at Home Depot.</p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2772233148?profile=original"><img width="721" class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2772233148?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="721"/></a></p> Hi John,
The general rule of…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-10-30:4778851:Comment:4121002012-10-30T16:47:33.959ZHarold Sukhbirhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/HaroldSukhbir
<p>Hi John,</p>
<p>The general rule of thumb as you know is to size a pump allowing as a minimum, for turning over the FT volume once per hour, the major concern here will be aeration for the fish of course. However there are some positive "side effects" as well, which include amongst other things, solids settling. If indeed, your system has too much fines in it, you can check the roots of the plants in the DWC for "gunking" and also note their general health and growout time. If you want to…</p>
<p>Hi John,</p>
<p>The general rule of thumb as you know is to size a pump allowing as a minimum, for turning over the FT volume once per hour, the major concern here will be aeration for the fish of course. However there are some positive "side effects" as well, which include amongst other things, solids settling. If indeed, your system has too much fines in it, you can check the roots of the plants in the DWC for "gunking" and also note their general health and growout time. If you want to continue with a high feeding/flow rate, you may like to consider a swirl/net filter before the DWC. This type of filtration will allow you to remove suspended solids at will, keeping the sys. water clear and at the same time decreasing nitrogen loading.</p> Actually just noticed the pos…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-10-30:4778851:Comment:4121492012-10-30T15:47:26.277ZRupertofOZhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/RupertofOZ
<p>Actually just noticed the post about pH being 6.. or less...</p>
<p>If your pH drops below 5.6-5.8... then you can/will crash your bacterial nitrification...</p>
<p>And this usually shows as a "milkiness".. perhaps a slight "oiliness" type sheen on the tank water...</p>
<p>Could this be what you mean by a "cloudiness"????</p>
<p>Regardless... as TCL says... get some hydrated (slaked) lime.. and buffer your pH back up...</p>
<p>Actually just noticed the post about pH being 6.. or less...</p>
<p>If your pH drops below 5.6-5.8... then you can/will crash your bacterial nitrification...</p>
<p>And this usually shows as a "milkiness".. perhaps a slight "oiliness" type sheen on the tank water...</p>
<p>Could this be what you mean by a "cloudiness"????</p>
<p>Regardless... as TCL says... get some hydrated (slaked) lime.. and buffer your pH back up...</p> don't use baking soda if you…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-10-30:4778851:Comment:4123112012-10-30T14:48:12.513ZTCLynxhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/TCLynx
<p>don't use baking soda if you can avoid it. It adds way too much sodium to the water that the plants don't appreciate that much.</p>
<p></p>
<p>You want to make sure you don't raise the pH more than about 0.1-0.2 per day.</p>
<p>Appropriate things of raising the pH in aquaponics include</p>
<p>hydrated lime (calcium hydroxide) beware this is very strong so you might want to do some testing with your system water and a bucket so you can figure out for example how much is needed to bring the…</p>
<p>don't use baking soda if you can avoid it. It adds way too much sodium to the water that the plants don't appreciate that much.</p>
<p></p>
<p>You want to make sure you don't raise the pH more than about 0.1-0.2 per day.</p>
<p>Appropriate things of raising the pH in aquaponics include</p>
<p>hydrated lime (calcium hydroxide) beware this is very strong so you might want to do some testing with your system water and a bucket so you can figure out for example how much is needed to bring the water in a 5 gallon bucket up to say 6.2 or just start tinting it the slightest bit green.<br/> Warning, since you don't actually know how low your pH is, getting to just above 6 may actually be moving your pH far more than 0.2</p>
<p><br/>Anyway, hydrated lime is available at pretty much any hardware store.</p>
<p></p>
<p>The other really strong pH elevator that we sometimes use in Aquaponics is potassium Hydroxide (old fashion potash lye!)</p>
<p>It is also very strong. You need to handle both hydroxides with extreme care and safety precautions.</p>
<p></p>
<p>If you are not comfortable with hydroxides. The other option is to raise the pH with carbonates and bi-carbonates. The ones we usually use are calcium carbonate (lime or shells) and potassium bicarbonate (found at wine making and brewing supply stores) They (especially the calcium carbonate) are gentler and slower acting which can be problematic since people have a tendency to add too much when they don't work quickly enough. So for your situation, you probably shouldn't use this method until you get the pH up to a readable level and then you can use a small amount to buffer the system. Keep in mind that the carbonates and bi-carbonates buffer the pH up and if you add too much you loose control of the pH and it will be hard to bring it back down. Many people will use shells in a mesh bag hung in the system so that they can remove them if the pH is too high.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Another option (and this will depend on what your source water is) would be to top up heavily or do a partial water change.</p>
<p>What is your tap water pH after you have let it outgass or bubble for a day? As in, if you use well water and you have hard water, doing a small water change or topping up heavily could easily bring your pH back up and add a fair bit of calcium carbonate or bicarbonate to your system. (That is the case with my well water, I generally don't want to add any sort of calcium buffer to my system beyond what my well water provides because I then wind up with way too much calcium and not enough potassium. So I generally don't bother with the calcium hydroxide or calcium carbonate and I just use potassium bicarbonate to bring my pH up when I have enough rain water that the system pH needs buffering. When I run low on rain water and have to use well water, my system gets plenty of calcium.)</p> @TCLynx The pond pump is actu…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-10-30:4778851:Comment:4122372012-10-30T14:14:55.290ZJohn E Windsorhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/JohnEWindsor
<p>@TCLynx The pond pump is actually moving more that 600gph, but I am bypassing the excess back into the DWC. That is another good source of aeration in addition to the Venturi and the air stones. The pump is a PondMaster 9.5.</p>
<p>I did not get the weight of the harvest, but they were all at or near 12 inches. They were 3-5" fingerlings five months ago and we feed them Southern States Aqua Specialty.</p>
<p>It's been 3 days since taking the 6 big poo-producers from the FT and I can see a…</p>
<p>@TCLynx The pond pump is actually moving more that 600gph, but I am bypassing the excess back into the DWC. That is another good source of aeration in addition to the Venturi and the air stones. The pump is a PondMaster 9.5.</p>
<p>I did not get the weight of the harvest, but they were all at or near 12 inches. They were 3-5" fingerlings five months ago and we feed them Southern States Aqua Specialty.</p>
<p>It's been 3 days since taking the 6 big poo-producers from the FT and I can see a definite improvement. The water is clearing up.</p>
<p>Now I need to work on the low pH. Looks like I can use baking soda (3.5 cups in 10 gal. of water for my 850 gallon system, added slowly over the course of the day).</p> Cool. Thanks Rupert. Your way…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-10-30:4778851:Comment:4121452012-10-30T14:07:18.031ZVlad Jovanovichttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/VladJovanovic
<p>Cool. Thanks Rupert. Your way seems easier.</p>
<p>Cool. Thanks Rupert. Your way seems easier.</p> Let us know if this jives wit…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-10-30:4778851:Comment:4120932012-10-30T13:03:38.614ZRupertofOZhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/RupertofOZ
<blockquote>Let us know if this jives with the way you do it Rupert<img src="http://www.bkserv.net/images/Smile.gif"></img></blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p>Ah have the edit functions back now... kind of Vlad... (it's the more correct way)...</p>
<p>But most people use a test kit that meausres Total Ammonia Nitrogen... TAN...</p>
<p>So more like this chart... (can't find the fahrenheit version sorry)</p>
<p> …</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2772231388?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2772231388?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="721"></img></a></p>
<blockquote>Let us know if this jives with the way you do it Rupert<img src="http://www.bkserv.net/images/Smile.gif"/></blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p>Ah have the edit functions back now... kind of Vlad... (it's the more correct way)...</p>
<p>But most people use a test kit that meausres Total Ammonia Nitrogen... TAN...</p>
<p>So more like this chart... (can't find the fahrenheit version sorry)</p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2772231388?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="721" class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2772231388?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="721"/></a></p> John is it a 600 gph pump? O…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-10-30:4778851:Comment:4122302012-10-30T12:58:05.067ZTCLynxhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/TCLynx
<p>John is it a 600 gph pump? Or is 600 gph the actual amount of water flowing through the fish tank?</p>
<p></p>
<p>Either way, 600 gph isn't that outrageous for a250-300 gallon fish tank really, especially if there is no other form of aeration to the fish tank other than the water flowing in through a venturi. If it is actually that high a flow rate through the fish tank, I think that might be the only reason that your fish have survived thus far as their size got a bit big for the small…</p>
<p>John is it a 600 gph pump? Or is 600 gph the actual amount of water flowing through the fish tank?</p>
<p></p>
<p>Either way, 600 gph isn't that outrageous for a250-300 gallon fish tank really, especially if there is no other form of aeration to the fish tank other than the water flowing in through a venturi. If it is actually that high a flow rate through the fish tank, I think that might be the only reason that your fish have survived thus far as their size got a bit big for the small tank and their numbers.<br/> The high flow rate and the big fish stirring it up mean that any solids still in the fish tank tend to be flowing around and clouding the water instead of settling down on the bottom the way they might with only a few small fish.</p>
<p></p>
<p>The big gravel might let some particles through but there are plenty of systems out there using the bigger media and with a sump and 20' long raft bed, I expect most of solids that make it out of the fish tank are settling out in there.</p>
<p>If the fish tank is having a lot of suspended solids you might need to figure out how to adjust the flows and drain on the fish tank to get the solids out since I expect the problem might be that they are just having difficulty finding their way out of the fish tank and you were probably over stocked and over feeding for the flow patterns and fish tank volume.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Did you happen to weigh any of those fish you harvested? They look pretty good size for only having them 5 months. How big were the fingerlings you got and what have you been feeding them.</p>
<p></p>
<p>By the way, GOOD JOB to be eating fish out of an aquaponics system after only having it running for 5 months, most people have to wait more like a year for that.<a style="cursor: pointer;"><img src="http://www.bkserv.net/images/Smile.gif"/></a></p>