WHY is my water so cloudy? - Aquaponic Gardening2024-03-29T08:12:40Zhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/forum/topics/why-is-my-water-so-cloudy?commentId=4778851%3AComment%3A416214&feed=yes&xn_auth=noRandy,
The MFB is working wel…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-11-23:4778851:Comment:4183442012-11-23T22:28:30.649ZBob Ventohttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/BobVento
<p>Randy,</p>
<p>The MFB is working well but you need to change the filter material regularly. I haven't been able to take Rob's suggestion because water, other than city water is not good for the system. We have not had rain and my fish tank level is very low. <br></br><br></br>I need to get my well finished by adding a pump and then I will clean the grow bed as he suggested. In the mean time I will continue to keep the water clear with my MFB.</p>
<p>I think you might be correct about the feed being…</p>
<p>Randy,</p>
<p>The MFB is working well but you need to change the filter material regularly. I haven't been able to take Rob's suggestion because water, other than city water is not good for the system. We have not had rain and my fish tank level is very low. <br/><br/>I need to get my well finished by adding a pump and then I will clean the grow bed as he suggested. In the mean time I will continue to keep the water clear with my MFB.</p>
<p>I think you might be correct about the feed being an issue, I have been using rabbit feed (Timothy grass pellets) for my Tilapia because they seem to like it and it is inexpensive. This may be causing the small particulates going through my grow bed. I did not have any problems until recently and think that maybe my red wigglers have broken down the material in the grow bed causing this issue.</p>
<p>Regards,<br/>Bob</p>
<p><br/> <br/> <cite>Randy said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://community.theaquaponicsource.com/forum/topics/why-is-my-water-so-cloudy?xg_source=activity&id=4778851%3ATopic%3A414375&page=2#4778851Comment418050"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>Hi Bob. Curious how your cloudy water is doing. I too am having trouble with cloudy water which I am blaming on cheap feed from TSC. My water has the same tint as the feed. After Thanksgiving I think I will try to construct my own MFB and run it until I can get some better feed.</p>
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</blockquote> Hi Bob. Curious how your clou…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-11-21:4778851:Comment:4180502012-11-21T21:20:11.829ZRandyhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/RandyDawson
<p>Hi Bob. Curious how your cloudy water is doing. I too am having trouble with cloudy water which I am blaming on cheap feed from TSC. My water has the same tint as the feed. After Thanksgiving I think I will try to construct my own MFB and run it until I can get some better feed.</p>
<p>Hi Bob. Curious how your cloudy water is doing. I too am having trouble with cloudy water which I am blaming on cheap feed from TSC. My water has the same tint as the feed. After Thanksgiving I think I will try to construct my own MFB and run it until I can get some better feed.</p> What about well water instead…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-11-14:4778851:Comment:4161692012-11-14T17:46:25.457ZBob Ventohttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/BobVento
<p>What about well water instead of city water? No chlorine or other additives however there are some minerals I am sure</p>
<p><br></br> <br></br> <cite>Rob Nash said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://community.theaquaponicsource.com/forum/topics/why-is-my-water-so-cloudy?xg_source=activity&id=4778851%3ATopic%3A414375&page=2#4778851Comment416324"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 11pt;">no need to power wash. just…</span></p>
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<p>What about well water instead of city water? No chlorine or other additives however there are some minerals I am sure</p>
<p><br/> <br/> <cite>Rob Nash said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://community.theaquaponicsource.com/forum/topics/why-is-my-water-so-cloudy?xg_source=activity&id=4778851%3ATopic%3A414375&page=2#4778851Comment416324"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 11pt;">no need to power wash. just flood it, pull out the plants, leave the root balls intact, set them in a bucket. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 11pt;">then massage all of the debris loose from the media while spraying with the hose( you need to hurry if it is chlorinated) and let it drain out... you dont want to wash every bit of it, and dont wont to over expose it to chlorine. Remember, a slightly dirty filter works better than a brand new filter.<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 11pt;">PS- if you only have chlorinated water, you should dechlorinate some and use buckets or a pump, and only use dechlorinated water... you dont want to wash out most of your good stuff, and then kill the rest with chlorine. </span></p>
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</blockquote> no need to power wash. just f…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-11-14:4778851:Comment:4163242012-11-14T14:34:18.556ZRob Nashhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/RobNash
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 11pt;">no need to power wash. just flood it, pull out the plants, leave the root balls intact, set them in a bucket. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 11pt;">then massage all of the debris loose from the media while spraying with the hose( you need to hurry if it is chlorinated) and let it drain out... you dont want to wash every bit of it, and dont wont to over…</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 11pt;">no need to power wash. just flood it, pull out the plants, leave the root balls intact, set them in a bucket. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 11pt;">then massage all of the debris loose from the media while spraying with the hose( you need to hurry if it is chlorinated) and let it drain out... you dont want to wash every bit of it, and dont wont to over expose it to chlorine. Remember, a slightly dirty filter works better than a brand new filter.<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 11pt;">PS- if you only have chlorinated water, you should dechlorinate some and use buckets or a pump, and only use dechlorinated water... you dont want to wash out most of your good stuff, and then kill the rest with chlorine. </span></p>
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<p></p> I could always do as you sugg…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-11-14:4778851:Comment:4161602012-11-14T14:09:50.449ZBob Ventohttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/BobVento
<p>I could always do as you suggest Rob and plumb out to the grass and leave the fish in the tank. <a style="cursor: pointer;"><img src="http://www.bkserv.net/images/Grin.gif"></img></a></p>
<p>Then maybe I can power wash the rocks in my grow bed, flushing out the tiny crap that's in there until the drain runs clear. That way I would not have to totally dismantle my grow bed.</p>
<p>What do you think about that? I think that could work if I flood the bed and flush out the small debris to the ground.<br></br><br></br>Any others out there with…</p>
<p>I could always do as you suggest Rob and plumb out to the grass and leave the fish in the tank. <a style="cursor: pointer;"><img src="http://www.bkserv.net/images/Grin.gif"/></a></p>
<p>Then maybe I can power wash the rocks in my grow bed, flushing out the tiny crap that's in there until the drain runs clear. That way I would not have to totally dismantle my grow bed.</p>
<p>What do you think about that? I think that could work if I flood the bed and flush out the small debris to the ground.<br/><br/>Any others out there with other suggestions or comments?<br/><br/></p>
<p>Regards,<br/>Bob</p> you could just plumb the drai…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-11-14:4778851:Comment:4162142012-11-14T01:39:42.831ZRob Nashhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/RobNash
<p>you could just plumb the drain to the grass while you clean the media, and leave the fish in the tank. the plants can be removed and replaced with less stress than you might think,,,, i move them often, they act like it never happen.</p>
<p>im going to say its time to add more grow bed. if you build something like a 4x8 grow bed and add the media you have to inoculate the new, it should be ready for plants right away. ...you get more filter, and more grow space.... and an excuse to build…</p>
<p>you could just plumb the drain to the grass while you clean the media, and leave the fish in the tank. the plants can be removed and replaced with less stress than you might think,,,, i move them often, they act like it never happen.</p>
<p>im going to say its time to add more grow bed. if you build something like a 4x8 grow bed and add the media you have to inoculate the new, it should be ready for plants right away. ...you get more filter, and more grow space.... and an excuse to build some new ap.<a style="cursor: pointer;"><img src="http://www.bkserv.net/images/Grin.gif"/></a></p> Ok folks ... here is the lat…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-11-13:4778851:Comment:4161422012-11-13T22:09:26.042ZBob Ventohttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/BobVento
<p>Ok folks ... here is the latest observations about the problem I am having. Today I checked my fish tank and it was <strong>crystal clear</strong> except for some crap on the bottom of the tank. <br></br><br></br>I removed my makeshift filtration bucket and re-routed the water back to the grow bed as it was before all of this cloudy water started and low and behold my water was again full of tiny debris and started to become cloudy again.<br></br><br></br>I believe that the worms, in my grow bed may have…</p>
<p>Ok folks ... here is the latest observations about the problem I am having. Today I checked my fish tank and it was <strong>crystal clear</strong> except for some crap on the bottom of the tank. <br/><br/>I removed my makeshift filtration bucket and re-routed the water back to the grow bed as it was before all of this cloudy water started and low and behold my water was again full of tiny debris and started to become cloudy again.<br/><br/>I believe that the worms, in my grow bed may have broken down most of the organic matter and made it so small that it clouds the water. <strong>I immediately replaced my makeshift bucket filtering system so my water will clear up again.</strong><br/><br/>Any suggestions on what I might do, short of tearing down my entire grow bed and washing it all? There has to be another way of solving my dilemma? I can't imagine that fish can breath in such a cloudy environment and we've come so far together I would hate to put them at risk.<br/><br/>I guess I could continue my filtering bucket system, however I wonder if my plants are getting the nutrients they need under these circumstances? <br/><br/>If I had a companion tank I could remove the fish from the main tank and flush all of the crap out and refill it with new water and start all over, however I am afraid to do that since the fish and plants seem to be doing so well at this time.<br/><br/>I really could use some fresh ideas on how to solve this issue from those of you who have been doing this for a long time. I would appreciate any and all suggestions that you may have for me.</p>
<p>Regards,<br/>Bob</p> I corrected my levels after w…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-11-13:4778851:Comment:4160802012-11-13T17:23:13.089ZBob Ventohttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/BobVento
<p>I corrected my levels after writing them from memory the other day instead of from my records. <br></br><br></br>These levels were taken on Friday 11/9/12</p>
<p>PH 7.6<br></br>PH (High) 7.8<br></br>Ammonia 0.0<br></br>Nitrites 0.0 <br></br>Nitrates 5.0</p>
<p>As you can see the levels are ALL within appropriate levels.</p>
<p>Yes Rob you are correct the grow bed is 3.5 x 3.5 just easier to round up to 4 x 4</p>
<p><br></br> <br></br> <cite>Rob Nash said:…</cite></p>
<p>I corrected my levels after writing them from memory the other day instead of from my records. <br/><br/>These levels were taken on Friday 11/9/12</p>
<p>PH 7.6<br/>PH (High) 7.8<br/>Ammonia 0.0<br/>Nitrites 0.0 <br/>Nitrates 5.0</p>
<p>As you can see the levels are ALL within appropriate levels.</p>
<p>Yes Rob you are correct the grow bed is 3.5 x 3.5 just easier to round up to 4 x 4</p>
<p><br/> <br/> <cite>Rob Nash said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://community.theaquaponicsource.com/forum/topics/why-is-my-water-so-cloudy?xg_source=activity#4778851Comment415989"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>Bob, per my math you should have around 53 cft of media for the 200 gallons (200 x .266 = 53.2).. most of the totes ive played with are only 3.5 x 3.5 and that would give you only 10 cft of filter/media, if the bed is at 12" deep... most likely you have less than that. ...still, unless the18 fish you have are 5 lb monsters, you should be fine.</p>
<p>Bob, you had said..."PH was between 6.0 & 6.4 and the High PH ranges between 7.4 & 7.8" ...not sure how you would get these readings...</p>
<p>Rupert, et al,correct me if im wrong, but you only use the "high" test if the "low" test is maxed out on the lolw chart and vice versa...</p>
<p>Bob, i think you may actully have a low ph and thus a bacterial crash... would you say that this "milky" look is different than the tipical "cloudy" or dirty look?</p>
<p>you can try a product called BioZome, it contains Archea, which can handle a wider ph range and temps down into freezing. it will help clear the water and add bio filtration. i use it in my out door systems evry winter.</p>
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</blockquote> Bob, per my math you should h…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-11-13:4778851:Comment:4159892012-11-13T16:15:54.720ZRob Nashhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/RobNash
<p>Bob, per my math you should have around 53 cft of media for the 200 gallons (200 x .266 = 53.2).. most of the totes ive played with are only 3.5 x 3.5 and that would give you only 10 cft of filter/media, if the bed is at 12" deep... most likely you have less than that. ...still, unless the18 fish you have are 5 lb monsters, you should be fine.</p>
<p>Bob, you had said..."PH was between 6.0 & 6.4 and the High PH ranges between 7.4 & 7.8" ...not sure how you would get these…</p>
<p>Bob, per my math you should have around 53 cft of media for the 200 gallons (200 x .266 = 53.2).. most of the totes ive played with are only 3.5 x 3.5 and that would give you only 10 cft of filter/media, if the bed is at 12" deep... most likely you have less than that. ...still, unless the18 fish you have are 5 lb monsters, you should be fine.</p>
<p>Bob, you had said..."PH was between 6.0 & 6.4 and the High PH ranges between 7.4 & 7.8" ...not sure how you would get these readings...</p>
<p>Rupert, et al,correct me if im wrong, but you only use the "high" test if the "low" test is maxed out on the lolw chart and vice versa...</p>
<p>Bob, i think you may actully have a low ph and thus a bacterial crash... would you say that this "milky" look is different than the tipical "cloudy" or dirty look?</p>
<p>you can try a product called BioZome, it contains Archea, which can handle a wider ph range and temps down into freezing. it will help clear the water and add bio filtration. i use it in my out door systems evry winter.</p>
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<p> </p> I have 18 tilapia in about 20…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-11-13:4778851:Comment:4161242012-11-13T13:28:23.854ZBob Ventohttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/BobVento
<p>I have 18 tilapia in about 200 gallons of water and a 4' x 4' grow bed. This system was made from a 275 gallon tote. <br></br><br></br>Why would, all of a sudden, the system that has been working flawlessly since April change so radically? My levels seem to be correct and the fish have been growing as are my plants in the grow bed? It is perplexing and I am wondering if it is weather related?</p>
<p>Regards,<br></br>Bob<br></br> <br></br> <cite>RupertofOZ said:…</cite></p>
<p>I have 18 tilapia in about 200 gallons of water and a 4' x 4' grow bed. This system was made from a 275 gallon tote. <br/><br/>Why would, all of a sudden, the system that has been working flawlessly since April change so radically? My levels seem to be correct and the fish have been growing as are my plants in the grow bed? It is perplexing and I am wondering if it is weather related?</p>
<p>Regards,<br/>Bob<br/> <br/> <cite>RupertofOZ said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://community.theaquaponicsource.com/forum/topics/why-is-my-water-so-cloudy?xg_source=activity#4778851Comment415177"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>Indeed Vlad, et al... I suspected the "couldiness" could be a sign of bacterial crash due to low pH...</p>
<p>But not the case it would appear...</p>
<p>Bob, if, as your use of a filter and results show... the cause is due to suspended particles... it tends suggest.. that you don't have enough filtration in place to cope with your feed rate/stocking density...</p>
<p>How many fish do you have, and what volume of grow beds do you have?</p>
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