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Comment by Jon Parr on May 18, 2013 at 3:19pm

Thanks Mary. I remember the account well, it just was not effective for my water. But I have renewed interest now and will try it again, because I would much rather use wood than HCl. My well water varies from 7.0 in the spring to 9.0 in the fall, so I have to adjust my strategies throughout the year. Most of the time, things stay in my desired 6.0-6.4 range as well, though changes sneak up on me. Last year in the fall rains hit, but still warm sunny weather in between, I had a KH drop and system crash that took all winter to re-establish (outdoor, of course)

Comment by randy proctor on May 18, 2013 at 2:58pm

Hi, Jon!  This is Mary Proctor "Randy's wife"  I do believe I have said many times on this website that using "driftwood" in your IBC totes (we cut our logs about 10-12" in length and they are about 4" in diameter can lower your pH.  We just got thru testing our water out of the faucet "in the kitchen" and the water pH is 8.2 "high range".  We just now took a reading of our IBC totes water " in the aquaponics" and it is @ 6.4.  By the way when we build our new greenhouse, re-installed our aquaponic systems, one side was doing great, the other side was having iron lock-out because of the high pH.  We couldn't figure out why we were having the problem on one side but not the other.  We put chelated iron into the problem system trying to correct the pH. We looked the tanks over again... and had "OVERLOOKED" putting the driftwood logs back into the tanks that was having a problem with pH.   We immediately put the logs back in,   Low and behold within a couple of days our pH was back to normal perimeters. Around 6.9 is what we consider good".  People don't have to use the driftwood, if you want to use chemicals etc in your system, that is up to you.  We are "trying" to be as organic as we can.  To pass on information that we have had "GOOD RESULTS".  another person doing aquaponics  had told us about the driftwood & moss.  We live @ grand lake of the Cherokee's and have access to driftwood all the time, that is washing upon the shore.  We make sure it is not pine, cedar or a sticky type of residue on the logs.  This person also said you could use Spanish moss (put in an old panty hose) and the water continually flows over it also lowering pH.  WE HAVE NOT TRIED THIS, as the driftwood logs did the trick.  Our pH stays pretty consistent thru-out the year!   Any information passed on to us, is great.  As you know, by trial and error, finding out from others what they did in that particular case can help or not.  If it works, great! IF not go on to try something else.  We love aquaponics and hope to help in any way we can. 

Comment by Sheri Schmeckpeper on May 18, 2013 at 2:23pm

We used to breed very well with younger, 6"-8" long tilapia in a 35 gallon tank. We would keep 1-2 males and 3-5 females together, aiming for about 8 or 9 fish. The crowding keeps them from being too aggressive. As they grow, we pull some out.

For the last two years we've used a 75 gallon tank, aiming for 6"-10" (larger fish = larger broods). We move the breeders to the main tank when they get too large, replacing them with smaller breeders. We also move the mommas to "nurseries" when they have a brood...usually on the 10th day.

9.0 is very high! Doug, what are you using for media? Did you check your media for carbonates?  When we first started we tried peat and driftwood to bring our system down, but neither had a significant effect. I've heard they can work, though, and Randy confirms that. We went with HCL, too, until our system matured. We still use it in our prep water for our breeder tanks.

Randy, with your system as old as it is, have you tried just leaving the driftwood out to see if your system is self-managing the PH? Our system went from 8.2 down to 6.2 on its own when it matured. Your blessed to be close to a place with good driftwood! :)

Comment by Matt Miskinnis on May 18, 2013 at 12:53pm

150 tilapia fingerlings for two IBC grow beds?  You realize when they get bigger you are going to have to expand?  If they all the fish survive, and they start growing, you are going to need 1 fish per 1 square foot of growbed - I believe that was the ratio if I remember.  Just keep that in mind.

Comment by Jon Parr on May 18, 2013 at 11:43am

That's a good tip, Randy, thanks. Do you have any numbers to accompany your experience, like what is you well pH and KH, how does it change throughout the year, and what  your opinion of perfect pH is? I have floated logs for the same purpose, I believe on advice of your wife, and have not had the same luck. I have been able to pull moderately hard water down with oak leaves (it took so much that the water turned black), but if the season is warm and you are topping with water at 9...

Time for a good old fashioned side-by-side experiment

Comment by randy proctor on May 18, 2013 at 8:36am

Doug...we have high PH well water, we finally learned from an other individual that using a piece of drift wood from the lake or river (as long as it does not contain sap "pine or cedar" will lower your PH naturally.  We have used this method for about 2 years now in our aquaponics, we have (6)IBC totes with 12 beds, our PH stays perfect.  It takes a little time to get your system to level out, this log stays in the tank until it sinks, replace with another piece of driftwood.  We go to Grand Lake here in Grove Ok at Sailboat bridge and collect logs that have washed ashore, again making sure they are not cedar or pine.  What do you have to lose by trying this method.  A river will do as well.  We also tried PH down,burned our fish and other methods.  As we said....the drift wood works, naturally!  Good luck Randy

Comment by Jon Parr on May 18, 2013 at 7:16am

Doug, don't be in a hurry to change pH. A pH of 9 won't hurt anything, but plants won't do well until you get it down below 7.

It takes time for acid to find and react with carbonates (which precipitate into solids at 8.3), so just add a small amount of acid each day until it does come down. It can, and should (from a pH of 9!), take 2-3 weeks to bring it down where it will stay. Don't use vinegar or citric acid, as there is at least some evidence that they are anti-bacterial. I use HCl, regular cheap pool acid from the hardware store.

Anyway, your pH will rebound after adding acid until your Carbonates come down, but it will eventually come down.

Comment by Doug Franklin on May 18, 2013 at 6:57am

I've recently started my flood and drain aquaponics system using ibc tanks. My fish tank is 280 gal. and I'm using an ibc tank that I've cut in 2 to make 2 grow beds. My system is cycling about every 15 minutes. I've put 150 fingerling tiliapia in my tank and I've already planted. Everything seems to be working just fine, however, my ph is running 9.0. Last night I added about a quart of vinegar to my system to see if that would lower it, and it was still running at 9.0 this morning. A few days before this, I used some ph down and got no change whatsoever. Any  suggestions?

Doug

Comment by Dukie Dixon on May 10, 2013 at 2:34pm

Oh good! My 75 gallon is just too big for my space inside. And my 55 gallon is just as long. Thank you. Not that I am going to have any babies any time soon. But that's good to know

Comment by wes on May 10, 2013 at 1:15pm

Also I take the mother out with the eggs and let them hatch into a smaller tank all by themselves.

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