Comment

Comment by Sheri Schmeckpeper on January 11, 2012 at 9:02pm

Yeah, we drain tanks whenever possible to catch the tilapia, too. They're fast and smart!

Hey, let me throw this out to everyone: what about nets? We have white ones, a black one, blue ones, and a green one. The fish seem to be most blind to the green one. They definitely see the blue and white. Black is pretty good, too. What is your experience? 

Comment by Sheri Schmeckpeper on January 11, 2012 at 8:59pm

Funny, our goldfish did fine. We had 6, and they grew and grew until they were between 6" & 9". We sold them to a guy in Glendale who came all the way out to Gilbert to get them so he could use them in his system. It was good for him because they were large and he knew they were clean; good for us because we they had served their purpose and we wanted a good home for them.

Where did you buy yours from, Scott?

Comment by Dave & Yvonne Story on January 11, 2012 at 7:17pm

LOL

can't catch ..

I take most of my water out of the tank to catch..

Now I have red lobsters on the bottom.. We'll see how they do

It is always a learning experience and fun.. even when it isn't

Comment by Dave & Yvonne Story on January 11, 2012 at 3:45pm

Scott,

thanks for sharing.

Comment by Dave & Yvonne Story on January 11, 2012 at 3:22pm

yea. Love Amazon. Same one I buy at Harbor freight.

I have not tried this.. pushing the button 1/2 way down for a shorter time. did you try it?

may not work.. and 15/45 works great.

Comment by Sheri Schmeckpeper on January 11, 2012 at 2:47pm

We're at 15/45 right now for everything, too. In the summer we had longer runs and shorter pauses, depending on the temp and humidity. Observation is key.

Here's a typical cheapo timer like we use: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0039UT73Y/ref=s9_simh_gw_p60_d0_g...  Note that it has 15 minute increments, not 30.

Comment by Dave & Yvonne Story on January 11, 2012 at 2:27pm

David,

Kudos Dude!

the timer should be ok for now. in the heat, you will want to improve on cooling your plants' roots (and leaves). I have found in our heat 15/45 is great for most plants.. this summer, I will do lettuce 15/15.. My lettuce did not take the heat at 15/45.

Again Kudos

Comment by David Schwinghamer on January 11, 2012 at 1:17pm

Comment by Sheri Schmeckpeper on January 11, 2012 at 10:35am

Maynhia,

You sent out this message: I have a couple of questions on the start-up of my aquaponic system. I am going to have a tank to hold the fish that will be between 250 to 300 gallons. I have found out that I am going to have to wait awhile to receive the fish. In the interim, should I buy goldfish or wait and run a hydroponic system until I can get the fish? I have heard that there might be some products that you can use to substitute for the fish, Has anyone heard of this? Can you recommend any?

I posted it here so this group can give you answers, though fishless cycling isn't specific to AZ.

The biggest drawback to using feeder goldfish is they may be carriers of disease. We had great success, and there are things you can do to prevent harm. The benefit to goldfish is they are "dirty" fish and produce a lot of waste and they are very hardy, so they can handle rough conditions that may take place during cycling.

Some of the benefits of fishless cycling is the prevention of potential disease and accidentally killing fish during cycling. The drawbacks depend on what you use to get it going. Pee-ponics uses urine, but that also can introduce bad stuff, as can chicken waste. You can use fish food, too. Or you can buy stuff. I know there as some in this group who have experience with various techniques.

Regardless of what you choose, the goal is to introduce ammonia into the system, grow bacterial that converts the waste into nitrates, grow another bacteria that converts nitrates to nitrates which feed the plants.

The bacteria will build on its own, but you can also buy products that introduce bacteria. You need a place for the bacteria to grow, and your grow media works very well for that.

Comment by Maynhia Stott on January 11, 2012 at 8:01am

ok, I'll see you sometimes today.

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