🐠 I can see clearly now... 🐟

Observation & Action

1. Water is much clearer after the 10% water change and other changes yesterday. The ammonia is back to zero, and the pH is between 6.5 and 7.0.
2. The one sprout is getting taller since the growlight went in. Half of the bed is covered with the shelf required for the aerator, but it'll open up as soon as come up with a solution. It has to be at least 12" above the water line.
3. I seeded some sweet basil and cilantro/coriander. We'll see how it turns out with the additional equipment and tank changes.

The Numbers

Date	GH General Hardness	KH Carbonate Hardness	pH	NO2 Nitrites	NO3 Nitrates	NH3/NH4 Ammonia	Temp °C
16-Jun	120	40	7.0	0	80	0.00	24°

Tank rehab

Observation & Action

1. I was still not satisfied with algae level in the tank. Additionally, there was an ammonia spike to 0.5 ppm (the threshold for what the fish can handle), so I performed a number of changes to the tank.
1. Wipe down submersible pump, its hose, and tank heater.
2. Scrub the inner walls of the tank to remove any algae film upon them.
3. Manually removed any string-type algae (I still have to look up the proper term).
4. Performed a 10% water change using the naturally dechlorinated water I keep in bucket.
5. Added 40 drops of pH UP to the tank. A water change will typically bring down the pH, which I don't want.
2. The growlight and the aerator came two days ago. I now see a new plant sprouting. I have to find my extra timer, but I've been leaving it on from 8 AM to midnight. I'll have to research the optimal time and set it accordingly.
3. The aerator seems to be doing well, but I'm unsure of its effect. It's sorely needed while the algae problem exists. I don't want the algae to rob oxygen from the fish. I wonder if there is a timer that functions as an A/B; where power alternates between device A (aerator) and device B (siphon pump)? Perhaps separate timers setup accordingly would suffice and give me more control.
4. The fish, as usual, have a voracious appetite. I've been giving in to feeding them too much as the algae is a big problem again.

Analysis

The ammonia spike was significant. It may be due to a lack of plants to filter the water. This is why I performed a water change. I'll also be buying some more seeds to see if I can enact some positive progress. Something has to give. As it is, I'll be performing more ammonia checks until I can confirm the problem has been handled.

The Numbers

Date	GH General Hardness	KH Carbonate Hardness	pH	NO2 Nitrites	NO3 Nitrates	NH3/NH4 Ammonia	Temp °C
15-Jun	180	40	6.5	0	160	0.50	24°

Same ole same ole

Observations

1. Fish seem to always be hungry. I feed them some, they go away, but when I return a few hours later, they act like I hadn't fed them. They're like dogs with Prader-Willie.
2. I hadn't been shielding the tank from the light since I put up the shade in the far-left corner. It hasn't cleared up the algae, but it hasn't gotten worse either.
3. The plants are not doing well. The tips of the leaves are browning, and the new seedlings, while initially holding promise, didn't make it.
4. Based on the last point, I broke down and ordered some LED grow lights to help with the plants while preventing the proliferation of algae in the tank. Since the world is not going to end by not having it immediately, I opted for the take-your-time shipping for a Amazon digital credit.
5. I also ordered an aerator to insure the algae don't rob all of the oxygen from the fish. It's status is the same as point #4.
6. Nitrates have exploded. Nitrites are zero, as are ammonia. The system needs more plants to use the nitrates. I'm betting that the growlight is going to help with that.

The Numbers

Date	GH General Hardness	KH Carbonate Hardness	pH	NO2 Nitrites	NO3 Nitrates	NH3/NH4 Ammonia	Temp °C
11-Jun	180	40	6.5	0	160	0.00	23°

Thoughts

I'm really disappointed that my crop is not doing better. I've had a lot of false starts.  While the tank is reasonably stable, I've been unable to successfully grow a crop from scratch. Hopefully, these new additions will help. If anyone has any ideas that would help, please comment. Thanks.

The Consequences of Shading

Observations and Actions

1. Water is noticeably clearer but still has a greenish tint. The algae problem must be clearing up. I've been keeping the front of the tank covered with my whiteboard during the day. I also created a roman shade for only one of the windows, which also helped with he sun as well as decrease the heat in the room. I also have been limiting the feeding to 1-2 times per day; not just when the goldfish are clamoring for a meal.
2. My water readings are changing again. For the first time in awhile, the pH has gone below 6.5. The water hardness has gone up but the carbonate hardness has gone down. There are zero nitrites, but an increased level of nitrates. Are the plants not making use of the nitrates? The water temperature continues to be steady.
3. The snail died. I'm guessing that it may have had to do with the change in pH.
4. I topped off the tank with some naturally dechlorinated tap water (I left it uncovered, in a bucket, for a couple of days). I then added 40 drops of pH UP to the tank to get the numbers up. I should have added less for less of a shock. I know that the goldfish will handle it, but I'm not sure about the catfish. Both appear to be very healthy and active.
5. The plants are not doing well. This could be due to the pH changes. The fostered plants have brown spots on the leaves and appear to be wilting. Their health was floundering before I put up the window shade, but the decreased sunlight is a factor. The fostered plants have actually pointed to the left; towards the light of the closest, eastern-facing window. I am going to have to purchase a grow light but I don't want to spend the money.

Analysis

Regarding the algae v. plant light conundrum, I'm going to have to either move the tank or buy a grow light. While the sunlight is great for the plants, it's not direct. The room shading, which helps limit the algae growth and makes the room more comfortable in the summer, limits the plants' growth. I need to bite the proverbial, financial bullet and buy a grow light. If you have any recommendations, please provide a comment in the page or send me a tweet (@the1verse).

The pH dropped to 6.0. I'm very concerned about this since I really didn't do anything to the water. I'll have to read more about why this happened, but my observations tell me that the shading is the only external change. I don't recall anything else being done.

The Numbers

Date	GH General Hardness	KH Carbonate Hardness	pH	NO2 Nitrites	NO3 Nitrates	NH3/NH4 Ammonia	Temp °C
6-Jun	180	40	6.0	0	160	0.00	24°

The imparting of information

Hey, folks! Confession time. I really don't know what I'm doing, but I'm trying to do it anyway. From the theories about why my system is behaving to the remedies I try to enact in order to fix it. Much of it is unoriginal and usually something that I've synthesized from information I've read elsewhere.

I sometimes feel guilty that I can't remember where I've heard the information, and thus can't post a source for it. I try to post links when I can, but sometimes I don't remember or get distracted. So, I'd like to say that I'm sorry for that.

For the record, nobody has complained. Perhaps it's because nobody is reading it, but my Blogger.com crystal ball for backwards time travelers (stats) tells me there are people who do. This post probably isn't necessary, but I wanted to dissuade any notion that I'm any kind of expert or authority on aquaponics. I'm sure you figured it out anyway. I'm only a fledgling. Do you think roe or seedling be a more appropriate word given this blog's subject?

I really don't know why I'm spilling this crap, but here it is. These are only my feelings on the issue.

In any case, thanks for reading. I'll try to keep you entertained and informed as I can. If you have a question, just ask and I'll make up the best answer that I can using Google. :-)

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UPDATE: Perhaps nobody is reading this! May I introduce Referrer Spam. That's okay. I can be the proverbial fool who talks to himself on the Internet. :-)

Al G Money

Observations

1. Water seems clearer after adding the catfish, slug, covering the front of the aquarium glass, and not feeding Thing One and Two for two days. It's not optimal yet, but when will it ever be? I had also been running the pump constantly over the last 24 hours.
2. The fostered plants seem a little spotty. I'm not sure why this is. The algae could have been robbing the water's nutrients from the plants.
3. The new seedlings growth appears to be stunted. Perhaps I'm being impatient, but I thought they'd be growing more by now.
4. The water readings are very stable except that its temperature raised to 25° C. It was 90°F (32°C) outside yesterday, and I have a window fan on the outside window. I have A/C, but the room is upstairs, two of the walls are almost entirely made of windows, and I have the duct  temporarily disconnected.

Analysis & else

I have to say that I'm feeling a little overwhelmed and dissatisfied. I thought that I'd had more growth in my new plants. Some of the seeds have not even germinated. What am I doing wrong? I'm really having trouble understanding. I think that I'm doing everything that I can, but it doesn't progress; it plateaus. I suppose it's part of the trials of pioneering by the seat of my pants, but knowing this doesn't make it easier. I'll just keep pressing forward.

Besides the aquaponics setup, I am growing Moonflowers and Morning Glory in pots downstairs. Since my wife works nights, I was going to set each one up on both ends of the porch. Depending on when she gets home, but the Moonflower would bloom when they arrived around midnight and the Morning Glory would bloom when she arrived early morning around 7 AM. It may not be the way that it's actually going to work, but I thought it was a great idea to put her in a better mood when she comes home.

I'm also trying to propagate some lemon balm in a glass. I'm going to do the same in the aquaponics setup to try to grow roots. My plan is to transplant them downstairs above the rain barrel as a mosquito repellent. I also planted some Marigolds in the same location which appear to be slowly taking off. Writing of lemons, the lemongrass seeds have not propagated. in the growbed.

Here's an idea! I'm going to start a Lemon Balm race. Two methods: aquaponics and glass of water. We'll see which method gets roots first. The race starts today! I'll create a page outside these posts and reference it for updates.

UPDATE: The Lemon Balm Root Race has been created. Yes, I know it's a crude page much like the rest of it, but I don't really care too much about the presentation at this point.