New Fish Day + 1 🐟🐟🐌

Nameless #1's jaw drops in disbelieve when his photo is taken.

Observations

1. Water still cloudy from algae.
2. Fish have quite an appetite
3. Fostered plants are browning on the edges a little bit.
4. New plant growth is looking good.

Introducing... 

Realizing that the algae problem isn't going to get better, along with seeing actual "string" type algae, I finally decided to do something about it. So I went to Planet Pet today and bought two new Cory Catfish and a snail. The catfish immediately went to work eating the "string" algae. I know there's a specific term for them, but I'll find it later. I'll monitor the changes with this addition. Unfortunately, I can't get a proper photo of the two catfish. So, I'll hotlink a Wikipedia image [I hope they're okay with that].

Analysis

As previously mentioned, the algae problem is being addressed. Hopefully, it will be solved with the three new additions to the tank. Its pH dropped to 6.5, so I added 21 drops of pH UP . The temperature has been steady. The warmer weather is also going to create some additional challenges for the temperature as well as the algae. More sunlight will affect it, but it will have the added benefit of more growth for the plants. As you recall, I don't have a grow light yet.

I used some of the basil to help create something for some makeshift naan to go with the chicken curry that I made. I use the word makeshift because they were actually fluffy tortillas brushed with olive oil, garlic, basil and salt. The Kroghetto (my local Kroger grocery store) doesn't stock any, so one does what one can.

The Numbers

Date	GH General Hardness	KH Carbonate Hardness	pH	NO2 Nitrites	NO3 Nitrates	NH3/NH4 Ammonia	Temp °C
30-May	120	40	6.5	0.5	80	0.25	23°

Memorial Day

It's also Memorial Day today in the U.S. It's a day to recognize soldiers who had fought and died in battle. Take a moment to remember. Thanks.

Water changes and anticipation

Observations

• Fish have a voracious appetite. I continue to feed them twice per day. I hasn't appeared to effect the water readings, which are dropping in the nitrite and ammonia categories.
• Tank water still has greenish tint. I still need to address the algae in the tank. At least for the interim, I've been covering the glass when we're not in the room; at least during the day, to minimize its growth.
• Growth progress; particularly among the chives. The lemongrass also appears to be sprouting in the corners where I placed it.
• The ammonia is keeping steady at 0.25 ppm while the nitrites have dropped to zero. I'm asking myself whether I should add another fish to keep the plants fed with nitrates. I may do this if the nitrates drop along with the nitrites. My other questions are:
• What is a reasonable level of nitrites and nitrates for sustaining the current level of crop? 
• Do some plants need more than others?
• What effect will a grow light have upon these numbers?

Analysis

Things are stable, so there's nothing to report. I'm going to use the basil for a pizza soon. I'll let you know how it turns out. For the (obvious) record, we intend to eat the items grown in this system, but not eat the goldfish. However, it's not uncommon for such a system to harvest both fish and plants; just not goldfish. :)

I also plan to take out the lemon balm (picture far-left) from the growbed and transplant them to the front and back porches. I've become obsessed with keeping away mosquitos this season as they were friggin' annoying last year. The nasty, deadly viruses they transmit, including Zika and West Nile, are also more than enough incentive for repelling them.

I'll report back in a few days and provide some pics as well.

The Numbers

Date	GH General Hardness	KH Carbonate Hardness	pH	NO2 Nitrites	NO3 Nitrates	NH3/NH4 Ammonia	Temp °C
25-May	120	40	7.0	0	80	0.25	24°

Tank update and plant talk

Howdy, folks! I skipped a day of posting yesterday because I had to replace the rear brake pads on the car I'm going to sell. There are a few other things which I need to do to it, and then it will be on the market. For the record, I love this car. It's a BMW 330xi and it's the best car I've ever owned. I'd love to write about it more, but this is a aquaponics blog. If I put it up on EBay Motors, I'll post a link.

Observations

• Fish appear to be healthy. They have a voracious appetite, and I do feed them a little when they clamor for it.
• The water is still a little greenish; most likely due to the algae. No, I haven't purchased any snails to deal with the problem yet.
• There continues to be significant progress in the past few days. Alternatively, the fostered plants are due to be moved, but I don't want to disrupt the balance of the system too much. I need to harvest them though.
• I think the suspected issue with the root rot and yellowing (too much watering) has to do with the length of the roots when they were transplanted. When these plants were in soil, the roots moved to the moisture, which went deeper as the upper levels of the soil's water evaporated. When I moved the plants from the soil to the growbed, I did not trim the roots, but left them at their original length. I suspect that the endings of the roots were in water all of the time. As I create new growth, this will be less of a problem as long as I properly schedule growth and harvest in the system.

The Numbers

No numbers today, I will perform a full check tomorrow.

Fish died

Observations

The smallest of the three fish died sometime between last night and this morning. After a number reading, of what I always measure, they looked fine. However, the tank's water is looking greenish. Therefore, I'm suspecting lack of oxygen as the cause. 

I do have an oxygenator, but it's powered by two "D" size batteries. I'll replace the batteries and get another one that could be powered by electricity.

Ultimately, I'm going to have to deal with the algae issue. I've mentioned purchasing some snails or some type of aquatic which I don't have to feed algae tablets. I have no idea how much they would cost, but I'm going to have to bite the proverbial bullet on this one. Having dead fish is not an option.

The Numbers

Date	GH	KH	pH	NO2	NO3	NH3/NH4	Temp °C
21-May	120	80	7.0	0.5	80	0.25	22°

Growing my own

Observations

I took no water measurements today. I am going to limit my readings to about three times per week or as conditions warrant. Other than the minor but persistent algae problem, the fish seem well, so no checkups. However, I will perform a reading tomorrow. Unless there's something for which to be alarmed, I'll continue the 3x/week regimen.

Seedling progress

I have already started to see some sprouts from the chive. I did not have time to examine the others, but I'm happy that something has started from them. On the flip side, I am a little more concerned about my fostered plants. 

The wonderfully smelling rosemary plant, among the emergency plants I bought in order to process the nitrates and clean the tank water, are wilting. The parsley are yellowing a bit as well. According to past reading, it may be a sign of overwatering. This means that some adjustments will be needed to ensure the roots aren't being soaked 24/7. The rosemary's roots seemed like they were starting to rot as well, so I moved it back to potted soil.

For the next stage of the aquaponics world, how long should I wait until harvest? Do I just pluck what I need and leave them in the growbed indefinitely? I'm assuming that crop rotation doesn't apply. I'm 47 years old and really haven't grown or planted anything other than a Mother's Day rose bush. Fast forward 20 years and the list includes key lime hydrangeas and aquaponics. I'll write more tomorrow. Have a great day or whatever period of the day you're experiencing. 

Day three of calm

Observations

• Fish are fine; fed them this morning.
• Tank is still a bit cloudy due to algae. I need to work on getting some snails to help. I did keep the tank covered in the front.
• The numbers are calmer; pH at 7.0.
• Nitrites and nitrates are down.
• No ammonia check today. I plan to not check the numbers every day since the tank as stabilized to a degree.

The Numbers

Date	GH	KH	pH	NO2	NO3	NH3/NH4	Temp °C
20-May	120	80	7.0	1	80	not taken	23°

Day two of new seeds, second day of calm

Observations

1. It may be an illusion but I think that the fostered plants grew a little bit. I know that is what they're supposed to do, but it's still wondrous to me.
2. I did not cover the glass of the aquarium for much of yesterday. This may explain the increased cloudiness that our lovely daylight nemesis, algae, brings to my tank. It should be able to keep it under control if I cover it today. Of course, I have to watch them first.
3. I was able to feed them today. Their appetite seemed normal.
4. Either the oxygen stone for the oxygenator is going to need to be cleaned or the batteries to the unit will need to be replaced. It's not outputting enough air.
5. Day two of seeding; as expected, there is no noticeable progress yet.
6. Added 21 drops of API pH UP to deal with 6.5 pH issue.

Overall, the tank and its components seem normal. There's a small maintenance item regarding the oxygenator to which I have to attend, but it seems fine otherwise. I was really thinking that this project may have been a total disaster a few days ago, but the proverbial storm has passed.

Starting from the Internet of Things

So, how did I learn about the existence and symbiotic beauty of aquaponics? I actually discovered it by accident. At the time, I was learning about Arduino UNO microcontrollers. I had purchased the Official Starter Kit, which included the microcontroller, tutorial, components and breadboard; everything you would need to get started. The boards alone cost between $30 and $50 US. For the record, I would recommend this kit for anyone, even children, wanting to learn about electronics as well as computer programming. Once you build your components, the UNO board allows you to control them by writing code. It's actually a subset to the "C" programming language, which is pretty easy to learn. I find the whole concept of the Internet of Things concept, and more specifically, microcontrollers, a wonderful bridge between the virtual and the real to customize the physical world that way you want it to work; but let's get back to the story.

I was perusing YouTube about the Arduino when I discovered a video entitled the Internet of Things. It was an older gentleman who was running an aquaponics setup in California. He build his entire setup, including water towers for strawberries, growbeds for vegetables, and tanks for his fish. The additionally fascinating thing about it was he was controlling and monitoring it through custom-built components which included Arduino microcontrollers. His setup also allowed him to control the pumps and monitor is system through the Internet; hence the term Internet of Things. Anyway, both concepts really fascinated and inspired me. The video helped start my journey to now.

I hope to get more elaborate as I learn more, but the Aquasprouts system is where I am starting.

The Numbers

Date	GH	KH	pH	NO2	NO3	NH3/NH4	Temp °C
19-May	120	80	6.5	3	80	0.25	23°