A Lack of Fish?

[senoird]

New to forum and aquaponics basically. I have a system that is a 6ft x 2.5ft x 9 inch grow bed and a 300 gallon fish pond (200 gallons in it currently). I have had the plants in the grow bed for 3 weeks now and they are growing but in the last week seem to be yellowing. Im assuming a lack of nitrogen. I only have 15 goldfish in the tank as I didnt want to overload the system while the bacteria was building up. I jumped started it with bacteria from pet store bottle and stress zyme. Ammonia stays at 0-.2 on test constantly. I guess the real question here is how many fish would you suggest in tank from given info? In my mind the problem with the plants is a lack of fish to produce enough waste to convert into plant food. Also system is set up on time clock to flood 15 mins and off 45 mins and a diverter to a skippy filter dumping back into pond. Thanks in advance.

[badflash]

The normal issue on startup is iron and potassium. Best to start with fish and test for nitrates. When you get in the 20-30 range it is time for plants. There are many threads on how to suppliment for these.

[senoird]

I did sprinkle the bed with some blood meal today so I would think that would cover the iron the potassium I dont know about. Ill search forums and see what I can find for that. Strange thing is I used a 2 inch layer of lava rock on the bottom I figured that would contain a fair amount of iron. Maybe its not actually from lava?

[urbanfarmer]

It can be manufactured. Some lava rock contains large amounts of toxins. I don't recall how to tell, but it might be good to check.

[JCO]

Welcome to the show....pull up an easy chair, relax and stay awhile. New voices are always a welcome addition to our family..! Whatever questions you have on you mind, this is the place to get the answers so pick a topic of your interest and start your own thread and Enjoy. .:mrgreen:

[senoird]

Well its been running several weeks so I think the toxins would have killed off the fish by now. Next planting time Im going with hydroton 100%. Have it bought and sitting by the grow bed already lol. Going to pet store today and getting a few more goldfish. Hopefully between that and the blood meal I see a little more green in the plants. I seen they have aquatic plant fertilizer there also that seems to be mostly iron. Says fish safe so maybe I can use that for the iron.

[urbanfarmer]

Well its been running several weeks so I think the toxins would have killed off the fish by now. Next planting time Im going with hydroton 100%. Have it bought and sitting by the grow bed already lol. Going to pet store today and getting a few more goldfish. Hopefully between that and the blood meal I see a little more green in the plants. I seen they have aquatic plant fertilizer there also that seems to be mostly iron. Says fish safe so maybe I can use that for the iron.
That's a really expensive way to do it, but if that's not an issue go for it.

[rfeiller]

welcome to the forum

[davidstcldfl]

Hi senoird :)

What is your ph level ? If it's much above 7, you could be locking out the nutes from the plants.
You might try a little Maxi crop 'with' iron. Safe for the fish and plants, has some trace minerals, and it gives a little jump start to the system. I get it from my local 'hydro' store.

Lets see some pictures.... :D

[keith_r]

don't just add an aquarium plant fertilizer, even if it says "fish safe" it may be safe for fish not meant for consumption.. read up on what is contained in anything before you add it..
maxicrop with iron is made from seaweed, and is safe for fish that will be eaten

[urbanfarmer]

don't just add an aquarium plant fertilizer, even if it says "fish safe" it may be safe for fish not meant for consumption.. read up on what is contained in anything before you add it..
maxicrop with iron is made from seaweed, and is safe for fish that will be eaten
Sound advice. Maxicrop is pretty darn expensive though, but again if money isn't an issue, that's a good way to start.

[keith_r]

i bought a quart of maxicrop for under 10 bucks last year, and still have a bit left, using maybe a cap full every few weeks to once a month
even used some on the dirt garden last year as a foliar spray (diluted)

[urbanfarmer]

It's $20 at my local hydro shop. I went through it quick. Pee is cheaper any way you look at it :lol:

[keith_r]

yeah, i didn't use it to cycle my system, i used aged humonia, first day added 2 week old stuff and had ammonia readings that afternoon..

waitin for the nitrites and nitrates was the hard part

[urbanfarmer]

yeah, i didn't use it to cycle my system, i used aged humonia, first day added 2 week old stuff and had ammonia readings that afternoon..

waitin for the nitrites and nitrates was the hard part
I completely agree! Mother Nature should have a fast forward button sometimes! :lol:

[keith_r]

oh, and i about crapped myself when you agreed with me earlier uf! hahahaha

just kidding

[urbanfarmer]

oh, and i about crapped myself when you agreed with me earlier uf! hahahaha

just kidding
No you're not! :lol: :mrgreen: :lol:

[senoird]

Update:

Thx for the info guys.

I added 12 more goldfish. Also after reading another post on here used steel wool under my incoming flow to growbed. About 3 days later plants are greener and the new leaves are very dark green. Also seems that they growing much faster now. Ph is maxed out on test scale so added some ph down for fish ponds. Still high Im guessing 7.6 from a little lighter shade of blue in the test vial now. Ammonia levels are still 0 - .25 on test scale so good there.

[keith_r]

sounds like you're coming along.. go easy on ph adjustements, a big change will stress your fish..your system's ph will come down naturally over time..

[urbanfarmer]

That sounds great! Don't forget to take some pictures! :mrgreen: