1-20-11

When I first added the 7 comet goldfish and 3 small koi a few weeks back, the ammonia level came up to maybe .25 ppm a few days later. I kept an eye on it and noticed that it went to zero and stayed there so I started helping out with some ammonia supplement (DIY of course ). I've been adding enough ammonia to get up to .50 pmm and it comes down to zero by day's end. If I don't add any at all then it seems to stay at zero even though the water is around 70F and the fish get fed 3 or 4 times a day. Koi pellets and goldfish flakes... not a lot each time. Maybe a few pinches of flakes and 8 pellets max.

The inside of the fish tank is lined with green algae but the water is pretty clear since I can now see the bottom and the air stones clearly. It looks like the AP 20 air pump is doing a fine job. I was concerned that maybe it was too much air before but now that I can see whats going on, it looks just right with the 12 inch long air stone and 5 smaller stones.

I have (5) 40 gallon beds that are 12 inches deep and planted seedlings in each bed.

Checking nitrates yesterday and today, they appear to be between 10 to 20 pmm although these colors are really close. It definitely isn't more than 20 pmm because there is no sign of any red tinge in the test tube. I haven't checked nitrites since I have nitrates.

The plants are looking ok but growing slowly so I've been making Kelp meal tea and adding it to the water.

If all goes well, I am planning on adding 10 tilapia this Sunday.