Jeff's Backyard System - Here We Go!

[foodchain]

Why wash it? That's work. The most it will do is make your water cloudy. Take a couple of eggs, seperate the white from the yolk, put the white in, and it forces the suspended particles together. Like a glue. It will cause an amonia spike....which was okay for me as it got me on my way to cycling. More than one way to skin a cat though.

[Jeff]

Why wash it? That's work. The most it will do is make your water cloudy. Take a couple of eggs, seperate the white from the yolk, put the white in, and it forces the suspended particles together. Like a glue. It will cause an amonia spike....which was okay for me as it got me on my way to cycling. More than one way to skin a cat though.

Should I do that egg trick ANYWAY whether I wash the hydroton or not? I am wondering if that's a good way to get a jump start on the cycling process.

As for washing, right now I don't think I will mind it. I spend all day working inside, and I am in desperate need for some manual labor. (I can only watch my ass get bigger in this office chair for so long before I go stir crazy). So in part, this whole aquaponics project has been therapeutic for me because it's getting me active and doing something physically productive!

[keith_r]

i used a couple of scrambled up eggwhites to help clear up my system early on.. i don't think it really made much of a difference in cycling, it acts as a flocculent and all the bits of dirt stick to it so it sinks.. it did clear up the water pretty well.. one thing i found with the black tubs is that it's almost impossible to see your fish and what's going on with them.. i found some thin sheets of white shower liner pvc i was going to use in the bottom of the tank but ended up moving the system and don't have that issue at the moment
washing gravel isn't that big of a deal unless you've got to move a few yards..could get a bit tiring.. i'll probably rinse the load i'm getting with a hose outside while it's still piled up

[Eleven11]

I'm with you on theraputic aspect of this hobby. I only recently heard about AP and I sort of stumbled my way around but have been really amazed by the whole experience.

Cheers

[Jeff]

Ok, I thought I would share a video of my system thus far. NOTE: I smoke a pipe as a hobby and for relaxation (hence my avatar), and my YouTube channel is fairly popular with that crowd. So I am speaking to a crowd that knows little to nothing about aquaponics. This would explain why I don't talk too technical about the system, and also why I am smoking a pipe. It should still give you an idea of what my setup looks like and see it in action!

[youtube:2sx25dup]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJD508UMAVM[/youtube:2sx25dup]

I have some annotations on the video which are very small when embedded in the forum, so if you want to read them, just click the video to launch it on YouTube in a larger size.

[Eleven11]

Looking good so far. Nice job!

[davidstcldfl]

Looking nice.. Now, lets see some plants !

When the video started, I had to laugh, the ad that came up was for 'A Smoke Free Florida'

[Jeff]

Thanks for the comments, guys! As for the ads in the beginning, I have to laugh as well. I don't consider myself a "smoker" simply because I don't inhale, and I may only smoke a pipe once a week or so. But since advertisers put ads on my videos, they zero-in on the keywords of smoking, and display whatever the heck they want on there!

Anyway, I take 1-2 pees inside the tank every day or so. I am going away to visit family over the weekend, and when I come back, I will check the water chemistry to see how things are doing. I will keep you updated!

[Jeff]

Ok, so the system has been cycling a little over one week now. The only thing I've done to the water is pee in it. Usually it's a couple of times a day, although I haven't done anymore for the last couple of days due to being away for the Easter holiday.

So today, I took my first water test (PH, PH High, Ammonia, Nitrites), and I wanted to share it with you. Feel free to chime in and confirm or refute my assumptions:

[attachment=0:13jcl0m9]photo.JPG[/attachment:13jcl0m9]

PH (low and high test)- Looks to me like it's a little high. Anyone had any success on the "lemon juice" remedy? I read that this will help lower the PH levels. From what I can see, it looks like my PH is probably around the 8.2 range.

AMMONIA - Looks like its a whopping 8ppm. That tells me that I don't need to piss in there anymore!

NITRITES - Still looks like the nitrification hasn't kicked in yet, since we're reading 0ppm.

So I guess what I will do is wait a few days and do the test again. I expect to see the ammonia drop as the Nitrites go UP. From what I think I've heard, when the ammonia drops back down, perhaps pee in it again to spike it up again, and let it drop one more time. When the Ammonia reads zero, the nitrites read zer0, and the presence of nitrAtes shows up, then the system should be cycled.

Right?

Any other thoughts or suggestions, feel free to chime in!

[keith_r]

kind of.. you don't want to really let everything get to zero early on..
after the ammonia drops, the bacteria that convert the nitrites will just be getting started, and you don't want to starve the ammonia loving bacteria..after your first ammonia drop, you'll need to give the system a dose every couple days - you should see ammonia drop within a day or two, but it will take a couple more weeks for the nitrites to start dropping..
seeing the color change on the nitrate test will feel pretty good after wondering if it will every happen
your high ammonia readings will affect the ph, and it will come down on it's own..