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  1. #31
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    Re: Hello from Tampa, Florida!

    badflash - I seemed to have done everything in reverse on this. I put the fish in the system with no plants, then added my grow medium killing all of my fish. Well let that cycle for a little to let the dust settle then added more fish. I have about 5-6 goldies left, but they obviously aren't providing enough nutrients to the system. Unfortunately, I already have plants in the beds and I am keeping them alive with daily dosages of MaxiCrop w/ Iron, unless those goldies are producing too. So I want to step up to tilapia and hope to pick some fingerlings up this weekend. Do you suggest then 50 fingerlings for the time being and pull them out as they grow and take up to much space? 25 2 pound fish in a 55 barrel drum seems excessive, but then again I am new to this.

  2. #32
    Moderator badflash's Avatar
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    Re: Hello from Tampa, Florida!

    To begin with, limit 1 pound of fish to 5 gallons of water. Once you gain experience and have a mature system and skills, you can push it up. There is a lot to learn, so take your time.

    There are ways to calculate how much your fish should put out, but that is just a starting point. You need to constantly watch and adjust.
    The best fertilizer is the farmer's shadow

  3. #33
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    Re: Hello from Tampa, Florida!

    Hey guys, so I am having problems with keeping my pH up. I think the river rock or something in the system is acidic... I am pulling the fish out and doing a water change with tap water that has been dechlorinated with vitamin C and has been left out for 24 hours. I hope this water change helps with the pH, but have a feeling it will fall again. Can anyone give me an idea on how much shellrock or oyster shells I will need to make a perm. buffer in the system? I ordered the parts to make a sump tank connected to the FT to allow more water in the system and what would house the oyster shells.

  4. #34
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    Re: Hello from Tampa, Florida!

    So... I think I have just dug my hole even deeper. Let me begin with the start of the process.

    Sunday afternoon I carved out a sump tank to be used as a water holding tank for the transfer and to be included in the expansion. I filled it to 50 gallons and treated it with about 750mg of Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid).

    Today, I prepped for the transferring of fish out and the new treated water in. Here are my supplies: 18 gallon tote (temp fish holding tank), 10 gallon tote (to hold extra tank water), 5 gallon pale (to hold extra tank water).



    Here were the last test results of the FT before any changes:



    After the last test, I drained the FT into the 18 gallon tote, 10 gallon tote, and 5 gallon bucket. I then filled the FT from the treated tap water. The tap water was between 8.0-8.2, you can try to decide.



    This was added to the system and cycled through once and then I took a complete reading. This is where things get a little odd.



    I would assume everything would dilute and drop, what I was surprised to see was the nitrites went up. Can anyone explain this anomaly?

    I went back to check on pH about an hour after I took this test. pH had already dropped. I am uncertain whether this is a 7.8 (right) or 7.6 (left). I used the normal pH test (bluish color) and high pH test (peach/orange), either way, it's dropping... Which is back at my original problem.



    Anyways, a few low blows from researching more today while at work. The lime I purchased isn't the right lime. I needed calcium hydroxide and I picked up and have been using calcium carbonate... Boom, one low blow. Second, after further research into ascorbic acid (vitamin C) it is a hindrance and detrimental to bacteria growth. So, all in all I think I just dug myself a little deeper in the balancing out of my system.

    I am open to any and all suggestions. I plan to take a complete reading again in the morning to see how everything has changed. I am anticipating the pH to be at or below 6.0, I swear I have a freaking pH devil living in my GB.

    On the bright side of things, I am water testing my wicking rain gutter system tonight for leaks. So far so good... knock on wood.

  5. #35
    Members bsfman's Avatar
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    Mar 2011
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    Cape Coral, FL
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    Re: Hello from Tampa, Florida!

    Quote Originally Posted by FloridaChris

    I would assume everything would dilute and drop, what I was surprised to see was the nitrites went up. Can anyone explain this anomaly?
    From the photo, it looks like your ammonia dropped as the nitrites increased. You get an initial ammonia peak when cycling which is followed by a nitrite peak. The fact that you increased the pH provided a more favorable environment for your nitrifying bacteria to do their job which is probably why you saw a sudden ammonia drop and nitrite jump. If you can keep your pH in the high7 to 8 range for a couple of weeks, it will speed up your cycling process. It's not the ideal range for your plants, but it won't hurt them and it will certainly help your bacteria growth.

  6. #36
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    Re: Hello from Tampa, Florida!

    These were the results this morning.



    So am I pretty much going to have to restart from the beginning now? I have a pale of fish with rising ammonia that I need to figure out what to do with. Going to play the transplant game I guess. Move em from bucket to bucket.

  7. #37
    Moderator jackalope's Avatar
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    Re: Hello from Tampa, Florida!

    Try checking the PH of the water you are starting out with .... in a bucket, then go along to the next step - put whatever gravel you use in that bucket of water and check the PH next day (try to make it 12-24 hours in-between steps) - I've had to do this before becuz I couldn't figger out what the cause was - - one step at a time - until you find your culprit! In the meantime, if your fish aren't suffering, leave them in the original tank whilst you go thru the steps to find out the reasons for your problem in a separate container. bsfman may have already answered your question - don't be in too much of a rush to give them fresh water, your original water may just be going thru a weird cycling event - (personal experience )

    Just my 2 centavos .......
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