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  1. #1
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    Water problems...

    I installed three new grow beds and converted my system to CHOP2. After completing the work I checked my water and my PH went to 7.4 and the nitrates were 60ppm. I cleaned my bio filter and the two older grow beds and the nitrates dropped to 40ppm. PH didn't change. My fish (goldies) still eat everything I put in the tank. I only feed once a day but haven't fed for three days. Plants are doing great but I'm concerned about the PH. Any ideas as to the problem and how to correct it?
    Lord, grant me the ability to change the things I can,
    The tenacity to change the things I can’t,
    And the ignorance not to know the difference...

  2. #2
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    Re: Water problems...

    Quote Originally Posted by tem1160
    I installed three new grow beds and converted my system to CHOP2. After completing the work I checked my water and my PH went to 7.4 and the nitrates were 60ppm. I cleaned my bio filter and the two older grow beds and the nitrates dropped to 40ppm. PH didn't change. My fish (goldies) still eat everything I put in the tank. I only feed once a day but haven't fed for three days. Plants are doing great but I'm concerned about the PH. Any ideas as to the problem and how to correct it?
    Here are couple pics of the updated system...
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    Lord, grant me the ability to change the things I can,
    The tenacity to change the things I can’t,
    And the ignorance not to know the difference...

  3. #3
    Moderator urbanfarmer's Avatar
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    Re: Water problems...

    Very nice!

  4. #4
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    Re: Water problems...

    what was your ph before adding the new gb's?
    what is the media in your new growbeds? any limestone? you can put some of the media into vinegar, if you get bubbles, the media would be the problem

  5. #5
    Moderator davidstcldfl's Avatar
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    Re: Water problems...

    Keith is making some good points...

    along that line....

    How much 'new' water did you add ?....how much water did you have to start with...?
    (looking for a percentage...was it enough to effect the conditioned water ? )

    The new water that was added...what was it's PH, before added....? and was it well water ?(which can change it's ph after being 'above ground' )

    I'm grasping at straws Tem....sometimes it leads to a 'Da Huh'...
    "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same." - President Ronald Reagan

  6. #6
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    Re: Water problems...

    The media is washed gravel. The ph was around 6 before I started and I did add a lot of water to the system. Since I changed the system to CHOP2 I added a 50 gallon sump and the three grow beds probably hold another 10 - 15 gallons each so that is quite an addition to the 550 gallons already in the fish tanks. Almost 20% more water. The water is from the tap and the PH is most of the time neutral. I'm guessing it is the gravel. The last time I added gravel the PH did not change but this is a different batch. The PH I can change, my main concern was the nitrates. Is 60 ppm too high or should I expect that with the amount of fish I have(150 goldies)?
    Lord, grant me the ability to change the things I can,
    The tenacity to change the things I can’t,
    And the ignorance not to know the difference...

  7. #7
    Moderator badflash's Avatar
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    Re: Water problems...

    I wouldn't worry about the pH or the nitrates. It is nitrites and amonia that you need to worry about. As your plants grow they will pull the nitrates down. Most fish have no issues below 100 ppm nitrates, certainly not goldies. Tilapia are fine at 250 ppm.
    The best fertilizer is the farmer's shadow

  8. #8
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    Re: Water problems...

    Thanks. That makes me feel a lot better. I am fixing to put 100 tilapia fingerlings in the tank and did not want to kill any of them.
    Lord, grant me the ability to change the things I can,
    The tenacity to change the things I can’t,
    And the ignorance not to know the difference...

  9. #9
    Moderator badflash's Avatar
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    Re: Water problems...

    Be prepared for the tilapia to go belly up. Just about everyone I know who has cycled using goldies have lost their 1st few batches of tilapia. I suspect goldfish carry some sort of disease that kills them.
    The best fertilizer is the farmer's shadow

  10. #10
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    Re: Water problems...

    That's good to know. Maybe I shouldn't get the tilapia after all. Do you know how long you need to cycle the water after removing the goldies before it is safe for tilapia? Or perhaps a complete water replacement? I thought i read somewhere on here that guys were mixing godies and tilapia in the same tank. Did I miss read? or was there just not as many fish?
    Lord, grant me the ability to change the things I can,
    The tenacity to change the things I can’t,
    And the ignorance not to know the difference...

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