10 Goldfish... now what?

[urbanfarmer]

i'm still trying to wrap my head around the nitrification process, but it will bring it down

Yep, you are right. When the bacteria break down the nitrogenous compounds they release a proton into the water, more easily understood as a positive hydrogen ion (H+) and will thereby lower the pH in time.

[shannoneka]

Hi wh33t nice to have someone else who is new as well I just joined myself I am currently reading through all the diy self guides suggested by JCO seems like a lot of dos and donts but im up for a good challenge any day is your system up and running and how is it working have you been having trouble any input would be helpful thanks

[wh33t]

Hi wh33t nice to have someone else who is new as well I just joined myself I am currently reading through all the diy self guides suggested by JCO seems like a lot of dos and donts but im up for a good challenge any day is your system up and running and how is it working have you been having trouble any input would be helpful thanks

Hey there, for some reason I never got an email from the site telling me someone had replied to it! The AP system is up and working and running and my feet are certainly wet now (so to speak) lol.

The only real issues I've had were with space. I have my system indoors under some fluorescent lights. When I started the weather was cold outside so there was no way I could have put it outside, but now that it's a little nicer out I wish it were on my deck and I may make that happen shortly. 10 gold fish, and 10 gallons just simply isn't enough growing power if you ask me, but for the starter experiment I required at the time it was perfect. Fluorescent are great for starting stuff indoors and they might be good for some leafy veggies too, but I never let the veggies run long enough inside, I always put them outside because there is more room. I've just been transplanting them into dirt from my AP system.

There is some incredible dvds you absolutely must watch by a guy named Murray Hallam. Find his Dvd's and watch them. Aquaponics Secrets and Aquaponics the first 12 months are the ones you should get a hold of.

Some interesting things I've learned about AP since I started is that it's a gradual thing which is a lot different than the rapid set up and take down and reset of hydroponics or soil-less gardening. The longer your AP system runs the better it gets as the eco-system improves.

AP really gave me a strong sense of nature and it's just so beautiful. I plan to scale up my entire back yard (kids don't play in it anyways and I hate mowing the lawn) into a big AP facility. I'm still not big on fresh water fish, but I'm toying with the idea of crayfish.