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  1. #1
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    Cycling Question

    I've had my 100 gallon tank/100 gallon grow, outdoor system up and running for about 6 weeks now and no nitrates. I sampled the water yesterday and low ammonia, no nitrite, and no nitrate.

    I have approximately 5 koi and 20 gold fish. Any ideas?

  2. #2
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    Re: Cycling Question

    what is low ammonia? is there algae in the tank? do you have a biological filter for nitrification? the tank certainly is full of fish. how many plants do you have in you 100 gal grow? is it aggregate or raft? what is the pH of your system? is it possible your plants are utilizing nitrates as fast as they are available?

  3. #3
    Moderator urbanfarmer's Avatar
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    Re: Cycling Question

    And, how big are your fish? How often and how much are you feeding them?

    Man, we make a good team rfeiller!

  4. #4
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    Re: Cycling Question

    If the plants are growing well, your ammonia is between a trace and 0, your nitrite is 0, then having no nitrates just means your system is perfectly balanced.

    I personally would call low ammonia to be when the test kit shows perhaps just a tint or less but definitely not as much as 0.25 ppm.

    Knowing the pH would help us to know if we should tell you to feed the fish more or if you need more filtration to handle feeding more.
    TCLynx

  5. #5
    Moderator urbanfarmer's Avatar
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    Re: Cycling Question

    Quote Originally Posted by TCLynx
    If the plants are growing well, your ammonia is between a trace and 0, your nitrite is 0, then having no nitrates just means your system is perfectly balanced.

    I personally would call low ammonia to be when the test kit shows perhaps just a tint or less but definitely not as much as 0.25 ppm.

    Knowing the pH would help us to know if we should tell you to feed the fish more or if you need more filtration to handle feeding more.
    Although I see what you mean that it's balanced, in other words the nitrification is occurring readily in the system, having 0 nitrates constantly is far from ideal in a lot of different settings. It also depends where the reading is made. In larger systems, the water can start at a higher nitrate and at the end of the grow bed, NFT pipe, raft bed, it could have 0 with a visible decrease in growth as the plants get farther from the starting point. Some people emphasize the fish and others the plants and the rest try to strike a balance. It just depends on your situation. I personally like to see some nitrates in my system and will (depending on whether my crop is vegging or fruiting) might even dose it up a few notches with other water soluble fertilizers (usually I make it meeself, mwahahaha).

    I'm sure you know all this TC, I'm just letting everyone else know.

  6. #6
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    Re: Cycling Question

    This is great! So by low ammonia, I mean just a trace; dehydrated pee yellow, not green. My ph looks good, 7.5. The plants are doing well actually, flowering tomato, zuchini, lettuce and flowers. Strawberries are doin well, flowering, fruit. My grow beds are aggregate. My fish are small feeder goldfish,and 3-4" koi.

    Hmmm, I'd like to believe the system is in balance. What now?

  7. #7
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    Re: Cycling Question

    Rfeiller, I use the beds as the filter, and yes some pretty good algae blooms. In my other thread I noted I added 4 air stones today also. I also shaded the beds and tank, and added a heater to control temp. As well as built a deer fence.

    My tilapia breeders are in a separate tank inside and eating a lot!

  8. #8
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    Re: Cycling Question

    As your fish grow so will the nitrates, then you will be faced with my problem not enough grow beds. I'm am doing 50% water changes weekly on the greenhouse stuff and the nitrates are still pushing 100 ppm.. The backyard garden the plants are just getting going and getting set up. With a couple hundred feeder 2-3" goldfish . My nitrates are at 20 ppm and rising. It is a new system probably won't have enough grow beds there either. I will be at one to one fish tank to grow bed when completed.

  9. #9
    Moderator urbanfarmer's Avatar
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    Re: Cycling Question

    You don't have to do anything. This is a good thing. Also, the algae will rob your water of the remaining nutrients and lock them up so the plants can't get them.

    Quote Originally Posted by hooksbob
    This is great! So by low ammonia, I mean just a trace; dehydrated pee yellow, not green. My ph looks good, 7.5. The plants are doing well actually, flowering tomato, zuchini, lettuce and flowers. Strawberries are doin well, flowering, fruit. My grow beds are aggregate. My fish are small feeder goldfish,and 3-4" koi.

    Hmmm, I'd like to believe the system is in balance. What now?

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