Bad News and Good News

[jackalope]

The bad news is that I'm still lurking around here and watching you all, the good news is that what's left of my aquaponics garden is still trying to figure out if it wants to grow or if it wants to just tease me and then die off too . The three bush bean plants that survived my salt treatment are growing beans on them. We've got about 3 or 4 tiny beans on two of the plants, and the other one has flowers Most of the lettuce is dead, I've got two spindly little two-leafers that can't decide whether they want to live or die, the watermelon is about the same, the squash looks like two of the plants might soon have some blossoms, but they are mighty small plants ..... tomatoes seem to be the only plants that weren't bothered by the salt, so I planted more ..... the wife has some peppers started to plant in the empty spaces ..... I replanted some cukes and they're coming up, but my gurgling autosiphon quit working - I can only surmise that there is some algae/gunk inside the PVC that's not letting the siphon break, I'll have to change to Jeff's flexible hose idea (so I can clean it when it gets full of gunk) and see if that makes a difference ........ I replaced all my dead fish with guppies, and my three P. Acutus crawdads (we haven't gotten a 'for sure' ID on them yet, because they're all females) and I think the crawdads have caught about half of the guppies already ..... I'm going to sell the crawdads on aquabid, because I've got 5 Marmorkrebs coming, and since they aren't caniballistic, i'll be able to have them in the tank and they can
breed/berry/whatever to their heart's content for a while. I'll replace the guppies with some Endler's Livebearers (badflash says they don't eat their young like guppies do), and let them breed to their heart's content also. Soon, I should have lots of fertilizers for my plants ........ I've got to get some more gurglers built so that I can see if it will work with three levels of grow-beds.
So far, All is not lost !

[mpugh5@aol.com]

sounds good jackalope, i haven't started yet but it's good to know what i'm in for. look at it this way, you took one for the team i don't think i'll be starting with the expensive fish after watching your post. unless i can get that college professer over here who has an endless supply of fish and much much needed experience . we will see. i got to tell you ,thanks for hanging in there and conveying to us what was going on,so that we can learn. i just lost three goat kids to mastitis. 5 months of feeding pampering and waiting and two days alive and now gone. life on the farm.

[badflash]

If it was easy, everyone would do it. Once you get your system to cycle properly, things will be much easier.

[wolfracer]

That sounds like good news Jackalope! you're still in the auqaponics business!

[jackalope]

sounds good jackalope, i haven't started yet but it's good to know what i'm in for. look at it this way, you took one for the team i don't think i'll be starting with the expensive fish after watching your post. unless i can get that college professer over here who has an endless supply of fish and much much needed experience . we will see. i got to tell you ,thanks for hanging in there and conveying to us what was going on,so that we can learn. i just lost three goat kids to mastitis. 5 months of feeding pampering and waiting and two days alive and now gone. life on the farm.

When I had my goat farm, I never had a case of mastitis .... when I was younger, we had a cow that had mastitis, and we threw the milk to the pigs, they can eat poison without even barfing it up and still put on weight ........ but the kids, lambs, calves, etc. can't take defective milk, no matter what society (or your vet) tells you .

[jackalope]

If it was easy, everyone would do it. Once you get your system to cycle properly, things will be much easier.

It had nothing to do with cycling, the readings were always good for this area, just a ph that was a little high , everything else was doing fine .... and then they started dying right and left .... (this was after my initial bad start where I lost some due to ignorance). First it was the food, then ICK, then parasites, then velvet ....... I couldn't win no matter what! I treated with salt, malachite green, Jungle parasite clear tank buddies, and velvet guard, but they all died in the end I just know I'm disgusted with carp ..... not only because it takes 2 years for them to grow to frying pan size, but they are extremely susceptible to disease ...... never again! Hopefully I will be able to sell the guppies and endlers to fish shops to help pay for the food ...... other than that, they'll supply much-needed fertilizers

[JCO]

Welcome back Jackalope..."Never Surrender" .... "Full speed ahead" .... "Don't give up the ship" ...and all those other sayings....or the calander with the kitten dangling by his front feet .... "Hang in there" no matter .... "Welcome Back"

[badflash]

If you start with weak animals that harbor disease, it will come out when stressed. Next time pick a fish that has some economic value. Koi are good for ornamental sales, hybid sunfish are good to eat and handle cold well. Tilapia are best, but they require warmth all the time.

If it was easy, everyone would do it. Once you get your system to cycle properly, things will be much easier.

It had nothing to do with cycling, the readings were always good for this area, just a ph that was a little high , everything else was doing fine .... and then they started dying right and left .... (this was after my initial bad start where I lost some due to ignorance). First it was the food, then ICK, then parasites, then velvet ....... I couldn't win no matter what! I treated with salt, malachite green, Jungle parasite clear tank buddies, and velvet guard, but they all died in the end I just know I'm disgusted with carp ..... not only because it takes 2 years for them to grow to frying pan size, but they are extremely susceptible to disease ...... never again! Hopefully I will be able to sell the guppies and endlers to fish shops to help pay for the food ...... other than that, they'll supply much-needed fertilizers

[JeffW]

people that live in Montana are not defeated too dang easy..

Good to see you posting

[foodchain]

Not that anyone asked, but I have been keeping koi/carp for years and never had a problem. I have been breeding fancy goldfish too, again without any of the above stated problems. The two worst things I have had, was anchor worm, and I had a 2 ft koi jump out and I didn't find out about it until it was too late. But Koi are known jumpers. Strange for you to have so many problems. Probably something they picked up prior to getting to you. This is one of the major reasons you NEVER put the water you get fish in, into your system. AND you are ALWAYS supposed to quarantine any livestock. Just like on a farm you NEVER turn a cow out to the herd without isolating first. It's the same here, you just have a smaller ranch. The anchor worm was my own fault, I put the water they came in, in with them. They had no visible parasites, but the cysts were in the water, and once given access to hosts and proper conditions came to life. You break your own rules, and it bites you.