Aquaponics - Nitrogen Deficiencies

Why are all of your plants dying? Well, if you are just starting your system or have other fish related issues you might see some of these symptoms - Burnt leaves, slow growth, dark yellow spots, plants dying. Nitrogen is the most important nutrient of all!

If you have been following along with the system we have here you probably already know that I have had my fair share of issues with various things. Most recently I discovered that my fish were slowly dying off, each day one or two. After several months of trying various remedies the fish all eventually died. So, here I am with an aquaponics system with no fish! This leads to quite a few issues but mainly (since I am still growing plants) I am starting to see the signs of major nutrient deficiency system wide.

With an aquaponics system the main nutrient that the fish provide for us through the nitrification process is nitrogen. This is (in most cases) the #1 nutrient for plant growth overall and when it is deficient you will surely start to notice it. The easy signs are burnt edges of the leaves, curling under of leaves, leaves falling off, stunted growth, and plants dying. If you start seeing these things it is time to think nitrogen!

In aquaponics this deficiency is normally not an issue with a few exceptions. When you first start cycling your system you will undoubtedly be short on nitrogen. Small fish, not enough fish, or underfeeding could be another cause. Lastly, if you just have too many or plants planted in the system you might not be able to keep up with supply of nitrogen for your crop.

So, how do we correct it? This is the easiest nutrient to supplement, just add ammonia. Regular old, off the shelf, unscented, cheap ammonia. I would recommend starting very small and testing a few hours after you add some (just a few capfuls at first). See if your system is efficiently converting the ammonia into nitrates in a decent amount of time. Should be less than 3-4 hours after adding ammonia that you can test and it is all gone. Keep increasing the dose until you start to get some left over after about 3-4 hours and then you now know how much you can safely add without hurting fish. Make sure to add to your sump or directly to bell siphons in the grow beds but never in the fish tanks.

Update - I have been running my system for two months now without any fish and all plants are doing great! Fish will come back to the system soon but I have a few redesigns in the works first.



Check out the full video here

Check out the Simple Suburban General Store - http://astore.amazon.com/simpsubulivi-20

Nutrient Deficiency Guide - http://ammanutri.com/images/Symptoms%20of%20Micronutrient%20Deficiency%20in%20Plants.jpg

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Suburban Aquaponics - Water Testing and Butterflies

See our newest edition to the aquaponics system...butterflies! In this episode I am also going through a standard water test using the API Fresh Water Master Test Kit.

Water testing is a very important part of starting and maintaining any aquaponics system. This is especially important to do more frequently when you are first cycling the system to determine when it is safe to add fish. Since Ammonia and Nitrites are very toxic to fish it is important to make sure that the bacteria colonies established in your system are able to keep up with converting these toxic compounds into more harmless Nitrates. And, of course, this is the nitrogen fertilizer that your plants need to succeed (more aquaponics rhymes coming soon).

I have been using the API Test Kit for over a year now and I have been very happy with it. I did a review and walkthrough on the use of the test kit last year and am still just as happy. It is very easy to use and gives pretty accurate results for all of the tests within 5 minutes. The only complaint I have (and this goes for any of these color based tests) is that some of the colors are very close and hard to distinguish apart. However, in most cases we are only looking for a general idea of levels in the system with the exception of pH. For the best pH results I would recommend picking up an electronic pH reader, however they are a bit more expensive. 

Now, as for the butterflies. You might be asking yourself, why would you put butterflies in your indoor aquaponics system? Well, there is a great explanation for this, I just can't think of it right now:)
The kids wanted some live butterflies for Christmas and so we decided we would give it a try and see what happens. We have done the live butterfly thing in the past and the kids loved it; so what could it hurt? They were able to watch their little caterpillars grow from tiny little worm looking things to some pretty awesome butterflies in about 3 weeks. Only problem now was, where do we release these new buddies of ours in the middle of winter? Well we figured since we have an indoor garden, they would probably fit in down there for the time and if they survive until spring they can be moved outside. In the meantime we are just hoping they do not get too comfortable and decide to start a new family of plants-destroying caterpillars! We will keep you updated on this as it develops but for now the kids, my wife, and I(I have to admit) like to come down to the basement garden and check in on our butterfly friends. Until next time, thanks for stopping by!

 

Products Used:

The API Fresh Water Test Kit - http://amzn.to/1Jd1SuT
Ammonia test kit - http://amzn.to/1L35EJa
Nitrite test kit - http://amzn.to/1EwkZNY
Nitrate test kit - http://amzn.to/1uybBZI
Water hardness test kit - http://amzn.to/1EwkIdM
Phosphate test kit - http://amzn.to/1yRWSdJ
Calcium test kit - http://amzn.to/1y2NtZQ
API Replacement test tubes - http://amzn.to/1Jm1YhS
Electronic test kit - http://amzn.to/1Jd2NeP

All of these products and more recommended items from the SSL Family are available at the

Simple Suburban Living General Store

 

 

 

 

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Aquaponics - Water Hardness, pH Buffering, and Carbonates

Watch this video to learn more about how to manage water quality in an aquaponics system. I have learned so much throughout the last seven months after building our own system.  The terms used in various books and websites can be confusing!  I hope the information you learn here today helps you understand more about what's going on with the water in aquaponics. 

One of the things that has been most interesting to me is the balance that is required between the water, the fish, and the plants. There is so much more to this than I initially suspected!

In aquaponics one of the most important elements of water quality to understand is pH. The pH affects the fish and the plant's growth and ultimately determines how well your system is going to work overall. I have been struggling with pH in my system since the river rock I choose to use contains limestone; this causes the pH to hold at a level of 8.2 which is far too high to have the results I am looking for.  You can also read more about pH in my previous post here.

As I am going through the process of replacing all of my grow media, I have learned a great deal about what pH actually is and also how it is lowered and raised in the system. I have also learned how to test for carbonates and what the best range should be in a healthy system.

General harness, Carbonate hardness and buffering pH have been some of the most interesting concept that I have learned. Check out the video here to learn more.

Thanks for watching!!




For more information and a tour of our indoor aquaponics system, click here.

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SSL Dad: Aquaponics Walkthrough Episode 6 - Lowering PH and Fighting Carbonates

In this video I will be giving an update on the growth after about 10 weeks with the system and some information on my PH problems. There is a lot of good growth going on and some plants are doing much better than others but overall the problem still remains....PH! I have made some interesting discoveries about my choice of grow media and will be making some changes to the system in the coming weeks. I have also verified that you can use vinegar safely to lower PH as well. Hopefully this helps someone with lowering PH and/or finding out why your PH will not move into the best range - 6.5-7.5.

Here is a great test kit for testing the level of carbonates in your water - http://amzn.to/1x36exa

Thanks for watching!

Todd

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From SSL Dad - Aquaponics Walkthrough Episode 4 - Planting Seeds

In this video I walk through the process of planting seeds and then transplanting seedlings into the aquaponics system. We are now six weeks into the project and things and growing fairly well given the high PH in the system. PH has dropped to about 8.1 but still higher than I would like it! Patience......

Todd

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SSL Family Dad: Aquaponics Water Test With API Freshwater Master Test Kit

In this video I run some water quality tests on a newer aquaponics system with the API freshwater master test kit purchased from Amazon.com (link below). This video includes a basic product review of the test kit and a demonstration of the 4 basics tests - PH,  ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. 


http://www.amazon.com/API-Freshwater-Master-Test-Kit/dp/B000255NCI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391783579&sr=8-1&keywords=api+freshwater

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