Basic Aquaponics - How to Raise Water pH with Limestones

It has been a long time since I last check the Aquaponics water pH value.  I suspect something is not right when most cutting that I planted starts to rot. This only happens if water acidity is high.

So with the pH test kit form API, I tested water and got the result of pH 6.0 on 3rd October 2016 as below video

At 6.0 pH I will need to adjust this, otherwise more plants will suffer. The easiest way to increase pH is to use Limestone, Cockle shells or other shellfish. There are also some places selling carbonates to add, which will give a very fast pH boosting. I am not keen in taking this route.

I use lime stones as video above and make some improvement to the method by using aeration to speed up the process as below.

pH water test after five days of using limestone, it increase to 6.5 pH on 8th Oct 2016

pH water test again after 2 weeks, it went up to 7.0 pH on 14th October 2016

pH water check after 3 weeks, it maintain at 7.0 pH on 22nd October 2016

pH water check after 4 weeks, it maintain at 7.0 pH on 30th October 2016.

The limestone has done it job very well, the pH value maintain at 7.0. That shows once all acidity has been neutralized the lime stones just maintain water at neutral.

I'll check pH again after another two week, to see how it goes.

12 December 2016 - Update

Check pH today and is read 7.0, after more than 3 weeks not testing.



I was worried due to rainy season  water may turn acidic. Looks like the limestones doing it job pretty well.

Affnan's Aquaponics - River Barb Fingerling

Catching all the fingerling to place in my left return tank. After 3 weeks in the feeder tank they will be hard to catch.

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Basic Aquaponics - Ph Test After 4 Weeks With Limestones

Four weeks after I place the limestones looks like the ph had stabilized at 7.0

I will continue testing ph lever once in 2 weeks then at a longer interval.

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Affnan's Aquaponics - Fermented/Pickle Fish After A Week

After a week, transfer to another container. This is actually optional but I do it to change to taller container so that it will be easier to keep free from mould.

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Affnan's Aquaponics - 26th Oct 2016 Updates

A quick update on my set today, what's happening to the fishes and plants.

I am sure some reader might had notice these last one month or so, I has been producing many videos and blog post.

The reason for this is to help new comer to aquaponics to start in a simplest possible way and  at the same time giving visual encouragement to those starting up.

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Affnan's Aquaponics - Making Fermented Tilapia (Pekasam)

This is how I make pickled Tilapia or Pekasam in Malay, I had made a video on same topic few years back

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Fresh tilapia, remove the gut and salt it. Leave overnite or best 24 hours for salt to penetrate the flesh.

Tamarind and brown sugar mix to make the pickling  souce.

Tilapia covered by the tamarind sauce and sprinkle with burnt rice place in container to ferment for 2 weeks.

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Affnan's Aquaponics - Netting All Tilapia To Replace With Barb

Catching all Tilapia to replace with river barb  It has been more than 8 years I'm using tilapia in my aquaponics set.

It's about time to totally change to different fish.  Comparatively barb give more nutrient to plants than tilapia altho they eat much less.

I have 300 barb fingerling in the feeder tank, and will start to place them in the left return tank.

The smaller tilapia I will make pickle fish.

Thanks for watching.

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Basic Aquaponics - ph Water Check After 3 Weeks

Looks like the ph value stabilized at 7.0, last week it was at this value too.

Suspect there is no more acidity for stones to react  will need to check again next week to confirm.

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Basic Aquaponics - Spraying Plants with Pesticide

I use organic pesticide most of the time, only under extreme situation I am forced to use chemical pesticide.

Basic Aquaponics - ph Check After 2 Weeks

Ph check after almost 2 weeks initial value of 6.0 and today's at 7.0.

Not bad for a low cost alternative.

Basic Aquaponics - Water Feed With Saddle Valve

Saddle valve in operation as use in my #gutterbed aquaponics set. This new pump is 4 watt more than previous, excess capacity should make the pump last longer.

Basic Aquaponics - ph Water check after 5 days.

Ph water test on 8th October after 5 days putting the limestone to a adjust ph level.

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Affnan's Aquaponics - 8th Oct. 2016 Updates

Update of my setup, of what's happening.

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Affnan's Aquaponics - Tomatoes Update 5th Oct 2016

Brief update on the tomatoes that I transplanted just over a week ago.

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Basic Aquaponics - Limestones Aeration

Putting aeration stone at bottom of the pot will give better circulation of water to the limestone.
This way it will speed up reaction of the acidic water with the stones.

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Goodbye Samsung - Your Phone Don't Meet My Requirement Anymore

I am switching to Huawei,  disappointed with Samsung that made it difficult to use external SD.




Left is my Honor 8 with 64 GB internal on the right daughter's Huawei P9+ Limited. Superb dual sim phones and I can use the external SD.

I do complete video capture, editing and blogpost on the phones. All the videos are now done on the honor 8.

Using Cinema FV5 for video capture, Power Director Cyberlink for edit and Blogaway Pro for blogspot and youtube direct posting.

Now I can make more video :)

Goodbye Samsung, you are chasing loyal customer away.

Basic Aquaponics - Water ph Adjust Using Limestone

Earlier checked aquaponics system water is about 6.1 ph. I need to boost this higher to around 6.5 to 7.0.

Low ph is acidic, plant cutting will rot before they can take root. This happens to Lemongrass and Pineapple crown that I'm testing.

Best to put the stones in pots so that it can be easily retrieve if needed.

My previous setup was using limestones before I switched to hydroton. Limestone is alkaline and hydroton us neutral.

Basic Aquaponics - Water ph Check

Checking ph with tester solution, my aquaponics system water is 6.1 ph.

Will adjust to buffer it higher using limestones.

Thanks for watching

Basic Aquaponics - Cuttings As Fish Feed

Sambung Nyawa plant cuttings can be use to feed Tilapia. Other than this they will eat Cassava or Tapioca leaves too.

Using cuttings from the Aquaponics will reduce dependency on fish feed and leaving decomposed vegetation in the fish tank will help in lowering ph if it is high.

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Basic Aquaponics - Sweet Leave Plant Propagation

This plant is known in Malay as Pucuk Manis in English it's Sweet Leave or also known as Goose Berries Plant.

Require high nutrient to do well, recommendef on a fully matured growbed. This plant is use as vegetable cooked in coconut milk or just water and onion with spice.

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Basic Aquaponics - Caution of the Pacu Fish

Some how a couple of Pacu fish manage to make their way into the feeder tank and within a short time has damage the pump electrical wires.

Luckily nothing serious happens, the pump was replaced by a spare. Need to get a new pump to change.

Something must be attracting this fish to electrical wires.

Pacu

Pacu fish has grown big, this fish requires lots of dissolve oxygen otherwise they will go crazy.

Lack of oxygen they will jump out of the tank.

Palm size pacu, still long way to go.

Wonder how it taste like ?

Basic Aquaponics - Spinach Seedling Transplant

Spinach seedling transplant using the flooded growbed method to ensure they are not damaged.

The growth is not uniform, those too small will have to wait for a few more days.

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Basic Aquaponics - Strawberry Propagation

Strawberry propagation using runners is widely done by home enthusiast. This is the easiest way to get few plants for your trials.

Directly to hydroton pots will ensure young strawberry plants starts early in the new medium. It will take root in a week and usually ready to be detache from the mother plant in about 30 to 40 days.

Thanks for watching