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The “aqua” in aquaponics - Backyard Aquaponics PDF

44 Pages·2009·5.04 MB·English
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Fish Stories The “aqua” in aquaponics By Karen Swanberg [email protected] Summer '09 The Aquatic Component Fish and other species suited for the system ● (covered in Class One, but slides are – appended) Habitat needs ● Water quality issues ● Fish biology (too big a subject for this class) ● Will cover some basics of fish diseases and salt. – Food needs and sources ● Fish growth rates ● Habitat © dailymail.co.uk Solitary fish often ● need lots of places to hide, and most fish will be less stressed if they can hide part of the time. Hides can include plant life, big rocks, wood ● and PVC pipe. Schooling fish tend to need more room. ● Some fish, like catfish, need a substantial ● amount of horizontal room in order to breed. Water Quality issues - Important tank parameters pH ● Temp ● Nitrogen ● Mineral hardness ● Oxygen ● Chemicals ● Chlorine/chloramine/metals etc. – Chemical Tests © Jethro Hanson © Bootsy on the BYAP forum PH scale Log scale From Wikipedia Tap water pH: it changes with age When water comes out of the tap, it's usually ● very poorly oxygenated and high in carbon dioxide (CO ). The carbon dioxide forms a weak 2 acid, so the pH of the water will be artificially low. As the water ages, the CO outgases, and ● 2 therefore the pH rises (gets more alkaline). When you first start, test the pH of the water ● right out of the tap, then age it a few days and test it again. pH, cont... Shoot for a neutral (7) pH. ● It's a good balance between fish, plant and ● bacteria requirements. High or low pH will affect what can grow in the ● system, and how the plants take up nutrients. Having said that, I know of systems that run as ● low at 6.0 and as high as 8.0 Lemon juice (acid) lowers pH, Baking Soda ● (base) raises it. pH, cont... Adding shells [or other Calcium Carbonate ● (CaCO )] to the system will buffer the pH to 3 the mid 7's, and is a common way to control pH. As a bonus, the shells will add ● micronutrients. The bacteria will tend to lower the pH over ● time. Always adjust pH SLOWLY. ● Fast changes in pH kill fish. ●

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Fish Stories The “aqua” in aquaponics By Karen Swanberg [email protected] Summer '09
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