Aquaponics issue

[Technician102971]

Having problems with my plants I am running a small Aquaponics system my ph is 6.5 my ec is 1.8 and the tds is 860 ppm so everything should be in range but the plants are not doing well . From what I have researched I believe it is a calcium problem , mainly affects new growth yellowing curling of the leafs and wilting of the leaves along with some twisting on newer growth older leaves are still very green but the tips are starting to yellow a little bit . I added a cuttle bone to try to bring up calcium naturally . How soon , if it is a calcium problem , will I see improvement and know I am on right track ? Also the leaves are devoloping spotting on them .

[FlyingDutchPaddy]

Hi Technician,

aquaponic system... thats with fish i belive... recirculating water between your plants and an aquarium.

can you get pictures of you plants and leaves showing the spots?

[Technician102971]

[Obi-Wan]

I don’t want to be a Debbie Downer here but my understanding is that the nutrient requirements of Cannabis will exceed most reasonable Aquaponic systems.

[SirSmksAlot]

It kinda looks like an iron deficiency. Or ph issues imo

[Technician102971]

Ph has dropped to 6.2 since adding the cuttlebone it was at 6.5 2 days ago .

[Technician102971]

When I first added the plants to the system after cycling for 4 weeks they took off growing at about 7 inches a week with a lot of new growth . My water got low and I had to add about 10 gallons and used RO water due to the chloride in our tap water . I know that RO water has none of the minerals needed in it but I had roughly 90 gallons of water in when I added the RO and it was not RO . The water temp is 68F so I just need to figure out the deffiency and enter it the most natural way I can . Just can’t figure out what it is lacking .

[Mr.furley]

You are at the top end for the hydro chart
and if you have been running to high on the PH. You could be missing Mn (manganese)

Which is a inmobile nutrient, that would show signs at the top of the Plant(s).

I'm with Obi-Wan about the size of your Tank/pond?
but would consider lowering the PH First and

[Technician102971]

The tank will hold 400 gallons of water but since I am only running 2 grow beds and 4 plants I am only running between 100 & 150 gallons at the moment .

[FlyingDutchPaddy]

hi Technician,

Looking at the pics, I'm not sure that calcium deficiency is the issue...
Calcium is absorbed from pH (almost) 6.0 and up which your aquaponics system clearly was. https://www.growweedeasy.com/ph#hydroponic-soilless-pH

Looking at the chart there, I'm thinking you may have 2 kinds of issues, due to pH being high.

Manganese, as Mr.furley suggested, https://www.growweedeasy.com/mangane...iency-cannabis
Or possibly even Phosphorus, https://www.growweedeasy.com/phospho...iency-cannabis

with you pH having been at the high side of the range 5.5 - 6.5,
I'm of the suggestion of gradually lowering the pH towards the 5.7 side...

That will allow Boron uptake as well, just in case that may be missing as well.

I'd look up a way of lowering pH in a 'fish friendly' manner. (Organic acids?)

[FlyingDutchPaddy]

GWE on aquaponics: https://www.growweedeasy.com/aquaponics-cannabis

and a few other links i found ( https://www.google.com/search?q=aquaponic+cannabis )

royalqueen seeds on aquaponics: https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/blog...s-farming-n805
leafly... : https://www.leafly.com/news/growing/...ith-aquaponics

https://www.thegrowthop.com/cannabis-business/canada-aquaponic-cannabis-farming-lets-nature-do-the-work

https://www.cannabistech.com/articles/cannabis-aquaponics-green-relief-is-the-first-of-its-kind-in-north-america/

[Mr.furley]

I find it very important to let the PH move between 5.7 and 6.3, you just have to log it so you can reference it

[Technician102971]

Thank you guys . You all are awesome .

[Schwaggy]

I’m not an aquaponics expert but I listen to podcast that have experts. Check out - “Growing with fishes Podcast”

the first 15 episodes are in depth cultivation with fish.

[RagWeedDWC]

It did not work for me, I have tried different ways for years. Not a true aquaponics setup, but I brought my water up in to a box built along the pond that filtered back into the pond. I have grown lettuce, tomatoes (not well) and peppers. Over the years I have tried pot, with no luck. There is enough in the water to support a huge amount of growth, I have two Fan Tailed Koi and two Fan Tailed goldfish (Big) and a bunch of guppies, mollies, etc. The pond plants have to be harvest twice a year. So its there, just does not work (for me) for pot.