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A few queries... pH, fish poo n O2

BonniePepperRob

BonniePepperRob

Good people,

This is only my 2nd post as i've just joined (crowd goes wild!). A cool forum! Anyhoo, been growing chilli's for a long time now, but recently decided to take a more scientific approach to blowin my mouth apart :shocked:, and so to that end i've a few queries.

Firstly... pH. I know that to lower ur pH, some folks use vinager, some use coffee grounds, some use sulphur, some pine bark, and some rely on regular fertilising to increase acidity. Q... How do u guys regulate ur pH? Dosing rates? Once acheived, does it generally remain stable?

Secondly... fish poo. Apart from tomato food and Seasol every 2 weeks, about once a month i've been feedin my chilli's aquarium n pond poo (from my filters) and they seem to love it! Does anybody know what predominant nutrients are in this sort of fertilizer? Do i need to be careful of overdosing?

Lastly, recently i went a bit heavy on the fish poo and it formed a 6mm thick residue on the top of the soil (potted chilli). Does anybody know if this sort of thick, super fine particled residue will be detrimental to the oxygen transfer into the soil? Dunno if the roots need O2 too. I thought of mixing it in to the top inch or so, but don't want to disturb roots...

Any input would be appreciated... Cheers :)

Rob
 
Fish poo is great stuff but probably high in nitrogen. For pH adjusting you should use a Ph down product such as phosphoric or nitric acid but I know many people who use lemon juice(citric acid). I'm not sure about your residue, but you can likely just add a little soil and mix it a bit. Roots definitely need oxygen but I don't know if the residue is actually blocking any.
 
If you have big filters like fx5 for your tanks then your giving them fish waste. Not sure how much nutrients are in it, but it's just like giving them fish manure. I have always rinsed my filters over the plants and have never had a problem so it won't hurt, but your probably going to need additional fertilizers as well. I have also taken a very scientific approach to growing my peppers and setup a inside closet with grow lights to give them a boost before they get into the garden. I picked up a great magazine called maximum yield that is dedicated to the inside grower, but also has tons of good articles about growing in general all with a VERY in depth scientific approach. All the articles are also posted online HERE for easy reading.
 
Thanks Potawie, when u acheive ur desired pH, does it remain stable or do u have to keep checkin it occasionally?

LGHT, thats an interesting magazine, thanks for the link :) hey what kind of pond/aquarium do u have? I've got 3 tropical aquariums, but sadly have just dismantled my koi pond :(
 
LGHT said:
All the articles are also posted online HERE for easy reading.
Click to expand...


This magazine has a lot of great information.

I posted another thread inquiring about my pepper plants not wanting to grow. I got a lot of great responses - but some of the articles on htat website.

Thanks for posting it.
 
There is also a Canadian and Aussie version of Maximum Yield, its a great read and free although their articles sometimes contradict each other.
 
I've been using water from aquariums all the time and my peppers loves it plus regular feeding every two weeks with half strength tomato food..
 
BonniePepperRob said:
LGHT, thats an interesting magazine, thanks for the link :) hey what kind of pond/aquarium do u have? I've got 3 tropical aquariums, but sadly have just dismantled my koi pond :(
Click to expand...

I have a large 180 where i'm working on breeding some Red Belly P's. I have grown them out from dime size over the last 4 years and a couple of the larger females are starting to darken in color and become aggressive so they may take a mate soon. I've tried to encourage the rainy session a couple of times, but I think they where too young. I also have a couple of small 10 gallon tanks where I breed Crystal Red Shrimp, a tank with a mean pacu, and a couple of small planted tanks. I usually turn over about 200 gallons of water a month so my plants get water there has tons of beneficial bacteria in it a couple of times a month.

lidawn said:
This magazine has a lot of great information.

I posted another thread inquiring about my pepper plants not wanting to grow. I got a lot of great responses - but some of the articles on htat website.

Thanks for posting it.
Click to expand...

Glad you liked it. It's been a huge resource on not just giving good tips, but explaining in scientific detail and how and why things help and or harm plants.
 
BonniePepperRob said:
Cool stuff LGHT, mine are planted tanks with predominantly barbs, catfish, loaches and sharks. Been into it since i was a kid :)
Click to expand...

I had a large catfish in the 180 before I added the P's. I loved to watch how he would sit at the bottom really still until a gold fish swam too close and bam. The speed that he would generate to eat it was amazing. He could eat up to 20 a day! However the blood bath that 8 8" reds can make is a whole other site :censored:
 
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