To raise pH, we recommend using calcium carbonate and potassium carbonate (AquaUp), and either alternating between them or adding equal amounts of each at the same time. We prefer to use these carbonate compounds instead of hydroxide compounds (calcium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide) for several reasons. First, they add to the strength of our […]
So what do you do if you need to take the pH down in your aquaponics system? To lower pH we recommend certain acids, such as nitric, muriatic, and phosphoric. Our preference is phosphoric (AquaDown) because it is the safest of the three acids (it is an ingredient in cola drinks) and it adds […]
Most water comes out of the tap at pH levels above a neutral 7.0. This is because municipalities are concerned about the long-term corrosive effects of acidic water so they adjust accordingly. If your system water comes from a well, you will probably discover the same thing, but in this case, it is the mineral […]
Aquaponic pH management is a bit tricky because there are three living constituencies to consider in an aquaponics ecosystem: Plants, Fish and Bacteria. While the plants generally prefer a slightly acidic pH (5.8-6.2), the fish and bacteria prefer a slightly alkaline pH (7.0-7.6). Therefore, pH management in aquaponics is an exercise in compromise between the […]
Pest management in aquaponics is a common required procedure in your aquaponic garden. It’s almost impossible to fully prevent pests from getting into your aquaponic system. But, there are steps you can take to reduce and minimize their impact on your plants.
One of the […]
LED’s (Light Emitting Diodes) are widely considered to be the future of plant grow lighting. This is because LED manufacturers are achieving better and better control over the spectrum of light that comes out of LED fixtures through fine-tuning the array of LED’s on […]
HID lighting stands for High Intensity Discharge, which is a 
type of light that is one of the more intense (brighter) types of of lighting available. An HID lighting system consists of a ballast, reflector, socket and lamp (light bulb). The ballast acts like the engine, converting […]
Color Temperature is not how hot the lamp is. Color temperature is the relative whiteness of a piece of tungsten steel heated to that temperature in degrees Kelvin. For example, High Pressure Sodium lamps (HPS) have a warm (red) color temperature of around 2700K as compared to Metal Halide (MH) at 4200K, which has a […]
While the sun is the best “grow light” ever invented, only part of the light that comes from the sun is used by plants for photosynthesis. The photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) contains the wavelengths between 400 and 700 nanometers, and falls just within the so-called visible spectrum (380-770nm). The total visible spectrum is perceived by […]
Being in Colorado, we often think of passive solar greenhouses as great structures for growing in high altitude cold seasonal climate environments. After all, a good passive solar greenhouse, like the ones designed by our partners at Ceres Greenhouse Solutions in Boulder, is an excellent way to grow year round with fewer energy resources […]