Thelma and Louise

We added our first two fish today! Our water quality has been consistent and ideal, so I picked up two fancy goldfish from Austin Aquadome while I was running errands earlier. Hanna has named them Thelma and Louise.

UPDATE: As I was preparing this post, Thelma and Louise have passed on.

Dead in 15 minutes?!?!? I checked the pH, temperature, ammonia and nitrite levels, and even let their fishy bag sit in the green wall water for 30 minutes before releasing them into the reservoir. They swam around happily for about 5 minutes and I went back to my desk to work on the blog. I look over a few minutes later and they're flopping around on their sides. After frantically attempting a fast partial water change in an effort to save them, they ultimately ended up floating lifelessly at the surface.

I don't know what else I could have done to save our new friends. I think it would be cruel to try again and kill more fish, so maybe the green wall is complete without them.

We only knew you a short time, Thelma... Louise... but our memory of you will remain a lifetime (about 15 minutes, in this case).

Picking up more pothos at Vickery Greenhouse

Vickery has a beautiful greenhouse located in northeast Austin.

I love Vickery Greenhouse! They were the ones who made the green wall debut possible back in March. We had about 10 days to build the wall before the grand opening of the new office and quickly realized that procuring hundreds of 4" tropicals in early spring was near impossible. None of the nurseries in town were able to help us. One of my last phone calls was to Vickery and they agreed to rush a whole truck of pothos and nephthytis from their California growers, just for us! Now when we need additional plants for replacement, Vickery is our go-to greenhouse. It also smells nice inside, fyi.

We're continually phasing out the nephthytis that we planted in the very beginning and replacing them with the hardier golden pothos. Early on, the nephthytis suffered from terrible root rot and have slowly wilted and died off. The ones we keep individually around the office seem to be thriving, so my guess is maybe these guys don't like the spacing/density of the wall or being planted hydroponically. Oh well. They weren't that pretty to begin with!

I tested the water again today to see if the filter change had any negative impact. Still lookin' good!

pH: 6.6
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 40 ppm

Preserving your beneficial bacteria - A note concerning filter changes

Resist the urge to scrub it clean! Sponge filter media are a great home for established beneficial bacteria colonies in your water garden. 

So it's about time to change our filter media. The good water test results from yesterday are encouraging and I'd rather change these guys out before ammonia and nitrite concentrations start heading south again. I talked with the friendly lady with the haircut resembling a German dominatrix over at Austin Aquadome today and she gave me some good advice.

You like fish?? I'll show you fish!! Whip! Smack! Oww!

First of all, the filter media is where your beneficial bacteria colonies grow. These bacteria are essential to keeping the nitrogen cycle in your tank smooth, so if you simply toss out your old filters and replace them with new ones, all your hard work is gone and your ammonia levels will start poisoning your plants and fish. It's best to replace only one filter component at a time, either the carbon or the biological, so that some bacteria still remain. The sponge, a physical filter, should be used until it literally falls apart. Never [NEVER!] rinse it under tap water since the chlorine and other city chemicals will kill your ammonia-eating amoeba friends. Just rinse and squeeze it using the reservoir water. Don't worry if it's a little dingy looking; no one will see it way down inside the canister. And if your mother comes to your house and chastises you for a dirty sponge filter, you need a new mom.

Inaugural Post -- Fantastic water quality results today.

API makes a great all-in-one water test kit for aquariums and water gardens

I decided to test the basin water today. For those unfamiliar with our green wall design, we use a reservoir at the base of the wall to hold water, which we pump to the top for trickle-down irrigating. Because the water gets reused several times per week, we have to keep an eye on our ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels. Austin tap water usually has high pH as well, thanks to all the limestone aquifers in central Texas, so we test weekly to keep our reservoir water under 6.5. 

The last time I tested the reservoir, our numbers were terrible: ammonia was through the roof, pH was high, and nitrates were at a dangerous level. I was definitely surprised by the results this week. 

pH -> 6.4

Ammonia -> 0 ppm

Nitrite -> 0 ppm

Nitrate -> 40 ppm

I installed an aquarium filter about 2 months ago, which I was hoping would help reduce the concentration of ammonia in the water. It looks like the biological filter finally established itself since our ammonia and nitrites readings are coming back so low. I expected to detect some nitrates since we do use liquid fertilizers that are added to the reservoir, but 40 ppm isn't cause for concern. I can reduce that concentration by doing partial water changes on the weekends. The reservoir could really use one this weekend, since the water is becoming a little murky from dropped soil and algal growth. Establishing the nitrogen cycle in an aquarium or water garden is a big step towards stable, healthy water quality, so I'm really glad we've reached that stage of maturity in the reservoir. 

 

On a separate note, I'm still seeing yellowing leaves widespread throughout the wall. My first instinct is that I'm over-watering. But since I've been meticulously checking soil moisture recently, I don't think that's the case. It may just be transplant-induced stress. I'm going to keep my eye on it.