just want to say thank you for all the help you given me in getting my system started 

Hi Barbra,

I've just recently installed a raft sys as an addition to my AP beds.Sounds to me that you're going commercial which is great! We do have Chris and Peter as our in-house experts in raft culture,which i suggest you add as friends(add as friend button top left hand corner of you page),where you can communicate with them one on one, that way they can address all your concerns as quickly as possible.However, if for any reason you need anything additional, I'll be only too happy to assist. My email is haroldsukhbir@yahoo.com.Good luck! 

If doing raft beds, make sure you plan in sufficient filtration for the system before sending the water to the raft beds.  Also, in Florida beware of putting any wood near liner, even pressure treated wood is only a temporary deterrent to termites.  Though raft beds would be far easier to find a leak and patch it, I doubt you want to be draining and repairing raft beds too often.  There is a Friendlies training session happening here in central Florida in March and if you are interested in going gravel bed, let me know, that is what I'm most help with, I don't know much about raft culture.  I do grow catfish though.

Hi Barbara.  That is quite a big project you have going on there!  Baking soda is not a good idea because it will add sodium to your system which can accumulate and ultimately harm your plants.  Here is what I generally recommend:

The best method for raising  and buffering pH is to alternatively use calcium hydroxide  (hydrated lime) or calcium carbonate (agricultural lime) with potassium carbonate (or bicarbonate) or potassium hydroxide (“pearlash” or “potash”).  These also add calcium and potassium, which, while supplementation is normally not needed in an aquaponics system, your plants will appreciate it none-the-less. 

 

While they work, be cautious about using natural calcium carbonate products such as egg shells, snail shells, and sea shells. They don’t do any harm, but they take a long time to dissolve and affect the pH. So, a likely scenario is that you add it, check pH two hours later and nothing has changed, so you add more. Then suddenly, after a few days the pH spikes because you have added so much.  The best way to solve this problem is to make sure that the additive is removeable by putting it in a mesh bag, such as a camping dunk bag or nylon stocking, and adding the bag to your fish tank rather than adding it directly to your grow bed media or fish tank.