Frequently Asked Questions

The NPK of our fish poop is:  2 - .15 - 3 

Does that seem "too" low to you?

We need to clarify the difference between the NPK of a salt-based nutrient and an organic nutrient like ours.

Salt-based nutrients have really high NPK because there's no biology to break down the nutrients. Our organic line of nutrients has a low NPK because the active biology makes the nutrients immediately available. 

Also, salt-based nutrients are higher in NPK because they're being added to mediums with low organic material. That means most of the nutrients will actually run off and not be absorbed by the plants or soil. This leads to pollution and other consequences. 

Fortunately, high organic material like our fish poop retains water and nutrients up to 80% times more than its salt-based counterpart.

We harvest our concentrated fish poop from our de-coupled RAS daily by means of our AST PolyGeyser media filters. 

These filters are unique in that they concentrate the fish poop without removing “cleaner” water from our fish tanks. Hence the “concentrated” in our product's name!

We test our water daily in-house and weekly by a local lab, Waypoint Analytics. With the detailed tests we’re tracking 16 different metrics, from pH and EC to the minerals/metals required for optimal growth. With the lab and field data we’re able to make adjustments to our feeding schedules, alkalinity inputs, environmentals, etc. The end result is a concentrated plant food that works great in soil systems and, if screened, hydroponic systems alike.

The NPK is  2 - .15 - 3 

We use a decoupled aquaponic system (fish seperate from plants). We broadcast mineral amendments into our water or soil systems as needed. Water periodically gets potassium and calcium to raise the pH and "feed" nitrifying bacteria. Soil gets copper boron zinc and other trace minerals that are toxic to fish. Both water and soil are tested multiples times a month.

Yes, we sure do. We test for general nutrient levels and heavy metals. Each test ensures everything is at an acceptable range to help plants flourish. 

First we must understand the difference between natural fish poop and a fish emulsion and hydrolysate.

Our fish poop is an organic fertilizer that's 100% poop from our ornamental koi and tilapia fish. These fish are raised to help us grow in our 10,000 sq. ft. facility in Memphis.

Meanwhile, fish emulsion is made from two different types of ingredients: fish waste (guts, bones, and heads) or whole fish caught specifically for the purpose of being ground up, processed and made into fertilizer. Once heated, the oils and certain proteins can be more easily removed to be sold in purified forms. The complex protein, carbohydrate and fats in the fish emulsion are denatured, which means they are broken down into less complex foods. Overheating can result in destruction of the material as a food to grow beneficial organisms.

And the liquid fish hydrolysate process minces the whole fish, then enzymatically digests, then grinds and liquifies the resulting product, known as gurry. Because it's a cold process, it putrefies more rapidly than fish emulsion and needs to be stabilized at a lower pH, requiring more acid. In the process of turning fish scraps into fertilizer, companies add a number of chemicals, including phosphoric acid and odor inhibitors. Apparently, as long as these ingredients form less than 1% of the finished product, the product can still be called organic! Many fish emulsions are harvesting whole fish for the sole purpose of making fertilizer. By harvesting the fish and turning it into fertilizer, companies are removing an important food source for other species.

So, which is better? We might be biased in saying it's the fish poop, so you be the judge!

Nope, our fish poop doesn’t stink. To put it crassly, our shit don’t stink.

The nasty smell of manure comes from ammonia, which is what fish produce both in their excrement – waste – and from their gills every time they flap in water and breathe out carbon dioxide.

Ammonia is toxic to everyone, from humans to fish.

Some nitrifying bacteria convert ammonia into nitrite and, in turn, nitrite into nitrate. Nitrite is also toxic to fish and somewhat toxic to plants. Nitrate is inert to fish, totally non-toxic, and it’s the preferred source of nitrogen for plants.

Our fish poop doesn’t stink, although it is fish manure, because of the bacteria that convert toxic ammonia into plant-feeding nitrate. Essentially, the bacteria have converted the manure from something toxic into something that’s bio-available plant food. 

In short, the shelf life of our fish poop is at least one year, but that’s because we haven’t tested beyond that. As long as you keep it out of direct sunlight and store it in a cool, dry place, your fish poop will last you for a long time!

We did a test on how the fish poop responds to certain conditions. One container was left outside, though it was out of direct sunlight. The other container we left in a dark closet. The one left outside grew algae even though it wasn’t in direct sunlight. Since algae saps up nutrients, the one with algae contained fewer nutrients after testing. Store your fish poop in the right spot, and you’ll have no worries. 

Yes, our fish poop can work with all nutrient lines. However, the beneficial colonies of microorganisms will likely die off in a salt-based nutrient system. The nutrients in the product will still be available, but you won’t get any of the biological benefits. 

Yes, our fish poop can be used in a tea or brew (watered in, or as a soil drench). Compost teas are incredibly helpful in revitalizing land, even potentially polluted lands.  

We typically pH the water before we add our fish poop. You won’t be adding so much poop that it will affect your pH. However, it doesn’t hurt to pH your water before and after. It’s completely up to your personal preference on this one. 

Yes! These amendments have similar benefits for your living system. Used in tandem, they will complement each other.  

The safe answer is no. If you’re spraying it onto a plant's leaf tissue, then harvesting and eating that plant, you open up the risk for e. Coli.  

The good news is, your plants are going to be okay. Our fish poop is nutritious plant food every step of the way. The burn comes from really high levels of Nitrogen (N). The organics almost never burn. You could safely double our dosage and not burn, watering in only per week. However, we don’t recommend anything more than double dosing. Really, we don’t recommend using over the recommended amount. 

You can add fish poop at any point in a plant's life cycle. For house plants and other slow-growing shade plants, once a week is plenty. 

For productive plants that get watered 2 or 3 times a week, you could feed twice a week.

For cannabis, specifically, you’ll want to back off fish poop at week 7 or 7.5. Interesting to note, we're seeing fully synthetic hydroponic cannabis growers using fish poop during the flush cycle! They see a boost in the effectiveness of the flush, when adding fish poop, from the microbial activity; mineralizing bacteria are eating up any biomass left from roots or detritus.  

In brevity, it’s best used as soon as you mix it.

However, the answer to this question depends on a variety of conditions.

Are you mixing it up and then storing the container in a cool, dry place – or are you leaving a watering can in your garden and exposed to the elements?

We’re eager to test this one out to give you a more precise answer, but it’s suitable for potentially up to 30 days after mixing. Make sure you mix it up before each time you use it, though!

Our fish poop cannot, unfortunately, magically prevent root rot, which is a specific disease. There are actually specific products you can buy to prevent root rot, but they don’t occur naturally in our system. It might help some of the early causes of root rot, though. 

Our fish poop may help prevent conditions that potentially cause root rot. However, even our farms don’t rely on our fish poop to prevent root rot by itself. 

We use:

• EM-5 (you can even find it on Amazon)
• Culture Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) - This amazing tool came to us through the study of Korean Natural Farming practices (KNF). Like many of the KNF ferments, the LAB we culture is safe to handle and ingest for all animals, fish and humans included! LAB is an extremely concentrated bacteria (Lactobacillus) that digests biological material, helping again in the mineralization process.  Nontoxic, it’s the same thing cultured in milk and yogurt. We use that same bacteria and make our own, using milk to make it. We inoculate milk in gallons with LAB.

We use both weekly to help combat root rot. 

We recommend you don’t use it in drip lines unless you run it through a filter first.

It’s possible, depending on the size of your emitters. We recommend filtering our fish poop before putting it through an irrigation system. 

At our farm, we use a bead filter, or screen, to clarify the fish poop into a liquid that we add to our hydroponic system. 

Fish poop is our general gardening product, so any herb, vegetable, or other plant you’re growing at home will benefit!

Indoor and outdoor plants – even your lawn – can benefit from our fish poop. It’s general plant food! 

Flowering and fruiting crops take more nutrients, so the dosage for leafy greens versus fruiting plants varies.

It’s important to note that we use fish poop for 75% of our cannabis nutrients. There is still that 25% that we have to use from other nutrients, so it’s not a standalone cannabis plant food.

No, unless they are sick and nothing else has worked. However, it's odd for a whole tank to get sick as it is typically only ever 1-3 fish at a time that show visible signs. Once a fish shows ANY sign of uneasiness, we quarantine them in a holding tank to start the process of recovery. As of today, no steriods, antibiotics or hormones have been used at our facility.

Our concentrated fish poop is compatible for use with drip tape, though it wouldn't hurt to screen or filter the poop before adding it to water. Alternatively, if your reservoir is 5 gallons or more, you may not need to filter the poop since it will be well-diluted. 

Our concentrated fish poop isn't a standalone cannabis fertilizer. You'll need to introduce some micro-nutrients into your feedings as well. 

For your veg, you can add about 6-10 oz of poop per gallon. 

In flower, you can add about 8-12 oz per gallon. If fish poop is to make up the majority of your nutrients, you can double or triple these numbers. 

As mentioned, fish poop isn't typically a standalone fertilizer for cannabis, though these base numbers will get you well into your nutrient needs.