Filtration - A thought

Yeah Ruan, I know. That is why I have to do a LOT of research before I attempt it. A mistake can turn out to be a VERY costly mistake

 

what ,a great thread .thanks
I agree the idea is to have your sump the same size as your tank and the more individual components in the sump the better.I believe we can learn by looking at the monster marine setups yes the paramaters are diff but the general idea is the same ,healthy clean water

 

Hi Guys
Sorry to burst your bubbles but size is not everything!:blink1:
I think in relation the bigger the tank, the smaller the filter can be dimensioned.
In a small tank we often have a much higher bio load than I a massive display setup per litre water. With bio load I don’t just mean fish but plants, bacteria algae etc.
The other difference I see between our AQ and a sewage plant is we having a closed system and the other gets constantly polluted water in and disposes of it again.
One thing in both system is constant. Organic waste gets broken down and than removed. And I think we will not get around this fact of removal of unwanted substances. In a large setup the time till critical parameters are reached is longer but its still the same. Even a dam or even lake works after the same principle.
I think the thought should go, how can I easily and without to much disturbers achieve this removal.
One way is WC, another is to remove plants or algae which bind unwanted Nitrogen compounds.
Removable algae sheets are one way, a gravel bed with either fast growers (papyrus) or plants that bind N in storage organs(Leguminosae, Chlorophylum).
Our aim should be to create a system that as quickly, reliable and constant converts our unwanted bio waste in a form that is either easily removed or not harmful anymore.

 

Hi guys

Cool post.

Does anyone make one of these screen or is it a case of it being a DIY job?

If any one has made one these run off screens please post some pics!!!!

 

I agree that flow rates through filters are much too high, and that can be fixed by using powerheads not connected to the filtering system to generate current, and then having separate low-flow pumps for the filter system.

When I think of a water treatment plant I think of lots of channels zig-zagging with water flowing slowly through them, and I'm sure it should be easy to do that in a sump just by adding dividers running the length of the sump with gaps at the ends. So you'd have the equivalent of a very long, narrow sump and a long contact time for the water. And for aeration of your media, why not have a section filled with ceramic rings and an air curtain under it? That way you could keep your aerobic bacteria alive in the case of a power outage just by having a battery-powered air pump connected on the same line with cleverly positioned check valves. For the anaerobic bacteria in the deep sand bed, I must say that I haven't actually seen it on freshwater tanks, and I've always wondered why, does anyone know?

I also like the idea of sacrificing reeds for nitrogen capture, but isn't that the same as trimming your plants in the tank anyway?

In the long run you should easily be able to make a very low maintenance filtration system, but you'd still need to clean out the mechanical filters fairly regularly.

I just had another idea, why not run your water through a sort of hydroponic system in one of the stages? Surely if the plants use up the nutrients you could use the water as pre-fertilised water? The only problem will be the increased distances the water needs to travel. I can imagine having a nice shallow tank filled with those clay balls outside in a greenhouse or a very well insulated container, where I grow tomatoes or something like that. It could even be fed from a pump that's only on at certain times of the day, maybe a solar powered pump?

This topic has really got my mind racing with all the possibilities, ...and the associated costs

 

That was axcactly the way it was done.:bigsmile:
You don't need to pump all your filter water through your hydroculture. Even a elevated planter with a overflow will work, in this case even as a rough dirt trap, bio filter and N- remover. And yes you are right in principal removing your AQplants and cutting back does the same.
You just wouldn't get the same growth rate there, than you can achive with a properly lit terrestrial plant setup.
The solar powered pump is a idea. We should ask our electronic guru who after all started the threat:blink1:

 

starting to make me think of f-fish's lucky 13 tank...