show your overstocked tanks.....

[thebiggerthebetter]

Oddball Hey Phil, I am wondering if you just missed my post or if the discussion is over Just trying to learn from yah.

 

[J. H.]

This material was separated out via sock filtration since a protein skimmer would not cause a reaction to inert ash/clay/pcc.

I read up a little on fractionators, and I thought that a little dissolved inorganics increases their efficiency. Wh would you want to remove it then?

Cool. I am glad how much I've learned in such a small amount of time. Thank you.

So foaming / protein skimmer is a mechanical filter that takes care of particles so fine, submicron, that they go through a polishing mat... and/or clog the mat and render it ineffective.

The rotting particles then can be viewed as a myriad of tiniest fishes swimming around and exhaling ammonia (and nitrite because the particles are inhabited by the nitrifying bacteria?) and increasing the bioload. I guess Phil says this increase can be significant, even crucial in some circumstances such as 10x-100x overstocking as done at many fish farms.

On the other hand, if the particles are carrying BB's, they should aid in removing ammonia and nitrite right there in the tank water column, unless the colonizing requirements of the bacteria that convert nitrite to nitrate differ from the requirements of the bacteria that convert ammonia to nitrite and the former for some reason cannot settle on these particles as well.

I am trying to understand why it is that you appear to be concerned with the nitrites in particular and not with ammonia, Phil?

Is it wrong to lump them together in thinking about what's been discussed?

I am operating on the assumption that the only end product of nitrogen cycle in the rotting process is ammonia. Perhaps you will come back and say rotting organic matter produces nitrite directly too? Not via BB's?

If you look at the surface area needed for bb to metabolize all the ammonia/nitrite in the system, it is pretty small. Adding some more is not hard. I can see why you wouldn't be worried about it.
Oddball , what are the pros and cons of fractionators over swirl filters? I don't see any swirl filters on MFK, and in aquaponic systems, I don't see any fractionators.

 

[wallskm]

So when should you look at adding things like a foam fractionator?

 

[Tahn]

Bringing back this thread because after going through about 50 pages, I realize my tank is ridiculous but not THAT ridiculous (lol @ the dude with 55 datnoids in a 30 gallon).

standard 55 gallon tank

9-10 inch long fin albino tiger oscar
5 inch long fin tiger oscar
4 inch wild caught oscar (white with yellow markings?)
5-6 inch P. Polleni

 

[FAT daddy]

is it true overstocked tanks reduce aggression?

 

[J. H.]

is it true overstocked tanks reduce aggression?

Sort of. For Characins, gouramis and mouthbrooders, it makes a huge difference, but when you have fish pairing off to defend territory and young, it makes almost no difference. If you are running a hap or tropheous or pertachromis or mbuna tank, or even an all male Amphilophus or Cichlisoma tank, a little overstocking will keep any particular fish from getting picked on, as long as you stocked the tank right. (Two matching male tropheous won't get along more or less no matter what you do) Too much overstocking, even if accompanied by incredible waterchanges and filtration, will kill off or stunt your fish. In a tank with breeding pairs that have nests or caves - angelfish, convicts, ancistrus, leleupi, midas, anything that defends its young and doesn't mouthbrood, when breeding, the overstocking will only make aggression worse, almost guaranteeing deaths. In short, it is a tool that can be used, but it is a complex one that must be used with care.

 

[Krismo962]

I love this thread