Am I Crazy or Could This Possibly Work? - Goodbye Water Changes

[infiltratedpc]

Krazyness

 

[Hendre]

Ozone removes/kills dissolved organics, and I don't think adding RO water to replace evaporated water will affect the gH or kH for the same reason why you don't add salt to ATO water in saltwater aquariums. The only thing that evaporates is the water, the salt stays in the tank. As long as my gH and kH are fine in the beginning, adding RO water to compensate for evaporation shouldn't change it. Only if I used it for water changes.

As for pH, I can connect a dosing pump to a pH controller and it will dose Seachem Oasis Pond pH buffer whenever the pH gets too low. It can't overdose because the pH buffer will be dosed near the pH probe, and the water near the probe will have a higher pH. The pump won't dose again until the pH of the water around the probe is lower than 7, but it will only read lower than 7 once the buffer is diluted and it needs to dose more, or until the nitrification cycle lowers the pH again.

If the water is too soft from nitrification then your PH probe won't be accurate, unless you have a high end lab grade machine. PH only drops significantly when the Kh can't buffer anymore and it just shoots down which sadly can't easily be measured either

I believe it works best on smaller dissolved organics, so it would be a good secondary mechanical filtration method, but not the primary or only mechanical method. I currently run ozone on the 210, but the generator is only 50mg/hr, so the tank isn't receiving the full effects of ozone dosing. Even at 50mg/hr, the water is always pristine, and it kills diseases quite well. I noticed that when a ich does manage to spread in the 210, it's much less severe than it used to be, and usually dies out on its own.

In total everything will cost about $2300, depending on what I need to add/remove from the current supply list. If I could use a normal drip system, I'll happily take that route over spending $2300 on denitrification equipment. My Dad is too stubborn to let me use a normal drip system.

That's a ridiculous amount of money, last time I checked water changes worked.

Ozone won't do much more than kill bacteria if dosed like that.... I'd also keep in mind that if the generator leaks ozone in a closed environment such as a room it would be very harmful!

I'd just say build some huge algae scrubbers and be done with it. Water changes and some buffering and you are good to go.

The university professor I converse with uses denitrification coils and has to buffer his adult discus tanks with bicarbonate of soda to keep from a PH crash, our water is very soft though.

 

[twentyleagues]

I believe it works best on smaller dissolved organics, so it would be a good secondary mechanical filtration method, but not the primary or only mechanical method. I currently run ozone on the 210, but the generator is only 50mg/hr, so the tank isn't receiving the full effects of ozone dosing. Even at 50mg/hr, the water is always pristine, and it kills diseases quite well. I noticed that when a ich does manage to spread in the 210, it's much less severe than it used to be, and usually dies out on its own.

In total everything will cost about $2300, depending on what I need to add/remove from the current supply list. If I could use a normal drip system, I'll happily take that route over spending $2300 on denitrification equipment. My Dad is too stubborn to let me use a normal drip system.

Wait why are you getting ich outbreaks? You should probably prepare for the break down of your tank when you go to college, Its gonna be easier on you and the rents in the long run. Get a job and a house and come back to the hobby and run your tank the way you want! too many variables atm that I wouldn't want to deal with. Remember KISS (Keep it simple stupid) mechanical, biological, easy nutrient export.( nutrient export- plants, water changes)
I'm still stuck on the ich outbreaks.....

 

[Angelphish]

Wait why are you getting ich outbreaks? You should probably prepare for the break down of your tank when you go to college, Its gonna be easier on you and the rents in the long run. Get a job and a house and come back to the hobby and run your tank the way you want! too many variables atm that I wouldn't want to deal with. Remember KISS (Keep it simple stupid) mechanical, biological, easy nutrient export.( nutrient export- plants, water changes)
I'm still stuck on the ich outbreaks.....

I said when, I never said it was often... It only came with a small fraction of the new fish, but since I'm done buying fish, it won't be a problem. I looked for the healthiest ones, in the healthiest tanks, but sometimes ich still popped up. Earlier my point was on the very few occasions that there was ich, it was killed out by the ozone relatively quickly. There's only been ich twice, one of those times was from a fish I ordered.

 

[J. H.]

If the water is too soft from nitrification then your PH probe won't be accurate, unless you have a high end lab grade machine. PH only drops significantly when the Kh can't buffer anymore and it just shoots down which sadly can't easily be measured either

Good buffers like coral sand or oyster grit are cheap, can be put in a bag in a sump, and last more or less forever.

I'd just say build some huge algae scrubbers and be done with it.

+1. IMO the only decision to make is algae scrubber vs refugium/veggie filter vs aquaponics

The university professor I converse with uses denitrification coils and has to buffer his adult discus tanks with bicarbonate of soda to keep from a PH crash, our water is very soft though.

Why? that sounds like it would cause major fluctuations every time you dose, and IME dead coral and/or shells make very good buffers.

 

[Hendre]

Why? that sounds like it would cause major fluctuations every time you dose, and IME dead coral and/or shells make very good buffers.

He doesn't use them on his discus but does anywhere else.

It mainly buffers once the water goes acidic and brings it to neutral, it could be a fine balance on a heavily stocked tank.

 

[RD.]

Yes, by all means don't read the entire thread, JH, someone might waste 5 minutes of their life learning something.

 

[RD.]

Remember KISS (Keep it simple stupid) mechanical, biological, easy nutrient

+1

One thing that everyone learns the hard way in this hobby, is the more gadgets one introduces to their set ups, the higher the risk for something to fail. Eventually, everything fails. All I see in this is a disaster waiting to happen. Good luck.

 

[Hendre]

+1

One thing that everyone learns the hard way in this hobby, is the more gadgets one introduces to their set ups, the higher the risk for something to fail. Eventually, everything fails. All I see in this is a disaster waiting to happen. Good luck.

Beauty in simplicity.

Angelphish is it really worth spending 2300 dollars to perhaps not automate your system, or have a chance to? Who's funding this?

I should try this, all I have to do is not spend any of my pocket money for the next 15 years.

 

[J. H.]

He doesn't use them on his discus but does anywhere else.

It mainly buffers once the water goes acidic and brings it to neutral, it could be a fine balance on a heavily stocked tank.

Can you ask him why?

Yes, by all means don't read the entire thread, JH, someone might waste 5 minutes of their life learning something.

Sorry, just thought I would make the information more accessible. The link is still there if you want more detail.

Angelphish is it really worth spending 2300 dollars to perhaps not automate your system, or have a chance to? Who's funding this?

Another reason to look at using some sort of plant-powered system. It is cheap.