Continuous drip system for fresh water tanks.

[Accident]

Thanks for posting pics of your setup. It is always nice to see what does work for other people.

Your welcome. I appreciate the comment.

!A

 

[Accident]

So the plants are whats really doing the filtration on the 58, aided by the continuous water change. The 120 still needed bio filtering?

Its pretty nice idea I have always wanted to do it I am just fearful of Chloramines , After losing two connected planted tanks to Chloramine death from a failed ball valve.

Yes, no filters on the 58. The 120 has that sump with the sponges in the white bucket. It has no chemical filters on it. And I don't have to manually do water changes. Just plumbing incoming water is a huge luxury for me. I always made a huge mess with buckets.

I tested for chloramines for years and never had any. It's possible that it was present and only killed the more sensitive plants. The others went ape, however.

!A

 

[Accident]

Check your local water supply. NYC adds chloramines, which do not gas off as chlorine does. Furthermore, you need chemicals that remove the chloramines specifically. If you simply use chlorine remover, you end up with ammonia.

I go to college in Florida and they don't use chloramines. Water changes can be done with straight tap (as long as it isn't too large a portion). This system would work well there if I could re-plumb my dorm.

Chlorine isn't as harmful to most fish as people think. In fact, I have seen fish quarantined in 100% untreated tap to rid them of pathogens.

You are correct sir! Chlorine is very volatile in the air. It out-gasses rapidly when it exits the water lines.

A

 

[Accident]

No more water changes???.....dont you mean that you no longer see the amount of water that is going down the drain??? its most likely cost u more in water than a normal water change regiment.....maybe!!!


Rod

I mean, no more buckets or siphons, sorry. I never did the math, but water is cheap here and I don't have to restock my tanks replacing sick/dead fish and I don't have to buy carbon or test kits anymore. PITA factor has gone way down.

Water parameters are very constant. Yoyo effect of water quality is eliminated.

Water doesn't go down any drains. It goes into water gardens in the yard, so it's in effect recycled. The excess then feeds the tropical plants all around the ponds. See the previous pictures.

A!

 

[Accident]

I have 25 dead fish that say your wrong. less then 24 hours in TAP and they where dead.

That sux. Don't try this w/out testing your local water supply first. Some municipalities do seasonal "flushes" of the water system with any number of fish deadly chemicals. Ours doesn't. My water right out of the tap has only trace amounts of chlorine. It also depends on your distance from the treatment plant.

My experience with killing fish has been that going from old tank water to clean treated water is way more stressful on them. I lose fish every time I forget this. Which is another reason this system works so well for me. My tank water is clean all the time. All the tanks are similar in chemistry, only the temps are different by a couple degrees. Moving fish is quick and safe.

!A

 

[Accident]

Plant from 58. Moving a bunch from the 58 to the 150 over the weekend. I was shocked by the size of this thing. Forgot the name of it.

 

[Pomatomus]

That sux. Don't try this w/out testing your local water supply first. Some municipalities do seasonal "flushes" of the water system with any number of fish deadly chemicals. Ours doesn't. My water right out of the tap has only trace amounts of chlorine. It also depends on your distance from the treatment plant.

Very true. Ours does 2 or 3 per year with lethal amounts of chlorine.

And your plant is a Vallisneria sp. I hear them referred to as "jungle vallisneria"

 

[Accident]

Ok, here is the 150 from city water faucet through the tank and out into the porch pond/garden area.

Water supply comes from an outside water faucet I added. 3/4" poly tubing runs all along the front of the house.

You can see the old water filter that use to house the carbon filters. It is empy now, except for water.



Tubing goes through the brick wall, which is behind the aquarium. It's the gray looking thing in the pic. Hard to make out among all the ivy. The PVC tube is where the water drips out into the pond. Only visible when the ivy is pulled back.





This is on the porch by the front door.



Water supply tubing goes thru the wall and thru the canopy and attaches there. I have a small ball valve for flow control.



Here I turned it up so you could see the flow.
Goes right into the acrylic tank.



Excess water drains out thought a bulkhead I drilled in the acrylic. I also added a small elbo (90 degree fitting) to the bulkhead on the inside of the tank to adjust the water level. Only able to adjust it about an inch by tilting it up or down.
It's all black and damn near invisible. Matches the black background.

Side view.


Top view thru the acrylic.



Here's the tank. Hope it doesn't suck.

I have a canister filter that feeds thru the bottom of the tank in the center behind the rocks. No filter pads or carbon only bioballs and those fancy ceramic do-dads. Forgot what they are called. They are inert. I clean the biofilm and sand out of it annually, or semi-annually.

Inside acrylic needs to be cleaned and water is a tad cloudy due to adding 50 lbs of sand recently.




Hope this clears up some questions.

!Accident

 

[Accident]

Very true. Ours does 2 or 3 per year with lethal amounts of chlorine.

And your plant is a Vallisneria sp. I hear them referred to as "jungle vallisneria"

Jungle is right! Thanx for the info!

 

[Accident]

This is the easiest forum to post pictures on. My hats off to the Moderators.

!A