Is fish urine the largest source of ammonia?
- Thread starter vfc
- Start date
Fish do create ammonia from their gills every time the breathe, so in theory, a fish in a very small evnvironment that hasn't eaten for a few days could still poison itself on ammonia.
vfc;3839264; said:
There's a lot of people who say, "Sure, you can overstock as long as you have tons of filtration." That's nuts. Filtration has nothing to do with stocking levels/nitrate creep. Filtration is only to keep ammonia & nitrites at zero. So your above statement is pretty much accurate. (Assuming the fish have room to move around and aren't 'psychologically' crowded). Too many people have the idea in their heads that if they have tons of filtration they won't have to change their water as often, they're wrong.
That would be correct.
Having said that over-filtering ones tank can provide certain benefits, such as increased, or more even current flow, increased 02 exchange, etc. A bit of redundancy can also prevent a total tank crash in the event that one of your filters dies. While a single FX5 may provide enough bio filtration & 02 exchange for some set ups, if that single filter gets jammed up or conks out while one is away for the weekend you could potentially return home to a tank full of dead fish.
With regards to nitrates, according to Steven Craig, Assistant Professor, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine; and L. A. Helfrich, Extension Specialist and Professor, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences; Virginia Tech ..........
Keep in mind that water changes provide much more than simply lowering the tanks nitrate levels, they also remove phosphates, pheromones and other chemicals that can build up between water changes, as well as
introduce numerous minerals and trace elements that become depleted over time.
BTW - have you checked your tap water for nitrates?
RD.,
"Most nitrogen is excreted as ammonia (NH3) by the gills of fish, and only 10% is lost as solid wastes."
Thanks; that is exactly the information I was looking for. That statement may not be 100% accurate but it gives me an idea as to where the majority of ammonia is coming from.
So extra filtration won't allow me to keep more fish in the tank; I either have to remove the nitrates manually (water changes) more often or reduce the number of gills in the tank.
Now I'm almost certain I going to stick with just the two HOBs on the 125G for filtration (redundancy) and add a power-head for more circulation (better O2 exchange).
NB - Yes; I have 10-20PPM nitrates out of the tap. The legal limit is supposed to be 10 in our area, but at certain times of the year (mostly in the summer months) it exceeds the limit.
"Most nitrogen is excreted as ammonia (NH3) by the gills of fish, and only 10% is lost as solid wastes."
Thanks; that is exactly the information I was looking for. That statement may not be 100% accurate but it gives me an idea as to where the majority of ammonia is coming from.
So extra filtration won't allow me to keep more fish in the tank; I either have to remove the nitrates manually (water changes) more often or reduce the number of gills in the tank.
Now I'm almost certain I going to stick with just the two HOBs on the 125G for filtration (redundancy) and add a power-head for more circulation (better O2 exchange).
NB - Yes; I have 10-20PPM nitrates out of the tap. The legal limit is supposed to be 10 in our area, but at certain times of the year (mostly in the summer months) it exceeds the limit.
Weekly water changes are the thing. Depending on how much you stock and feed will determine how much water to change. Noamount offiltration will eliminate waterchanges as was said.
it doesnt matter if the waste is in the filter or the tank, it is still in the water. mechanichal filtration is for our benefit, to make the tank "pretty".vfc;3839430; said:
vfc;3839430; said:
there is always benefits.
Im sure my Sump can handle my current BIo load, But i have added and fx5 and one side of the tank is so much cleaner. I see poop on one side, and the fx5 side is incredibly clean.
I might just add another canister so i dont have to sand vac. Also im preparing for the future, because i gonna have full size monsters in 6 months
The tank in the following link is owned by a friend of mine.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=198174
That tank is "filtered" by a 130 gallon sump. With a couple of properly placed powerheads, he never has to vacuum the gravel, the water always looks crystal clear (except right after a feeding) and his nitrates are kept in check (max 10 ppm) by large daily water changes (100 gallons per day) via an auto water change system. The bio media in the sump is never cleaned, the filter system breaks everything down over time.
Just an example of how a well filtered tank with a MASSIVE bio-load can run very effectively by utilizing large water changes.
Even with a 130 gallon sump, with enough media to choke a horse, without those daily water changes his nitrates would skyrocket through the roof in less than 1 week.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=198174
That tank is "filtered" by a 130 gallon sump. With a couple of properly placed powerheads, he never has to vacuum the gravel, the water always looks crystal clear (except right after a feeding) and his nitrates are kept in check (max 10 ppm) by large daily water changes (100 gallons per day) via an auto water change system. The bio media in the sump is never cleaned, the filter system breaks everything down over time.
Just an example of how a well filtered tank with a MASSIVE bio-load can run very effectively by utilizing large water changes.
Even with a 130 gallon sump, with enough media to choke a horse, without those daily water changes his nitrates would skyrocket through the roof in less than 1 week.
