My journey to plant based filtration.

[nfored]

Been a long time since I have been here, but thought I might share my journey from biomeda filtration to plant based filtration, and ultra low maintenance.

For almost as long as I have been in the hobby I have used the drip water change systems to try my hardest to keep nitrates down, with 20ppm in the tap water for most of my time in the hobby I ran about 60ppm with drip system.

about 3.5 years ago I got back into the hobby and put my 220 back up. After a year I decided to give plants a shot again with the new placement of tank I though I might be able to finally get the plant mass needed to help, so I choose pothos. I then thought I also need to address the 20ppm of nitrate in my tap water but was unwilling to go RO.

So I started humble


fast forward 2.5 years new 150g rubber made stock tank for sump and around 400 watts of light.





Then we still had to address the incoming water, so for that I decided to add 3 stages of denitrator to my drip system dripping at 2gph.




The massive amount of light in the sump covers it in algae which has had the side effect of removing most algae from the tank, I actually transplanted some into the tank trying to get some on my wood and rocks, its not growing well.

I have filter socks but I rarely change them so they might as well not be there, I have an automatic feeder that dumps food in the tank with no care of excess, just to keep aggression down. with this "Lack" of husbandry my tank stays at 0 0 10 could be 0 0 5 but to hard to see the difference between 5 and 10 in nitrate. I am not sure if the scale of the plant comes through the photos but its very very big, its root ball consumes almost half the sump and "eats" all the excess food that over flows the filter sock.

-Fred

 

[duanes]

This is interesting, I am finding some similar sort of results.
I have my sump sitting in the yard in direct sunlight so algae grows profusely.

It is also refugium for shrimp, which help break down decaying plant matter to plant useable forms.
As a result the tank itself grows only slight algae patches, and only gets morning, and late afternoon sun, from about 11AM to 3 its in the shade.
I throw excess algae from the sump in the tank, as food for the cichlids every few days.

I consider the tank fairly understocked, a 180 gal with only 15 fish, 5" or under, and 1 goby about 8".
The tank is heavily planted, which may help discourage algae.

and I have just added to water lilies, known to be heavy feeders, too early for any noticeable changes.
My nitrate tests have yet to show any readable concentration.

I am also allowing some terrestrial plants to grow on the tanks water surface, and do small daily water changes, with rain water in the wet season, and de-sal municipal in the dry months. There is also a sort of drip system, because regular earth quakes have given the tank a permanent seep, of maybe 10-20 gallons per day, depending on sun (faster leak, when the sun hits the glass)

I'm surprised your tap water has 20ppm nitrate, the MCL in the states for municipal tap water is 10ppm.
Unless of course, you are on a well in an agricultural area.

 

[Terraphyte Tank Guy]

Hello duanes...

Nicely done. I've been into this type of filtration for some time and and several tanks with some house plants that I use to filter fish tank water. The plants do a much better job than standard mechanical filters. That's because the plants will remove all forms of nitrogen, where the bacteria in the mechanical gizmos have no means of removing nitrate. Attached is photo of one of the tanks. The water chemistry doesn't vary much. 0 ammonia and nitrite and nitrates under 10 ppm or less.

TTG

https://imgur.com/yQm4fqq

 

[Ulu]

@ Fred

This may be my future too. I too was flirting with the ecological mistake of big volume RO

Because water changes will be getting more expensive here, I have the motivation for a serious refugium.

Right now I have an outdoor refuge with fish in it, and an aux sump to filter it and my indoor tank, plus a small sand filter. Both tanks grow plants and Algae only grows outdoors. I have to supplement my indoor algae lovers. Outdoor algae eaters are fat. LOL
But I have a clean tank indoors

I don't have enough plants yet by a factor of 10, judging by what you do.

But I have a good situation for some overhead planters on a drip situation.

 

[nfored]

duanes I clearly need more plants gotta get that lat 5-10ppm gone. I live in Kansas city and indeed they claim the city water is 4ppm, however in the 12 years I have lived in my house built in 1950 I have tested many times with different API test kits all come back solid 20ppm. I do know they are not the best test kit so maybe its not 20 but I just keep like for like testing; I test the tank water with the same kits. Last year they replaced all the supply lines running to all the homes and I noticed that now my drip system prefilter is still pretty white after 3 months compared to nasty rust color so maybe something with the water lines. I honestly haven't tested the incoming water in about 2 years.

@Giant Snakehead only takes a plant or two and time . I used to have a pretty stocked tank but the power outages last year forced my family into hotels had a preemie newborn at the time, I lost half my stock. Although I think I have ensured KC will never have another power outage again as I bought a 7000 watt generator so I am sure I will never need it ;-). Right now I have 8 fish, 5 large spot Polleni that are between 2 and 4 inches, and my three survivors an 8ish inch oscar, 6 inch blue dolphin, and 6 inch bumblebee.

My Oscar is kinda a jerk always splashing me, and do not stick your hand in unless your want him to attack it. My favorite is the largest of my Polleni's he is so pretty.

 

[duanes]

When I was a chemist at a water plant, we were required to rinse vials 3 times with DI water between each aliquot (each test) if we didn't, we would often get erroneous results.
Unless you use DI water to rinse between tests, your test tube may have built up a residual that skews your nitrate result, and because the API test vials (which I now also use) are plastic (?), residual easily builds up.
I the lab we used glass vials, rinsed constantly with DI, and acid washed them after a shift.
If the chemists get 4ppm at the Kansas plant, I would believe them, a 20ppm nitrate in the tap, would result in fines and sanctions from the EPA.
Even rinsing with just tap water is not sufficient, because if the Kansas Water Co uses Chloramine as a disinfectant, this can skew your result.
As an ex[eriment...Get a gallon on DI water from the grocery store, soak your vials over night in some DI.
Then try your tests.
test the DI should read zero.
Test the tap, should read around 4.
And test the tank, may be lower than you expect.
After each test, rinse the vial at least 3 times in a little DI.
The vials are so small a gallon should last a good while.
Of course if tap is high, you may want to call the city, as there could be intrusion in the pipes, and they will check.
Although I have a feeling (as where I worked) there are test sites all over kansas City where water is checked daily.
Part of my job was to go to fire houses, libraries, and other municipal facilities all over the city, to the ends of the distribution systems and collect samples, and test for anomalies. This is normal, and required in all large cities.

 

[adamsfishes]

My API test kit has glass vials. I've never seen plastic vials, and I've owned a bunch of these kits.

 

[nfored]

Its possible there was contamination, all I know it always tested the same, and before moving to plants even with weekly 50% water changes or drip system I couldn't keep my nitrates below 60. That was years ago, when I had strong plant growth I saw them drop to about 20 for the first time. Once the nitrate eating bacteria finally colonized in my drip system filter I saw the drop to the 5 or 10 they are today.

 

[duanes]

You are right, just checked, they are glass! Must have been a previous brand.
I like to store them after each use, open side down, on a cloth or paper towel, with the cap off, and also rinse caps in the DI.
Because we are dealing in parts per million, even a fraction of a drop, or especially fraction of a dried on concentrated smudge not rinsed away, can skew results tremendously.
Another great nitrate sucking plant is papyrus.
It reproduces like crazy, good in sumps, and shallow tank.



Because its like cardboard, even most herbivorous species won't eat it, although C bocourti and pearsaei are exceptions.

Can live partially submerged (roots, and stems) or even dry.

 

[nfored]

Love the polleni, can you trim the top of them? I looked here https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/foliage/papyrus/papyrus-plants.htm

And it says they grow 10ft tall. I might try and pick some up this week.