Ohio Fish Rescue nitrate test
- Thread starter Jexnell
- Start date
Since I added the angel cube the filtration has changed a bit. The tank pics were last night but the filtration pics are 6 months old.
See above.
I currently have added a 50g Rubbermaid stock tank with more plants. Creeping jenny, king tut papyrus, and a few larger growing plants. Maybe when I'm happy with it or my other current life changes are figured out I'll post some more pics.
Very nice tank!
I believe you about the nitrates
You can tell by the floating plants that there's plenty of nitrogen. They look fairly healthy.
I hope the below doesn't come across as criticism. I really like your tank. I am only mentioning this in case someone else again comes up with the notion that plants are useless.
I am just wondering, how is the flow? I can see the surface being fairly still? Is water actively moving over the plant baskets? Flow is fairly important as the plants will only remove what they can get to around their base and roots. Are your plant baskets drilled to allow flow? Do you see active plant growth on the larger emersed?
You could be forcing only your floaters to be the main nitrogen removers. If you set the plants/flow correctly, floaters and emersed can't co-exist as the floaters are always outcompeted for nitrogen by larger plants.
Here's a picture of the last of mine on their last legs some long time ago, pale and stunted and nitrogen deficient. This always happens after the emersed plants adapt and start growing. Years ago I actually added KNO3 plant fertiliser to keep them going but what's the point..
And a current video below. My water level is a bit low as its nearly water change day but you can see the filters are pointed to go over the baskets. I have 3 filters, 2 of them aimed at the plant baskets, one is blowing at the front, one is actually moving water behind the baskets. The baskets are all drilled with many holes. Water also flows directly above them at all times.
Apologies for the poor video.
I believe you about the nitrates
You can tell by the floating plants that there's plenty of nitrogen. They look fairly healthy.I hope the below doesn't come across as criticism. I really like your tank. I am only mentioning this in case someone else again comes up with the notion that plants are useless.
I am just wondering, how is the flow? I can see the surface being fairly still? Is water actively moving over the plant baskets? Flow is fairly important as the plants will only remove what they can get to around their base and roots. Are your plant baskets drilled to allow flow? Do you see active plant growth on the larger emersed?
You could be forcing only your floaters to be the main nitrogen removers. If you set the plants/flow correctly, floaters and emersed can't co-exist as the floaters are always outcompeted for nitrogen by larger plants.
Here's a picture of the last of mine on their last legs some long time ago, pale and stunted and nitrogen deficient. This always happens after the emersed plants adapt and start growing. Years ago I actually added KNO3 plant fertiliser to keep them going but what's the point..
And a current video below. My water level is a bit low as its nearly water change day but you can see the filters are pointed to go over the baskets. I have 3 filters, 2 of them aimed at the plant baskets, one is blowing at the front, one is actually moving water behind the baskets. The baskets are all drilled with many holes. Water also flows directly above them at all times.
Apologies for the poor video.
Pretty funny that OFR did this. Filtration looks top notch, and so many beautiful monster systems. New pond looks huuuuuge!
Thanks!Very nice tank!
I believe you about the nitrates
I hope the below doesn't come across as criticism. I really like your tank. I am only mentioning this in case someone else again comes up with the notion that plants are useless.
I am just wondering, how is the flow? I can see the surface being fairly still? Is water actively moving over the plant baskets? Flow is fairly important as the plants will only remove what they can get to around their base and roots. Are your plant baskets drilled to allow flow? Do you see active plant growth on the larger emersed?
You could be forcing only your floaters to be the main nitrogen removers. If you set the plants/flow correctly, floaters and emersed can't co-exist as the floaters are always outcompeted for nitrogen by larger plants.
Here's a picture of the last of mine on their last legs some long time ago, pale and stunted and nitrogen deficient. This always happens after the emersed plants adapt and start growing. Years ago I actually added KNO3 plant fertiliser to keep them going but what's the point..
View attachment 1371400
And a current video below. My water level is a bit low as its nearly water change day but you can see the filters are pointed to go over the baskets. I have 3 filters, 2 of them aimed at the plant baskets, one is blowing at the front, one is actually moving water behind the baskets. The baskets are all drilled with many holes. Water also flows directly above them at all times.
Apologies for the poor video.
Yeah the baskets are "ventilated" and the roots have grown out of the pots. That was one dying pothos plant 2 years ago, my wife was torturing it on a shelf upstairs. It was down to about 1 vine with a couple leaves on it. Ive split it into about 10 large plants currently. That is a 40b tank and it gets half of whatever is going through the 180 upstairs some where around 1400gph so probably 700gph give or take. Its got a 1.5"drain on it. I'm unsure how much flow is actually going in the tanks upstairs. I have a hammerhead returning the water with about 15' head split to two tanks up stairs and a 75 down stairs. I have the flow in the 40b directed away from the top to allow them some calm to grow but they float around and I had just harvested it when I took that pic. The 29 is fed off a return from up stairs also. I harvest them about every 6 weeks lots of small plants.
That's how I started. I saved a peace lily from the window sill having a slow but sure death and gave it to the fish to care for
P.S. I still think you should look at the flow and not just the amount, the flow pattern. Plants need higher flow and the flow needs to be circular, meaning the water flow will end up where it started, where it's being picked up by the intake of the filters. So it goes all around the plants, whatever is not picked up ends up in the filters for the nitrifying bacs. Flow patter and flow amount is essential for nutrient exchange, nitrogen being a macro nutrient. Plants take up ammonia and nitrate, whatever's available.
I assume the nitrates are porbably closer to 15 or so on average but still impressive. They do have an amazing amount of dilution and do change loads of water.
Yeah I guess its kind of circular, aimed just about pot level bouncing off the left and front tank wallsto the back right corner wher the drain pipe is. I have all the drains except the ones out of the 75 going into the 50g rubbermaid out through 2x 2" drains. Thats fairly new still waiting for results, its loud and turbulent.
Circular flow, or apologies, the more proper word is linear, is achieved when flow moves either back to front or short side to the opposite short side. So the flow reaches top to bottom making a full circle. If the flow is reaching two adjacent sides of the tank simultaneously, it is not circular, nor linear.
If you aim all outputs parallel to each other in the same direction, the flow along the surface to the the opposite side of the glass, then hit the opposite glass and slide down to the bottom from the impact(needs sufficient flow to reach that side), turning back and travelling along the bottom, to the intake(same side of outlets), achieving full circle and sweeping everything along its path, including moving all water around the tank. If you have circular flow in the tank, your surface will be moving plenty.
If you aim all outputs parallel to each other in the same direction, the flow along the surface to the the opposite side of the glass, then hit the opposite glass and slide down to the bottom from the impact(needs sufficient flow to reach that side), turning back and travelling along the bottom, to the intake(same side of outlets), achieving full circle and sweeping everything along its path, including moving all water around the tank. If you have circular flow in the tank, your surface will be moving plenty.
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