Water Quality

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Biodigest is a good way of seeding with the right bacteria .. heterotrophs, and nitrifying and denitrifying autotrophs so it will keep the filter running at optimum and keep seeding it with the right kinda .. the carbon pellets deplete and I top them up probably monthly .. starting off small and building up .. the bioptrim fresh they do is an alternative carbon source you can dose fortnightly
 
Tomt37 said:
Biodigest is a good way of seeding with the right bacteria .. heterotrophs, and nitrifying and denitrifying autotrophs so it will keep the filter running at optimum and keep seeding it with the right kinda .. the carbon pellets deplete and I top them up probably monthly .. starting off small and building up .. the bioptrim fresh they do is an alternative carbon source you can dose fortnightly
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Sorry for all the questions but i find this topic uber interesting.

Since the carbon pellets deplete and are not a static type media why the need to dose with the bb ?
 
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The biopellets are a food source for the denitrifying bacteria and encourage their growth allowing them to even remove nitrates in an aerobic environment ... biodigest is a source of efficient bacteria from all steps of the nitrogen cycle ... I will use it to seed my filters to make sure the best strains of bacteria out compete others that find their way into your system .. your filter is a dynamic thing and if you keep seeding it will keep the populations you want there - it's not essential but when you work out the cost over it's use it isn't too bad
 
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You could use it less often .. but using it every couple of weeks should mean that the organics in your gravel etc also get broken down and maintenance is less hassle
 
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But there are many ways denitrifying bacteria work .. they are facultative so can work in aerobic and anaerobic ... if I had the space I might have tried what you are doing instead as it can be more stable .. both have their pros and cons ... biopellets if too many are used can deplete phosphate too rapidly and starve the nitrifying bacteria and can produce nitrous oxide .. but should be fine if small amounts are used and built up to meet the tanks demands .. with the reductors .. h2s was a risk if things became too static .. just like in a sand bed that isn't maintained .. your system will be quite stable and will prob take time to build up but be very effective .. I think you might benefit from some light carbon dosing if you want faster results
 
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Sorry I think I went round the houses .. prodibio has a number of products ... biodigest is just the bacteria and some enzymes nutrients etc ... bioptim I think contains the carbon source and you can use it to boost the denitrifying activity ..( bioclean fresh contains equal vials of both) ... I'm only using the biodigest as I have a carbon source already ..
 
Tomt37 said:
The biopellets are a food source for the denitrifying bacteria and encourage their growth allowing them to even remove nitrates in an aerobic environment ... biodigest is a source of efficient bacteria from all steps of the nitrogen cycle ... I will use it to seed my filters to make sure the best strains of bacteria out compete others that find their way into your system .. your filter is a dynamic thing and if you keep seeding it will keep the populations you want there - it's not essential but when you work out the cost over it's use it isn't too bad
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Thx tom. I get what the bn in the bottles does but wasnt sure how you were applying them. Sounds like your set up is going to be great. I was thinking of using biodeligest to kick start it but do not plan on regular dosings. Id rather the colony grow/shrink on its own. I can see myself getting annoyed with maintenance dosing. I can deal with waiting for it to establish
 
Is there any kind of media you can use for this that won't get all gummed up over time? That seems like a pain having to ditch and reseed the media twice a year =/ Also what are you using for a pump to push such a small volume? This sounds like a neat project, I just would prefer to learn from other folks experience rather than keep buying up the wrong things over and over again haha
 
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