Wet/Dry and PLANTS, Filter Sump Tank!

[yourockit]

Wolf3101 wrote:
Hydroponics’ based systems.

These are relatively new and quite specialized central systems (multiple tanks on a single filter.) based on the concept of the plant filter. Tank water is pumped to a remote location…pre-filtered and then circulated through long hydroponics trays. The plants extract nutrients from the water and in the process remove all of the harmful elements. Because of the large amount of water loss from evaporation in these systems water changes are unnecessary because of the constant addition of fresh water.

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I just bought a 100g glass tank to use as my sump filtration tank. I currently plan to fill 50% of the tank with bio-balls and with the other 50% I will insert my plant filtration system to remove or convert nitrates. If this system works, it will be a complete system.

For the plant filtration section I have 20 mangrove plants. These plants are 10-14 inches in length.

My question is, how should I arrange them to maximize their nitrate leaching potential?

 

[Dr Joe]

Arrange them so they have the maximum time possible in the sump's water flow. These plants are better suited to slow/low flow system since they don't have the hair roots like water lettuce/hyacinth, catails are even better but the water has to pass thru the sand.

Dr Joe

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[yourockit]

Arrange them so they have the maximum time possible in the sump's water flow. These plants are better suited to slow/low flow system since they don't have the hair roots like water lettuce/hyacinth, catails are even better but the water has to pass thru the sand.

Dr Joe

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what do ypu mean by "hair roots"; they do have very hairy root structures? maybe thir roots are not as fine as those of other plants, as you mentioned.


should i put them into substrate or leave em hanging attached to styrofoam?


does this idea for a filtratoin system seem best?

thanks.

 

[OscartheGrouch]

Is this method much better than a sump with a refugium growing live plants?

 

[yourockit]

Is this method much better than a sump with a refugium growing live plants?

i think they are the same thing. in my sump i will have 50% bio balls trickle system and in the other half of the tank I will have mangrove (this mangroves area some might call a refugium, I believe. But now, I will add one more component to my sump idea; I will have a slow drip system in which water will pass through a very small 20' long tubes. in these tubes a type of bacteria, anaerobic i believe, will remove nitrates that my mangroves didn't remove.

 

[OscartheGrouch]

Take some pics when you're done and let us know how it goes when it's up and running. I'm thinking about something like this in the future for my 180G. I can't afford to get the lights with that much wattage for the whole tank so a refugium might be my best bet.

 

[Dr Joe]

Hair roots= multiple, very fine, long roots that hang down from a floating plant and absorb nutrients from water (taken from the book of Dr Joe)

The mangroves will seek a substrate.

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i think they are the same thing. in my sump i will have 50% bio balls trickle system and in the other half of the tank I will have mangrove (this mangroves area some might call a refugium, I believe. But now, I will add one more component to my sump idea; I will have a slow drip system in which water will pass through a very small 20' long tubes. in these tubes a type of bacteria, anaerobic i believe, will remove nitrates that my mangroves didn't remove.

I take it your talking about a coil denitrAter. Remember the tubing has to be in the dark or painted black (light proof black) if not inside of another container.

You will need to feed the denitrAter oxygen depleted water so as not to kill the anaerobic bacteria.

These denitrAters can take to 6 mo.s or more to get running.

100 points for cool factor but only 3 points for functionality.

Even a 10% W/C a week will do more than a denitrAter in the same time period.

These are used in S/W systems to preclude W/Cs.

Dr Joe

.

 

[yourockit]

Take some pics when you're done and let us know how it goes when it's up and running. I'm thinking about something like this in the future for my 180G. I can't afford to get the lights with that much wattage for the whole tank so a refugium might be my best bet.

will do.

 

[yourockit]

Hair roots= multiple, very fine, long roots that hang down from a floating plant and absorb nutrients from water (taken from the book of Dr Joe)

The mangroves will seek a substrate.

.



I take it your talking about a coil denitrAter. Remember the tubing has to be in the dark or painted black (light proof black) if not inside of another container.

You will need to feed the denitrAter oxygen depleted water so as not to kill the anaerobic bacteria.

These denitrAters can take to 6 mo.s or more to get running.

100 points for cool factor but only 3 points for functionality.

Even a 10% W/C a week will do more than a denitrAter in the same time period.

These are used in S/W systems to preclude W/Cs.

Dr Joe

.

wow, you really know your stuff, you even have you own termnology for roots types. I'l get there some day.
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so, I'll scratch the slow flow denitrator thingee.
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so, you say the mangroves will seek substrate; what do you mean by this? Do you mean, I should add a substrate (if so what and in what quantity exactly)?
Or do you mean, the roots will grow outward and downward, but a substrate is not necessary to encourage growth and thus accompanying leeching of nitrates?
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thanks.
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also, if you will, how would you design my 100g tank filter system?