Zero Nitrates, no water change,. This is aquarium 2021.

[markstrimaran]

It took me and several PHd colleagues to figure it out, but after algea scrubbers, cfls to several generations of LED's. Anaerobic reactors, fluidized reactors.
Precision Pyrolysis on a pharmaceutical grade of Arti char. Also known as biochar, but their is a difference between carbon, being lignite or anthracite. Graphene or carbon fiber.

So far I have eliminated, bluegreen algea, and can leave my 300 watt liquid cooled LEDS, on 12hr a day, in my faux reef 235 gallon system. My top tank, the old algea scrubber only as primary filtration, is no longer filtered by any algea, only Artichar, and mechanical filter socks. 130 gallons

My faux reef still has 60 watts of upflow algea scrubber. As primary bio filter, augmented with 6 oz of Artichar in side a reactor, very similar flow rate as my old contained carbon dosing setup. 235 gallons

Both tanks went from 30 ppm Nitrate to 0 ppm nitrate in less than 30 days. With out any water changes.

My multi compartment basement test tank went from ?150ppm to 0 ppm in about 45 days. 100 gallons.

Basically Arti Char is pure carbon, with a ph of around 7.8, it is made by heating organics, very hot, for a very definite time, in a completely anaerobic reactor.

It is about half the price of old fashioned activated carbon. Which is made of coal. ARTICHAR, is made with hard wood, oats, beans, any thing really. Each feedstock has different structures of carbon, porosity, density. Which make it very different from char coal, and activated. I use about 6 ounces per month.

 

[markstrimaran]

It took me and several PHd colleagues to figure it out, but after algea scrubbers, cfls to several generations of LED's. Anaerobic reactors, fluidized reactors.
Precision Pyrolysis on a pharmaceutical grade of Arti char. Also known as biochar, but their is a difference between carbon, being lignite or anthracite. Graphene or carbon fiber.

So far I have eliminated, bluegreen algea, and can leave my 300 watt liquid cooled LEDS, on 12hr a day, in my faux reef 235 gallon system. My top tank, the old algea scrubber only as primary filtration, is no longer filtered by any algea, only Artichar, and mechanical filter socks. 130 gallons

My faux reef still has 60 watts of upflow algea scrubber. As primary bio filter, augmented with 6 oz of Artichar in side a reactor, very similar flow rate as my old contained carbon dosing setup. 235 gallons

Both tanks went from 30 ppm Nitrate to 0 ppm nitrate in less than 30 days. With out any water changes.

My multi compartment basement test tank went from ?150ppm to 0 ppm in about 45 days. 100 gallons.

Basically Arti Char is pure carbon, with a ph of around 7.8, it is made by heating organics, very hot, for a very definite time, in a completely anaerobic reactor.

It is about half the price of old fashioned activated carbon. Which is made of coal. ARTICHAR, is made with hard wood, oats, beans, any thing really. Each feedstock has different structures of carbon, porosity, density. Which make it very different from char coal, and activated. I use about 6 ounces per month.

 

[phreeflow]

Does this work in freshwater systems?

 

[markstrimaran]

It took me and several PHd colleagues to figure it out, but after algea scrubbers, cfls to several generations of LED's. Anaerobic reactors, fluidized reactors.
Precision Pyrolysis on a pharmaceutical grade of Arti char. Also known as biochar, but their is a difference between carbon, being lignite or anthracite. Graphene or carbon fiber.

So far I have eliminated, bluegreen algea, and can leave my 300 watt liquid cooled LEDS, on 12hr a day, in my faux reef 235 gallon system. My top tank, the old algea scrubber only as primary filtration, is no longer filtered by any algea, only Artichar, and mechanical filter socks. 130 gallons

My faux reef still has 60 watts of upflow algea scrubber. As primary bio filter, augmented with 6 oz of Artichar in side a reactor, very similar flow rate as my old contained carbon dosing setup. 235 gallons

Both tanks went from 30 ppm Nitrate to 0 ppm nitrate in less than 30 days. With out any water changes.

My multi compartment basement test tank went from ?150ppm to 0 ppm in about 45 days. 100 gallons.

Basically Arti Char is pure carbon, with a ph of around 7.8, it is made by heating organics, very hot, for a very definite time, in a completely anaerobic reactor.

It is about half the price of old fashioned activated carbon. Which is made of coal. ARTICHAR, is made with hard wood, oats, beans, any thing really. Each feedstock has different structures of carbon, porosity, density. Which make it very different from char coal, and activated. I use about 6 ounces per month.

Does this work in freshwater systems?

Yes, It is a chemical process, much like puritan, except once the media is saturated. It becomes more valuable as a soil substitute for aquaponics, or growing plants in zero gravity.

 

[phreeflow]

Yes, It is a chemical process, much like puritan, except once the media is saturated. It becomes more valuable as a soil substitute for aquaponics, or growing plants in zero gravity.

View attachment 1475392

Incredible…so if I can somehow get my hands on Artichar and run it through a reactor, will that be enough to see a benefit?

 

[markstrimaran]

Exactly, Sounds almost too good to be true. I had to buy a new Nitrate test kit, since, my old bottle appeared to not work.. 0 ppm Nitrate with 40 African Cichlids in 130 gallons of water.

I am a welder that builds the Kilns, any one up to experimenting with it?

 

[FJB]

Artichar may be fantastic, I don’t know. But nitrate buildup is only one of the main reasons for water changes.

 

[markstrimaran]

It can be used in regular media chambers, fluidized reactors, under gravel plates, I started using it in my filter sock liners, but switched to reactors, for ease of testing effluent and my socks plug up long before the biochar has fully absorbed it's full capacity.
I started off using it as an anarobic media thinking it would be like carbon dosing, but the PH is too high to support the bacterial conversion from ammonia into nitrogen gas. Needs slightly acidic conditions.
Then with my Blue Green algea problems, I was going to use it to remove antibiotics as I was going to treat 500 gallons with meds. Long story short, by the time I got around to it, my nitrates were so low the blue green stuff quit growing,. During this time I also added a GE high end flower and bloom LED, to my top tank, and added actinic blue, and 660 nm reds to my white full spectrum led faux reef tank.
Which might have resulted in less cyno bacteria. I have not used any meds as the algea went away, and the new lights are growing beneficial algea,. I have 4 tanks on 4 completely different filtration systems, with fish kind of tossed between them. 3 had a cyno problem, which has gone away in all 3 tanks.

 

[markstrimaran]

Artichar may be fantastic, I don’t know. But nitrate buildup is only one of the main reasons for water changes.

It's not for all, my tap water is already heavily RO, I live in Iowa, nitrates in the creeks is 20 ppm to 40ppm and has Round up, 24D, and diesel probably.

Then I know salt water reefers, who never do a water change. With very sensitive corals, that thrive.

 

[markstrimaran]

Top tank with GE 30 watt, test trial, cyno vs turf algea