Nitrate factory

[Subsea]

For many years, canister filters have been blamed on hobby forums as less than optimum for reef aquariums, mostly for the tendency to neglect and accumulate detritus and therefore the claim of
“ nitrate factory”.

I have a differrent take on running a high nutrient mixed garden lagoon. I presently dose ammonia into all of my systems, particularly the macro growout tanks. Instead of dosing ammonia, why not operate a canister filter as a high flow cryptic refugium. For certain, I harvest pods from canister filter trays, why not other micro fauna/fana.

@Randy Holmes-Farley
If degrading organics produce ammonia, would the canister be a source of nitrogen for reef tank?

 

[Gareth elliott]

Ime with my canister on my planted aqaurium, nitrate has not been an issue when not cleaned often, but greatly decreased flow. After awhile it stops picking up much and the detritus inside of it no longer has any nitrogen left.

When i move i am switching to a wet/dry sump. Easier to maintain.

 

[Subsea]

Ime with my canister on my planted aqaurium, nitrate has not been an issue when not cleaned often, but greatly decreased flow. After awhile it stops picking up much and the detritus inside of it no longer has any nitrogen left.

When i move i am switching to a wet/dry sump. Easier to maintain.

I have a wet/dry compartment in 25 year old mud/macro refugium. One year ago, I turned out the lights, composted tomatoes with seaweed and seeded with cryptic sponges.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/2...m-on-top-with-30g-ecosystem-mud-macro.421526/

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FDt8QTAp0Cs

 

[Gareth elliott]

I have a wet/dry compartment in 25 year old mud/macro refugium. One year ago, I turned out the lights, composted tomatoes with seaweed and seeded with cryptic sponges.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/2...m-on-top-with-30g-ecosystem-mud-macro.421526/

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FDt8QTAp0Cs

Great thread! I use my pond gook to keep my flower beds happy. That system is only 15 years old but gets all the detritus from whatever blows in.

Your cryptic zone handles my main detractor from that sort of system which is fine silt build up. In a system just running a canister filter the silt buildup begins to clog a lot of things, pumps, the sand bed etc.

Side note with a canister filter i dose an awful lot of nitrate to get my plants to grow at all. I can skip water changes, not clean the filter, and feed heavily, pretty quickly the system will pull all the available nitrogen. This is a 7 year old system thats heavily planted, but think a safe analogy would be a marine system with lots of corals. The nutrients in your system never exceed the input.

 

[Subsea]

Great thread! I use my pond gook to keep my flower beds happy. That system is only 15 years old but gets all the detritus from whatever blows in.

Your cryptic zone handles my main detractor from that sort of system which is fine silt build up. In a system just running a canister filter the silt buildup begins to clog a lot of things, pumps, the sand bed etc.

Side note with a canister filter i dose an awful lot of nitrate to get my plants to grow at all. I can skip water changes, not clean the filter, and feed heavily, pretty quickly the system will pull all the available nitrogen. This is a 7 year old system thats heavily planted, but think a safe analogy would be a marine system with lots of corals. The nutrients in your system never exceed the input.

Ecosystem mud/macro refugium was set up with miracle mud 25 years ago. I never replaced mud nor did I use socks in drain from display. In 25 years, mud depth increased from 0.75” to 1.5” and felt spongy to the touch. It is crawling with worms. Most macro seeks a nitrogen to phosphorus ratio of 30:1 with some fast growing macro at 80:1. Carbon for coral and algae growth comes from carbon dioxide gas.

 

[Gareth elliott]

Ecosystem mud/macro refugium was set up with miracle mud 25 years ago. I never replaced mud nor did I use socks in drain from display. In 25 years, mud depth increased from 0.75” to 1.5” and felt spongy to the touch. It is crawling with worms. Most macro seeks a nitrogen to phosphorus ratio of 30:1 with some fast growing macro at 80:1. Carbon for coral and algae growth comes from carbon dioxide gas.

I had seen your posts before somewhere.

Took a different spin instead mud went with rock rubble, rock rubble sat in a tank of collected seawater for a few months. Added to my tank, then added a bag of garf bag o bugs. Its only been in for a little bit, so not sure if my attempt at a home for microorganisms is a success or not, sits bellow my chaeto.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

I have a wet/dry compartment in 25 year old mud/macro refugium. One year ago, I turned out the lights, composted tomatoes with seaweed and seeded with cryptic sponges.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/2...m-on-top-with-30g-ecosystem-mud-macro.421526/

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FDt8QTAp0Cs

As soon as I saw that chili coral, knew it was Subsea.

 

[Subsea]

Multiple Tank Syndrome comes from surfing toooo many hobby forums.


@Gareth elliott
It has been a long time since I heard GARF: Geothermal Aquaculture Research Foundation. There bag of bugs should do fine.

 

[Subsea]

I had seen your posts before somewhere.

Took a different spin instead mud went with rock rubble, rock rubble sat in a tank of collected seawater for a few months. Added to my tank, then added a bag of garf bag o bugs. Its only been in for a little bit, so not sure if my attempt at a home for microorganisms is a success or not, sits bellow my chaeto.

What you discribed is the first section of EcoSystem mud/macro refugium. Initially, bioballs comprised the wet dry first compartment (I changed to rock rubble). As raw water enters, detritus is broken up then is swept into the much larger mud compartment. For 24 years I grew differrent macro for nutrient export and utrient recycling as I feed tangs with pods and seaweed. I year ago, I seeded with cryptic sponges and have been very happy with changes in maturity & diversity of filter feeders.


https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/2...m-on-top-with-30g-ecosystem-mud-macro.421526/



http://www.ecosystemaquarium.com/products/marine/miraclemud/miracle-mud-set-up-instructions/