Inclinations of a no-filter media system.
- Thread starter EagleEyes
- Start date
EagleEyes
Member
Woah no kidding im taking time, This is awesome though, please take time to read and add comments. so i got the computer. lol In the time between... last year and now.. one year, i have a complete sustainable aquarium, (ill ad pics later) clear water, a community of small crustaceans to feed the tank, three or four different kinds of sp. caulerpa, NO small diatom algae, JUST macro algae, hair algae (almost under control) two types of tubeworms, one calcareous, and the best part?? I havent touched it in just about six months. I have 80 watts of compact flourescent, one powerhead, and the ease and worry free pleasure of a reef aquarium through natural filtration. The time it takes to get this way was worth it, to me at least, but i am a scientist so every step was exciting. I have a before pic, from like six monthss ago, so ill post that. THANKS!
EagleEyes
Member
Youve caught my imagination Boozeman, please do elaborate. I have what i believe are two kinds of sponges, in hiding, so if i can get a pic of that ill post it, but one of 'em looks like its taking over the intake of my powerhead. i figured that that would be THE place to find them. p.s. i have a skimmer that wont fit on the tank, (ancient, basic ten gallon) so ive been thinking about ways to integrate it, but the protein doesnt seem to be building up, i have no mass die offs or blue green algal blooms, so any suggestions?
Charlie97L
Well-Known Member
are you concerned that the DSB will eventually need replenishing? at some point, it will have exhausted it's potential, and start leeching back into the water.
cryptic sponge filtration...the creation of a separate 'refugium' in which a cryptic (ie. absence of light) is encouraged. Unknowingly aquarists create these environments on the undersides of live rock ledges where these sponges grow, but if a natural filtration method is what you seek then you will have to build the refugium and expand on it by placing a large quantity of these sponges as well as other filtering organisms such as sea squirts.
Stephen tyree is the mayor proponent of this system (he calls it the environmental gradient zonal approach)..theres tons of stuff on the net about this, some of it is over the top..I found this one for you, seems to be the most 'straight foward
www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/show_article.php?article_id544
whew...finger cramp
Stephen tyree is the mayor proponent of this system (he calls it the environmental gradient zonal approach)..theres tons of stuff on the net about this, some of it is over the top..I found this one for you, seems to be the most 'straight foward
www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/show_article.php?article_id544
whew...finger cramp
EagleEyes
Member
Hey I have the pics of my aquarium up in my gallery! Finally, i know, but just in time lol Boozeman the website you gave was great the URL you gave me didnt automatically work but i found it. Im in the middle of midterms so ill look at it again later, in the meantime, enjoy the pics
Craig Manoukian
Well-Known Member
Nice sunken ship and feather duster!
EagleEyes
Member
Did I say thank you Boozeman? well Thanks, and i just added this inch long anemone that came in to my lab on some gracilaria algae. Theres another one i will bring home later on. Its been crawling all over the place, lets home he doesnt find the powerhead good real estate. Ill be sure to move it around to get him away.. lol The stars are multiplying, asexually, and the caulerpa that i thought was a good species is turning out to be a nightmare. (still not taxifolia though.) I might use it in an experiment though so not a complete loss.
Wow! What an intriguing thread (long too).
Would this NOT be similar (in theory) to those almost totally enclosed "Bio-balls" from high school biology class? It had one small fish, one small crawfish, a plant some small pea gravel and of course water. We had one that lived from my 8th grade up till I was a senior and only THEN did it meets it's demise due to an errant broom handle during an intense "Sword" fight.
Allen
Would this NOT be similar (in theory) to those almost totally enclosed "Bio-balls" from high school biology class? It had one small fish, one small crawfish, a plant some small pea gravel and of course water. We had one that lived from my 8th grade up till I was a senior and only THEN did it meets it's demise due to an errant broom handle during an intense "Sword" fight.
Allen
EagleEyes
Member
Thanks BigAl!!
It would not be similar in practice because there is air exchange and some other different factors.
First Ill point out that when BigAl says "Bio Ball" he means a completely enclosed environment like they have at Biosphere two with shrimp or the smallest fish in the world and NOT the filter media. lol
But that is a really good point, because the answer to your question is yes the theory is the same. I placed different organisms into my aquarium and let it cycle. I decided that it would be too much trouble to make sure that my parameters were correct and that levels were safe etc. so i am simply adding things slowly so that the aquarium can adjust itself.
You're quote is dead on too: let the tank develop. I am studying to be a biologist so the intermediate stages are the most interesting. I think thats how i can wait soo long for the tank to mature.
And obviously the bio globes are carefully prepared so that the process isnt as long and taxing, but i dont know enough about SW tank metabolism to make the calculations.
It would not be similar in practice because there is air exchange and some other different factors.
First Ill point out that when BigAl says "Bio Ball" he means a completely enclosed environment like they have at Biosphere two with shrimp or the smallest fish in the world and NOT the filter media. lol
But that is a really good point, because the answer to your question is yes the theory is the same. I placed different organisms into my aquarium and let it cycle. I decided that it would be too much trouble to make sure that my parameters were correct and that levels were safe etc. so i am simply adding things slowly so that the aquarium can adjust itself.
You're quote is dead on too: let the tank develop. I am studying to be a biologist so the intermediate stages are the most interesting. I think thats how i can wait soo long for the tank to mature.
And obviously the bio globes are carefully prepared so that the process isnt as long and taxing, but i dont know enough about SW tank metabolism to make the calculations.
prow
Well-Known Member
hummm, did not read this whole thing but i have a tank that has been going for about 6+ years, with nothing but sand and rock and two powerheads. no water changes for past year or two and no adding abything but RO/DI topoff water. water is perfect and everything is thriving so yep it can be done with all natural.
You say everything is thriving, what is ? Do you have any corraline algae ?
