Plant only filtration (why not popular in the hobby???)
- Thread starter JK47
- Start date
I watched the vids ya, but no sound as I lost the white cord with green ends that plug into the computer!
Worms worms, what about worms? I wish I had sound.
Worms worms, what about worms? I wish I had sound.
Well, I guess I can try to explain it here.
What i am trying to do is set up an aquaponics system. It uses a grow bed with media such as pea gravel or expanded clay. There is a pump or air lift that delivers water from your aquarium into the grow bed. Worms and plants are in the grow bed. The bed fills with water until it reaches a specified height set by your bell siphon. At which point the siphon naturally engages draining the grow bed back into the aquarium. The plants and worms break down the fish waste and the gravel works as a biological filter allowing the ammonia to be converted. the process in my particular setup takes about 10 minutes; thats filling the bed (9 mins or so) and draining it back into the aquarium (1+ min). The fill/drain cycle allows us to create a very oxygen rich environment for the worms, bacteria, and roots of the plants thus helping them to improve the water quality of our aquarium. I suppose I should make a quick DIY article so as not to hijack this thread and it's discussion regarding flowing systems. I will link to the article if anyone would like to follow. Give me a few to get pictures and do a write up.
What i am trying to do is set up an aquaponics system. It uses a grow bed with media such as pea gravel or expanded clay. There is a pump or air lift that delivers water from your aquarium into the grow bed. Worms and plants are in the grow bed. The bed fills with water until it reaches a specified height set by your bell siphon. At which point the siphon naturally engages draining the grow bed back into the aquarium. The plants and worms break down the fish waste and the gravel works as a biological filter allowing the ammonia to be converted. the process in my particular setup takes about 10 minutes; thats filling the bed (9 mins or so) and draining it back into the aquarium (1+ min). The fill/drain cycle allows us to create a very oxygen rich environment for the worms, bacteria, and roots of the plants thus helping them to improve the water quality of our aquarium. I suppose I should make a quick DIY article so as not to hijack this thread and it's discussion regarding flowing systems. I will link to the article if anyone would like to follow. Give me a few to get pictures and do a write up.
You have problemsYou are taking this to a entire different level!
Hahahahahaha yeah well, I think it's a beautiful way to take a tank back to nature. I mean yeah, technology is great and we have amazing filters etc now but we don't really need them. Nature has been working quite well without us for a long long time. Why not use the nitrogen cycle to our benefit all the way around instead of fighting it with filtration and water changes and chemicals and and and and..
wow i just found this tread and started reading it from the beginning. WOW! only on page 4. It is super excellent. I just have horworts, some local grasses, duck weed, water cabage, local moss and cobomo plants. I don't have filtration and do little or no water changes. I have ghost shrimps three types of snails and a large number of insecs in my 10 gal tank. I will have to try the soap dish with suction cups and have out of water plants. thanks for this fantastic thread.
Seriously people need to stop posting pictures of plants I havent tried yet, I DONT HAVE UNLIMITED SPACE!!!!!!!!!
