Nitrate Reduction Setup!

[2004exrider]

Very cool to see you had an idea and followed through! I hope it all works out for you. Keep us updated on any water test results.

Jimmy

 

[Fish Eat Fish]

Very cool to see you had an idea and followed through! I hope it all works out for you. Keep us updated on any water test results.

Jimmy

Thank you. I wont be around the tank for quite some time but when I get a chance to I will do some tests and see how effective this system is.

 

[Jim96Sc2]

I think that an actual self sustaining ecosystem is impossible for humans to set up, but I think we can do a good job of mimicking one really close to where you wouldn't see a problem for awhile... and it would seem that the bigger the system the longer time you'd have before you saw any problems. If you'd doing something like I am, an aquaponics set up designed to raise food fish and food plants, then it's nowhere near a self sustaining system... I input food & top off water, fish grow, fish output nutrients, bacteria converts nutrients, plants take up nutrients, I take out plant and fish. So it's far from self sustaining, but the water does stay amazingly clean

I'd be stumped trying to create a self sustaining system where you don't even input food or do any water changes or take out anything. You'd have to have everything from bacteria up to whatever your top level predetor is (fish) and everything inbetween... would seem like you'd have to have a lot of room to accomplish that. In a true self sustaining system you'd not even take out the decomposing fish!

Every step in that direction though would seem to mean less maintenace and it really is cool to work with nature, even if we can only glimpse a tiny portion of it.

Man made ponds/lakes are self sustaining. Remember that in order to do something in a "self sustaining" enviroment your talking about large bodies of water, not some rubbermade pond. Like you said, lots of room. Your putting an entire food chain in so things need to be put into perspective as to how much of what you need. Starting at the top and gaining exponentially going down the list to maintain a balance.

 

[Acer]

Great Info Man!!

Clears up alot of thoughts I had..

So would you say that self-sustaining ecosystems success is variable to the size of the set-up?

Smaller setups being more sensitive, and prone to lack of nutrients without intervention?

Dilution is the solution

 

[klowd123]

wow, im going to start one for a 540 gallon.

 

[rucus]

Why dont you keep the planted tank outside? Natural sun would be the best and cheapest way to grow aquatic or bog plants. They do use your concept on many fish farms in Asia except the planted refugium you have shown is replaced by a large lake or pond in Asia.

Natural sunlight would likely heat the water to undesired temps.

 

[aussiei]

Walmart has 45 gal rubbermaid for 16.00 that would be perfect