Aquarium keeping natural/tecnological

[Ahmabeliever]

Got a link for that product johnfp, it sounds great. Have you kept records of tests done before addition of the product and after?

[Moontanman]

Originally Posted by Ganoderma

personally, i am a fan of fishless cycle! i always use gravel from healthy tanks instead of fish.

I am a fan of no cycle! Just light and water movement. I like to take my time in adding fish.

[Not half, but whole!]

Originally Posted by johnfp

I read a lot of this thread but not all, sorry. I am impressed with the eco systems some of you have. I have a 45 gallon tank and I found, about 3 years ago, this incredible stuff to help maintain it. It is called Freshwater Biozyme. It's in powder form. It looks like yeast. From what I understand it converts ammonia and nitrite to nitrate and helps break down fish waste. I found where I used to have to clean the tand and replace 1/2 the water once a month now only needs to be done every 6 months. It's great stuff.

Most of your biological additives along those lines are freeze-dried nitrosomas and nitrobacter bacteria. These are the work horses of most "biological" filters. These are the same bacteria that you add by seeding a filter with substrate from an established tank. Marineland actually makes a refrigerated live version that will establish the front end of the nitrogen cycle in a tank. The main concern is that nitrates (The end result of nitrogenous waste breakdown) have no uptake in most tanks. In natural systems this is used by plants (Nitrates are great fertilizer, just think about ammonia nitrate) or algae. If they are not used they can build to toxic levels w/o water changes. Either submerged aquatic plants or emergent bog plants do a great job at keeping the chemistry good (and will keep algae down and give the fish something to nibble..)

Moon, do you have a good source for FW inverts? Do you collect from local water sources?

[Moontanman]

Originally Posted by Not half, but whole!

Most of your biological additives along those lines are freeze-dried nitrosomas and nitrobacter bacteria. These are the work horses of most "biological" filters. These are the same bacteria that you add by seeding a filter with substrate from an established tank. Marineland actually makes a refrigerated live version that will establish the front end of the nitrogen cycle in a tank. The main concern is that nitrates (The end result of nitrogenous waste breakdown) have no uptake in most tanks. In natural systems this is used by plants (Nitrates are great fertilizer, just think about ammonia nitrate) or algae. If they are not used they can build to toxic levels w/o water changes. Either submerged aquatic plants or emergent bog plants do a great job at keeping the chemistry good (and will keep algae down and give the fish something to nibble..)

Moon, do you have a good source for FW inverts? Do you collect from local water sources?

I would like to point out that the whole idea of bacteria cultures and a filtration system to remove both chemical pollutants and sediments is only necessary when you have too many fish in too small a space. If course if you want to keep more fish that is the only way to go. If you keep your fish population to a more moderate level and add fish slowly over time and have a good growth of plants before you add any fish scrubbing the water clean will not be necessary. The tank I am setting up will probably hold between 100 and 200 small fish and crustaceans. Not only will I use a heavy growth of plants to help keep the water clean I also use a sump with no aeration to capture sediments as they travel through the flat still sump. A pump circulates the water from the sump to the tank. An overflow returns the water. Floating plants in the sump not only remove more nitrogenous waste they also help suspended sediments fall out of the water column and deposit in the bottom of the sump. I keep shrimp, dwarf crayfish, clams and mussels in the sump to consume the sediments. Once a month or so I drain out 10 gallons and replace it with new water. Intense lighting and a sump to collect sediments are the key in this tank.

Yes I do collect both fish and invertebrates, lots of shrimp, amphipods, isopods, vernal pool shrimp, even some amphibians. I also breed several species of fish and dwarf crayfish. The crayfish originates in Louisiana but the rest are from around here. When I get things started back up I intend to breed some of the small colorful shrimp from Indonesia. There is even a freshwater hermit crab I am drooling to get! I like to have as complex as possible ecosystem but I maintain it as simple as possible.

Michael Hissom
Captive Environments, aquaculture

[Ahmabeliever]

Most of your biological additives along those lines are freeze-dried nitrosomas and nitrobacter bacteria. These are the work horses of most "biological" filters. These are the same bacteria that you add by seeding a filter with substrate from an established tank. Marineland actually makes a refrigerated live version that will establish the front end of the nitrogen cycle in a tank. The main concern is that nitrates (The end result of nitrogenous waste breakdown)

Ah - so it's the same old same old - thank you.

[johnfp]

Biozyme, freshwater.

Freshwater Biozyme

[Moontanman]

Does anyone keep the type of called a Paludarium. I've set up a couple of small ones in teh 20 to 30 gallon range. Very intersting type of set up. Lots of land plants and emergent plants. Even land animals like small lizards, I grew some mangroves with a small cedar trees trailing their roots in the water.

[Not half, but whole!]

I have set up a few, mostly focused on the terrestrial aspect of the set-up. I had one set-up for for dendrobates, another was for a trio of White's tree frogs. In the aquatic sections there were just some guppies and a cory or two.

The dendrobates tank had lots of various lilies and ivys some emergent bog plants. The water circulated through fine gravel that served as the terrestrial substrate and the plants did most of the work.

The White's set-up had a completely sealed aquatic section that just had a small submersible filter in it.

I also had an interesting community terrarium. It had a soil substrate and had some pathos ivys and I think rhododendrons(I don't really know what it was, it grew quite well in the terrarium and I had to prune it back all the time). I kept it humid enough that it had a natural rain cycle in it. It had a Senegal chameleon, a few reed frogs, and a pair of fire millipedes.

[Moontanman]

I would like to tell every who has responded to this thread that I have started a social group called "Aquarium Keeping" Please feel free to join and share your expertise.

[Ganoderma]

Not half, but whole. very cool. i used to do this as well with dart frogs, but i as well focused on the terrestrial side not the fish side. what species do you keep?