Looking for the best lights.

[BettaFishCO]

@nabokovfan87pothos will be grown as well but they don't need tank space really. Poths will be hanging down the sides of the bins (6 faces or around 54sqft of light surface for 2 totes) and red rooters will be on every surface of the 21 ram tanks around 63sqft. If there's one thing I'm good at, its utilizing space to fit more plant growth. I am playing with the possibility of placing 1 poth in every ram tank as well to grow over the side but it might be too much of a hassle to take it out to vac when needed. I'll try it on a couple and see how it goes.

Goal is to utilize all growable surface areas so my poths won't hinder my rooters in the fish tanks and the moss walls won't hinder (to badly) the mid-level planting in the sump tanks and the poths will mind there biz on the lattice.

Man talking about this has got me so pumped. I'm going to have a jungle again. Besides increasing ppm and lowering oxygen, Is there any other effects of those anti algae and or co2 booster? I've tried it and it worked great but I'm more of an environment guy then a chemical one. If I can keep it clean, cool, lfs will buy some cuttings. If i can't keep it perfect i plan to just add ottos and amonos.

[Mmiller2001]

On 12/25/2022 at 2:23 PM, BettaFishCO said:

Ive never heard that plants give off waste, besides carbon dioxide and oxygen before. Do you have examples (if im understanding you correctly).

Think about a mint plant. We like mint, but it's organic waste/byproduct of plants. Aquarium plants secrete many compounds into our water. You have some more research to do, but here's a nice link explaining a few things at least.

 

https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/so-what-is-organic-wastes.50661/

On 12/25/2022 at 2:23 PM, BettaFishCO said:

The rate is the only thing I'll need to dial in.

You will never dial this in with high light and CO2 injection. Walstad method are low bioload, low light systems that allow these processes to work. 

 

On 12/25/2022 at 2:23 PM, BettaFishCO said:

The protein skimmer is a device that skims suds (broken protein chains) and removes them to reduce the bacterial bio load of the water

You need foaming action to get this to work, freshwater doesn't foam so well. Thus an expensive air stone. 

[BettaFishCO]

@Mmiller2001So, you're calling any compound they secrete "waste". Waste:(of a material, substance, or byproduct) eliminated or discarded as no longer useful or required after the completion of a process: Mint uses its chemical to repel animals and bugs, therefore useful and not a waste product (in my mind). If you use "waste as a super loose term then the plant itself is the waste product of the parenting plant which would carry any boundaries.

I understand what you're saying, but even those are broken down to usable forms by bacteria which then I would say is bacteria waste, which then the plants use. I just wouldn't state the smell of a rose a "waste" product. But I see how you use the term now. But maybe I have more research to do🤪

Also, I was using the example of eco setups to prove that plants and biological filtration cleans water, not adds to ppm like your previous statement suggests.

The Walstad method proves my point that plants and microbiology clean water and doesn't generally make it dirtier.

To raise the capacity of filtration of plants, you need to add more light and carbon. I'm not creating a self-contained ecosystem, I'm making a sump where most of the animal's byproduct will be turned into plant matter and then removed.

The bubbles are not created by salt water, its created by proteins in the water. If your kidneys don't filter the protein and fats out of your urine, your urine will foam in the toilet. If it does filter excess protein, it will not. This was also the view of MC aquatics founder during a long talk about protein skimmers and how he uses normal protein skimmers in his freshwater tanks that are set up in his Florida location. Freshwater and salt water doesn't foam. It's the agitation (trapped air in) of organic compounds in the water that create the foaming action. Blow in a cup of salt water and fresh water and you'll see foam doesn't happen (unless you spit a lot or have massive loads of bacteria in your mouth and or breath. 

What is sea foam? (noaa.gov)

 

Also, the word "never" is an unscientific term that predicts the future with 100% accuracy. That means it can't be true until always (timeline) passes.

[Mmiller2001]

Sounds like you are good to go. Keep us updated.