Organic Aquariums

I Still have not read a paragraph explaining how it works, just the benefits, if I was for for example explaining how a de nitrating filter works I would say::::::: you need No2 (nitrite) an carbon source glycerol (some comes from the food the fish eat), very slow moving water to create a non oxygen zone, the the bacteria convert it to methene gas and cancel the pH drop the the other bactaria decrease in an oxygen environment hence removing Nitrate.

O.K the same style but a bout organic aquarium instead of de nit raters it want I and other viewers want to read.

Not Add a few drop of this and that and you will de less water changes, bla , bla bla, nor do I want complicated Holger style chemical formulas just plain English.

And I was just about to inflict one on you :twisted:

Seriously,
I did some reading on their website. It doesn't explain how the stuff works and I have talked to a friend of mine who's a lecturer in organic chemistry and it doesn't make much sense to him either. Granted he is probably not exactly the right person to talk to since that stuff is a bit left of centre field for his expertise.

Steve, if you haven't completely destroyed every braincell in your head after your post-exam celebrations, any input from the biochemist.
Georgina as a microbiologist might also an educted opinion.
People, don't let UCC down :roll:

That not a good sign if a reputable company like that in South African company can not provide that info on their web site, it just raises more concerns.

Maybe they wont give the details for fearof giving away the "secret ingredient",allowing everyone to make it at home,therefore causing them to lose thier income

As Homer says.." The secret ingrediant is salt"

As Homer says.." The secret ingrediant is salt"

I thought it was cough medicine?
You flaming homer!

Anyway like I said earlier, I don't trust it until someone here proves it works, and even then I'm more likely to just stick to the simple old fashioned filter and water changes.

The problem with a conventional filter is the bacteria are all living "under the water surface" so they are competing for the fishes oxygen the alarming figure is the fish have 20% and the filter have 80%, the whole thing is a biological disaster if the ESB turns off the electric for 4 hours or more.

The advantage of the ice cream container in the aquarium hood full of volancinic gravel where 20% of the outlet water leaving the mechanical filter is diverted to the hood is the bacteria "breath the air despite been wet/humid hence all the oxygen under the surface is for the fish and all the air in the room /hood is availble to the trickle filter. When the ESB turns off the power the filter survives and the fish survive. The is nothing wrong getting 3 strands of barely hay tie a knot and throwing it into a fresh water tank.

I have a 2 foot breading pair of common clown that spawn every 2 weeks I never do water changes and the nitrate is zero and pH is 8.3, I personnel collected live rock form 2 metred of water in Majorca, years ago, the tank make a "load click noise every few minute" so the is some inverts that are living in the rocks that are makin this noise. If you ever dives on a real coral reef the very first thing you noitce even more than the fihes colours is the constant clicking noises, there is probally many thing we dont know about live rock they enhance the well being of a marine tank, a fish only sytme tends to limit the life of fish to 4 years my original clown fish breeding stock lives from 1983 to 2001/2002 agin live rock was in the tank, without a skimmer, the is so much we do not know how the mechanism cause the fishes well being.

To summarise both fresh water and marine seem to benefit from trickle filter, and fresh water benefit from a couple of strand of hay barely hay dumped in and left to root and replace every month, and marine seem to benifit from live rock especially the rock that has been transported with water and is not smelling of rooting inverts.

As far as the south african thing, well it probally does no harm floating a bag of leaves, not sure about adding drops, if I was going to push the boat out just may be the phosphate resin remover combined with carbon that is changes very regularly but less quantity than recommended and more frwequency of changing it than the manufacturers recommends would be more up my street of thinking. :roll:

The secret ingredient is salt you tit.
You must have missed that episode.

quote>>>>
I personnel collected live rock form 2 metred of water in Majorca, years ago, the tank make a "load click noise every few minute" so the is some inverts that are living in the rocks that are makin this noise. If you ever dives on a real coral reef the very first thing you noitce even more than the fihes colours is the constant clicking noises,

Most likely pistol shrimps or could be mantis shrimps......just watch your fingers, their nickname is "thumbsplitters!!!!!

quote>>>>
I personnel collected live rock form 2 metred of water in Majorca, years ago, the tank make a "load click noise every few minute" so the is some inverts that are living in the rocks that are makin this noise. If you ever dives on a real coral reef the very first thing you noitce even more than the fihes colours is the constant clicking noises,

Most likely pistol shrimps or could be mantis shrimps......just watch your fingers, their nickname is "thumbsplitters!!!!!

Yes I know, I once read if you get a mantis shrimp in your tank in your tank its the kiss of death as they will even cut the heater cable, you can imagine how load the noise is, if you have the TV on load you can here a click every 3 minutes, naturally on a reef when you dive you hear a click every half second I guess that because there are more of them, any way my cloans have never come to any harm, as as long as I keep the garden light on all night, xreating full moon the common clown keep spawning despite the clicks, I am not sure if imported live rock would be as good as what I collected as its sort of in a bag out of water for 36 hours as opposed to 1 hour under water in a 25L bear bucket in the back of my car. Or may be it not the mantis shrimps but some other invertebrate or bacteria that in the live rock that makes a marine tank more stable than a few bleach coral and suck en boats.

Id say the clicking noise in the reefs are more than likely pistol shrimps
nice short documentary about them here youtube.com/watch?v=eKPrGxB1Kzc