Daphnia & RFUGF's

[Matak]

I just won a battle against persistant Green Water with a diatom filter, but I would like to use Daphnia to control the accursed GW in the future. Here's my plan:

I have a Reverse Flow Under Gravel Filter on 1/3 of my tank. I would like to grow my culture of Daphnia under the UGF plate. That way they get to taste all the water (eventually) and the fish won't eat them. Have I outsmarted myself or could this actually work?

BTW, I put this in the Aquatic Plants section because more people suffer from GW in planted tanks than anywhere else.

 

[Tom.E]

Grazers won’t prevent green water, Matek, just useful during an occurrence. Think of all the water bodies out there packed with daphnia and other filter feeders that bloom regularly. Nutrient loading and imbalances, and light intensity/duration will trigger GW rather than lack of grazers IMHO.

I’d just stick with the diatom filter and use it when needed. It will permanently remove algae from the water column where as daphnia would just recycle some of it back as ammonia. That plus just running the diatom filter for a few hours is probably the equivalent to what the daphnia would filter feed in a week.

I own a diatom filter and keep daphnia, but have no experience with RFUGF. Daphnia prefer calm water, so keeping daphnia under the plate sounds like a rough ride to me.


Tom

 

[Matak]

Tom:
The RFUGF is pretty low flow, just a little more water flow than a air riser would provide but I think I will stick with the diatom filter once or twice a month. Thanx

 

[RTR]

An HOB refugium would be better for daphnia, especially if it was passive overflow back to the tank - excess daphnia would become fish food.

 

[Matak]

What is a refugium?

 

[RTR]

A separate tank connected to the main display with water exchange between the two - it may a sump below the tank, may be HOB, may be above the tank.