freshwater sump refugium

C

crossleymarko

Registered Member
Apr 7, 2009
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hi all,
my 155 gal tall plywood tank has been going strong now for 2 months. i have a kissing gourami, sailfin plec red spotted sevrum and an angel fish, i also have a 55 gal long sump/refugium with elodea.... 500gph silent overflow. beananimal. i keep checking my parameter each week we add a fish and they are as follows... (please bare in mind our tap water contains some nitrates)

ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 12.5.. (never higher)
ph 7 ish
temp 78

i also have a 2 " sand bed in the tank.. no plants in the display. and crystal clear water.

ive been checking and still feel no need for a water change. is this good, iam looking at a completly low maintenance system auto top off and pond matrix etc.. and no water change for the the time ive been set up.. and parameters are like this. is this acceptable..

i have used 2 different test kits also...
 
Ever tested for TDS? There's certainly more to water than nitrogen compounds...and two months isn't a very large time scale so I don't find those params all that surprising with the setup you have (which sounds very cool btw).
 
no never tested for tds.. as there has not a problem.... sorry my first post should of stated im confused as to why i dont need to change my water because of nitrates. even when i add a fish each week.. ill get pics up soon. my display though is bare apart from my 2" sand bed. fish are loving the space im waiting for my diy cement rock to cure in the yard.. maybe another month...

ps.. r.i.p gary speed.... we are here
 
It is unclear as to why your nitrates don't increase. It would seem unlikely that your 2" sand bed would support anaerobic bacteria to process, however if the sand is fine it may be possible?
However, as food for thought...fresh water is fresh because nature is constantly renewing it with rainwater. The weekly water change is more than just removing nitrates, but diluting other pollutants in the water. Even heavily planted tanks benefit from the WWC.
Although there are many that look to minimize or eliminate the water change chore, it is the simplest way to maintain a healthy aquarium.
If you have the means, a drip emitter and an overflow to a drain would automate the process.
In the meantime, for what it's worth, I would do water changes regardless of nitrate test results.
 
Why Elodea? In full sunlight it grows fast enough to be a good nutrient sink, but under artificial illumination it's a weak grower. There are plenty of plants that will generate biomass at a much faster rate, which is the main purpose of growing plants in fuge.
 
+1 to AbbeysDad's post. I also get a kick out of posts complaining that the clean up crew isn't doing the job... YOU are the clean up crew ;)
 
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