This is a journal of my first planted tank. I hope it is of interest to someone someday. I think it may be somewhat unorthodox, particularly where filtration is concerned. The filtration, and the tank as a whole is my best effort to achieve the best functionality with the simplest means. I believe that the easiest way to achieve something is the best way. It is my philosophy. It is a goldfish tank, so I have no illusions of creating a beautifully scaped piece of art. The plants are firstly functional. They are there to minimize water changes.
First I found a used 70 gallon tank for $100 (48x16x24x10mm glass). It was old and scratched. I took it apart and glued it back together with SCS 1200. I figure it should be good for another ten years or so, now.
Next I built a stand from an old dresser and put the tank on it.
Then I made a mineralized top soil following Aaron Talbot's sticky thread. Specifically: .75 inches of MTS/ .25 inches of crushed coral/ .5 inches of sand/ .5 inches of Fluorite Black Sand
I added a cheap 64 watt shop light and two cross braces to prevent it from falling in. I built an overflow (visible in the pic) into the tank which drains into a 5 gallon bucket which sits beside the tank. I call it a "sump" though a sump is, by definition, below not beside a tank. I may move it into the stand someday, but for now I like to see it easily. The sump contains my filter, a large, fully cycled "Hydro Sponge". I consider it the best and simplest filter on earth and will gladly rant and rave about it if you give me an opportunity. If I leave the filter for one month it is packed with mud but still flows well. The bucket also contains some water rooted terrestrial plants which will uptake any excess ammonia the soil may produce. They are temporary.
I briefly experimented with various floating plants, but decided to get rid of them due to conflicts with the overflow and surface film problems. That and they ultimately proved to conflict with my philosophy. Whatever plants I end up with, they will be easy. After about ten days, the mini twisters are starting to send out runners and new plantlets. The fish are not touching them. I think they taste bad.
My plan is to plant heavy fast growers to consume the nitrate produced by the filter bacs. Another approach would be to use only plants, no filter bacteria. I won't go this route because plants grow in spurts and may lag in their ammonia uptake creating a spike. Ammonia is more toxic than nitrate, so, to my thinking, it is better to convert to nitrate then let the plants convert that. This only works in an anaerobic substrate like mine where root rhizosperes can denitrify the nitrate back to ammonia and consume it.The only low light fast grower I know of which goldfish don't eat is vals, so I will use them. I may also plant something they do eat, but plant so much that they cannot keep up with the growth. It would be great for their health and make the tank more interesting looking. If it works I will call it "Trick No. 2" (Trick No. 1 being Sand to keep the poo out of the substrate and a good filter). I think that tons of good tasting, fast growing fodder plants ("salad") may even protect other plants they might otherwise eat, allowing me to plant whatever I like.
Noticed my water had a lot of particles in it. I used to run siphon filters which took care of this kind of thing. For this tank I switched to an overflow filter. Now I know why people run a backup power or canister filter on goldfish tanks with overflows. Only surface water gets filtered otherwise. many particles resist the surface and remain in the lower level of the water column. I added a siphon from my tank (in addition to the overflow) to remedy this. The intake is near the surface and siphons directly into the overflow box to limit leakage in case of pump failure. I would only loose a gallon before the siphon would break. My overflow box has about an eighth of an inch of head water.
Still have only mini twister vals and an unidentified stem plant which I found in a ditch. The minis are sending up shoots. The fish don't touch them.
I think this is very interesting! I love planted goldfish tanks. I was thinking of trying something very similar with my next tank. Have you noticed your goldfish mixing up the substrate at all? I was afraid mine would dig the dirt out from under the sand.
It would be great to see some full tank shots! Thanks for sharing!
They only sift the surface trying to get algae. They never "dig" per se. Others do dirt and goldfish. I have never heard of anyone having their dirt dug up. Sorry, but this is the best I can do for pics right now. My crappy cell cam won't take a full tank shot with enough detail to show anything. The tank is still pretty bare anyway. My next step will be to mass plant a bunch of fast growing nitrate eating plants like water violet, water sprite, water hyacynth, Jungle vals, elodea...you know. I want to plant so many the growth will outpace the fish eating it. I want them to eat the plants. Two birds, one stone, you know.
I'm just waiting for my last shipment of plants to come in, then I think I might start a journal, too. And it's good to know that they won't dig up the dirt, I'll definitely have to keep that idea on the table. Thanks for sharing the photo! My tank needs more plants that my goldfish can eat. I'd love for my eventual upgrade tank be half goldfish salad bar.
As for the signature, you type whatever text you want the link to say, then highlight the text, then click on the 'insert link' icon and put in the address. Took me a minute to remember how I did it.
Ha ha, as for goldfish digging up the substrate/dirt...i think if they know its under there they will go for it....ignorance is bliss, i think of my goldies as puppies or dogs...whatever works, they are just there to have fun and if they know they can get into something they will just for the fun of it!
I thought I'd post a pic of some nasty algae I grew. I was expecting it when I removed my terrestrial plants, since I am too lightly planted. I left it on the back glass for now.
If anyone can tell me the point of higher filter turnover, I would really appreciate it. I have around 2x, like I have always used. It seems to work fine for me despite the folks who recommend 10x turnover. Maybe I get it and I am just being weird.
Ha ha, im told that fish stuff is all me and i will not be getting anything fish related for christmas...bummer.
10x filtration is recommended for goldfish because they are dirty fish, poop machines and mess makers. Think about this...the more or less water you have passing through your filters equals more or less ammonia that is being converted into nitrite and then therefore nitrate.
Because goldfish create more ammonia per fish than lots of other fish they require a higher filtration rate than other fish, so the faster the filtration rate the faster your ammonia gets converted and becomes less toxic.
If you are talking about 2x the filtration rate on your 70 gallon with the two small goldfish then thats a different story. That tank is really understocked therefore it will take a longer time for nitrate to build up.
OK. Thanks. I think I understand it a bit more now. I think I get hung up on it because I don't get the math. You know; 100 gallons goes through a filter in an hour, how much of the ten gallon water column never left the tank?? :icon_frow Anyway, I accept it now. Sometimes it depends who's telling you, I guess. I will keep it in mind. If I ever show ammonia, I will double my turnover and maybe filtration too. I think you have to strike a balance with bio filter surface area and water dwell time and turnover. Too fast and the bacs don't have a good chance to eat the nitrogen, I think. I'm gonna plant the heck out of it so it may never be an issue but it's good to know.
More is better, i like the idea of having more than one filter, then you have more space for bio bugs.
And with plants you have to find an equilibrium. Plants consume ammonia just like the bio bugs, for me its gonna be to find out how much ammonia the plants consume then figure out how much filtration is needed to convert the remaining ammonia, by removing a filter and testing my water till i get the perfect water parameters that im looking for.
I am going about it the other way around. I want a massive colony of bac to eat all of the ammonia possible and leave the plants so hungry they will convert the nitrate back to ammonia for food. Perhaps this is ill advised and will lead to algae problems??? I really don't understand the relationships yet. I don't even know which, the plants or the bacs, consumes the various forms of nitrogen faster.
Gold, I like your algae :icon_smil You could clean it off, and offer it to your wife as a facial.
Plants can't convert nitrates back to ammonia. There's a 'bio bug' that does ammonification, converting it into ammonia, and water-soluble ammonium salts or so I read quickly from this: http://www.lenntech.com/nitrogen-cycle.htm... After reading an article on the decomposition of, well, dead people, I would have to guess and say bacs convert most forms of nitrogen faster than plants... But, my logic is not guided by understanding, but deduction. I just know the basics of the nitrogen cycle. I'm not trying to correct you, at all! but learn with you. Probably just an idiot's ramblings.
Anyhow. Perhaps you might be interested in the massive colony of bac on the MattenFilter: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/l...ger-mattenfilter-low-tech-setup-new-post.html. It's kind of like a sump, inside the tank. No reason you couldn't just have this be in your sump too. You could grow your terrestrial plants on that aquaponically, and submersed, any aquatic rhizome plants can grow on the filter below the water line.
In the absence of ammonia form nitrogen aquatic plants which are planted in an anaerobic substrate like mud will uptake nitrite/nitrate form nitrogen from the water column with their foliage and transport it to their roots where the anaerobes they foster denitrify it back to ammonia and the plants consume that.
So if I plant enough fast growing stem plants (or any plants, maybe). I should be able to get away with nearly no water changes... I think. It's kinda Walstad but for goldfish, so with faster growth and more filtration and a sand cap which gets vacummed occasionally.
If I have trouble I will switch to your approach, Jasmine. Get rid of as much bac colony as possible and rely on the plants.
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