65Naja
Community Member
Hello,
I am seeing one reference that is not clear to me as I believe a perspective is missing. For example when some who is very petite says "That meal has large portions" and someone who plays linemen for a professional football team says "That meal has large portions" even though the same words are said, they mean two totally different things. So adding in the perspective provides an understanding to the reference. Without that perspective the reference carries significantly less meaning.
The reason I bring this up is the reference to bioload, can someone provide the missing perspective.
In general it is defined by the amount of life existing in an aquarium, but I question that. To me and as it is used as a measurement, it isn't really the life what the waste that life produces. More as a level of bio-saturation, how much a given volume of water/bacteria can organically process. For example. A 20 gallon tank with a single 2" fish that is fed 1 cube of food 4 times a day has a heavier bioload than the same size tank (20 gallon) with four 2" fish that collectively are fed 1 cube once a day. The first tank with the single fish tank has to organically process much more wasted food than the second tank. Doesn't that mean it has a heavier bioload. So not really a measure of life but a measure of waste.
Why ask? - Skimmers and similar filtration equipment reference bioload as a measure to properly size the equipment we purchase. With this in mind, how do you determine where you fall, are you the petite person or the linemen when you say "I have a <blank> bioload.
I would love some sort of perspective even a calculation to determine the level of bioload.
Not a true calculation -- Does your tank have Heavy, Medium or a Low Bioload?
To determine -
Take the total volume of water in (Gallons) in your circulating system and divide it by the total inches of fish in the tank.
Not ignoring life as it does count toward amount of waste.
170 gallons (divided by) 5 x 3" fish, + 9 x 1" fish, + 2 x 4" fish or 32" of fish --- equals --- 5.31 gal / inch of fish
That takes care of the fish waste so take that number and divide it by the following selected number
Pick 1, 2 or 3 (Select the number that describes your feedings)
-- Pick 1 if nothing really falls to the bottom of the tank or goes into filtration, and your fish may even eat more if you gave it to them
-- Pick 2 if some food falls to the bottom and on rocks and get filtered out, but your fish eat good, nobody is missing out
-- Pick 3 if more than some falls to the bottom, on rocks, to filter feeders and into the filtration system, fish are very well fed
Results would be 5.31 / (1, 2 or 3) = Bioload value
I have no idea what the number separations would be but something like
If the result is greater than 5 you have a low bioload, <= 5 but > 2.5 you have a medium bioload, and <= 2.5 you have a heavy bioload.
Thoughts, How do you really determine bioload when asked? or do you just "Lick your finger and hold it into the wind"
I am seeing one reference that is not clear to me as I believe a perspective is missing. For example when some who is very petite says "That meal has large portions" and someone who plays linemen for a professional football team says "That meal has large portions" even though the same words are said, they mean two totally different things. So adding in the perspective provides an understanding to the reference. Without that perspective the reference carries significantly less meaning.
The reason I bring this up is the reference to bioload, can someone provide the missing perspective.
In general it is defined by the amount of life existing in an aquarium, but I question that. To me and as it is used as a measurement, it isn't really the life what the waste that life produces. More as a level of bio-saturation, how much a given volume of water/bacteria can organically process. For example. A 20 gallon tank with a single 2" fish that is fed 1 cube of food 4 times a day has a heavier bioload than the same size tank (20 gallon) with four 2" fish that collectively are fed 1 cube once a day. The first tank with the single fish tank has to organically process much more wasted food than the second tank. Doesn't that mean it has a heavier bioload. So not really a measure of life but a measure of waste.
Why ask? - Skimmers and similar filtration equipment reference bioload as a measure to properly size the equipment we purchase. With this in mind, how do you determine where you fall, are you the petite person or the linemen when you say "I have a <blank> bioload.
I would love some sort of perspective even a calculation to determine the level of bioload.
Not a true calculation -- Does your tank have Heavy, Medium or a Low Bioload?
To determine -
Take the total volume of water in (Gallons) in your circulating system and divide it by the total inches of fish in the tank.
Not ignoring life as it does count toward amount of waste.
170 gallons (divided by) 5 x 3" fish, + 9 x 1" fish, + 2 x 4" fish or 32" of fish --- equals --- 5.31 gal / inch of fish
That takes care of the fish waste so take that number and divide it by the following selected number
Pick 1, 2 or 3 (Select the number that describes your feedings)
-- Pick 1 if nothing really falls to the bottom of the tank or goes into filtration, and your fish may even eat more if you gave it to them
-- Pick 2 if some food falls to the bottom and on rocks and get filtered out, but your fish eat good, nobody is missing out
-- Pick 3 if more than some falls to the bottom, on rocks, to filter feeders and into the filtration system, fish are very well fed
Results would be 5.31 / (1, 2 or 3) = Bioload value
I have no idea what the number separations would be but something like
If the result is greater than 5 you have a low bioload, <= 5 but > 2.5 you have a medium bioload, and <= 2.5 you have a heavy bioload.
Thoughts, How do you really determine bioload when asked? or do you just "Lick your finger and hold it into the wind"
