Creating Reusable Water

[brightlifeaquaculture]

Hey @Randy Holmes-Farley and the rest of the gang!!! So I’ve been racking my head trying to figure out a way to re use old water. There may already be threads like this so feel free to tag me some of there are!!! But being in the hobby for a while running shops and finally starting my own, I’ve been trying to figure ways to be more sustainable. I’ve tried to find more research specifically about the Georgia aquarium filtration details/methods, since the re use 99.9% of water. Obviously a much larger scale than anything I would ever do, But it got me thinking is there a way to re-use aquarium water. Since I aquaculture corals my personal reef recipes include water changes once or twice a week for best results, as everyone knows that adds up in water after a while. Using a LSS(life support system, like the Georgia aquarium may be ineffective as I’ve read a lot about how those specific set up’s strip the water of most trace elements and such. But what if all the water I took out ran through a LSS that stripped it of everhthing and re added the trace with a product like neomarine kalibrate and re used the water? Would it work? Would it be a cost saver compared to the maintenance on the LSS? I’m not to familiar with ozone, and the LSS yet but would love to learn! Sorry for the rant hope anyone can help potential create an idea!! If it’s feasible or not!!

 

[MnFish1]

I would suggest a different method - because everything you're talking about - would cost a fortune in energy - as well as Dollars.

1. How big is your tank (i.e. how much water are we talking about?
2. How much water are you using weekly.
3. What is LSS?

I would say - No, do not try this. first - you never will know what youre taking out and adding back. 2. I would say - invest in better filtration - i.e. more algae scrubbing, bigger skimmer, etc etc - and change less water - that alone will save 'water'.

Part of it depends on your goal IMHO - a laudable effort

 

[brightlifeaquaculture]

This idea is more for re using the waste water from water changes. As I use the water changes more so to help replenish trace elements in a since, so I wouldn’t be trying to never change water so to speak but to re use the water I do. once finished construction all ranks will be roughly 4000 gallons total volume for multiple systems. The life support system is what I was referring to as the LSS, filtration system utilizing ozone, sand filter, etc. I’d say I was changing 10% weekly, which on all the systems would be roughly 20 thousand gallons a year! So if there was a way to nuke and replenish trace in the old water and re use, I was thinking of what the cost was for the system to strip the dirty “water change” water then re add, something like neomarine calibrate and re use for the water change. Sorry if I don’t make sense. I come up with some ideas and just love learning about things! Even if it doesn’t work!

 

[elysics]

Well a good start would be to stop replenishing trace elements for such a huge system with water changes in the first place. Do icps and add individual elements back by use.

Basically what you asked, but without taking the water out and without nuking, or you could collect all waste water in a large tank, do an icp over it is full, bring it to perfect parameters and then use it

But what's your motivation here? Saying money? Doing something to feel good about? Minimize your resource consumption in general/of one resource in particular?

Of all things that you could consider wasting less of, water is probably last on the priority list, unless your neighbors are dying of thirst

 

[TLO45]

I believe it was a question about simply a method of resuse rather than something they wanted to do. Not trying to “ feel good about something “ or create a new planet. Believe they were asking if anyone knew about a method. I agree water changes are a simpler way but that is not what they are asking. Not trying to start a war just trying to focus on the questions asked.

 

[WVNed]

Make a solar oven, Evaporate the water and then condense it again. It would be pure.

 

[taricha]

Years ago, I wanted to recover the salt from a gallon of water pulled from my tank. So I put it on the stove to boil. Before I got all the way through, the windows had so much condensation (it was winter), there were pools of water at the bottom of each window and door. Which makes sense - a gallon is a lot of water to try to spread around the living room of a college apartment.

to your question, I agree with @MnFish1 there are lots of people who have success with very minimal water changes, which is a whole lot easier, cheaper, and less wasteful than trying to rig up your own saltwater treatment system.

 

[brightlifeaquaculture]

Years ago, I wanted to recover the salt from a gallon of water pulled from my tank. So I put it on the stove to boil. Before I got all the way through, the windows had so much condensation (it was winter), there were pools of water at the bottom of each window and door. Which makes sense - a gallon is a lot of water to try to spread around the living room of a college apartment.

to your question, I agree with @MnFish1 there are lots of people who have success with very minimal water changes, which is a whole lot easier, cheaper, and less wasteful than trying to rig up your own saltwater treatment system.

agree and understand that part, the idea behind it is as business grows, more water volume more water needed etc. as water demand for the business increases was just thinking if like a treatment style thing, would benefit more compared to not. It’s more of a future idea to see how much water will need to be gone through before it because feasible!

 

[elysics]

agree and understand that part, the idea behind it is as business grows, more water volume more water needed etc. as water demand for the business increases was just thinking if like a treatment style thing, would benefit more compared to not. It’s more of a future idea to see how much water will need to be gone through before it because feasible!

Maybe my point didn't come across very well, but it was basically that it won't realistically be profitable to reclaim that water back to a clean slate, whether that is by rodi, di, distillation, or something else, compared to dumping it and making fresh rodi from tap water

Water is cheap, replacement filters, membranes, resin (which will all suffer much more if you put dirty saltwater through), electricity aren't

Hence my question whether you want to do because of the cost, or despite the cost

Reducing water demand in the first place is probably the more promising avenue

 

[PeterZammetti]

Hey @Randy Holmes-Farley and the rest of the gang!!! So I’ve been racking my head trying to figure out a way to re use old water. There may already be threads like this so feel free to tag me some of there are!!! But being in the hobby for a while running shops and finally starting my own, I’ve been trying to figure ways to be more sustainable. I’ve tried to find more research specifically about the Georgia aquarium filtration details/methods, since the re use 99.9% of water. Obviously a much larger scale than anything I would ever do, But it got me thinking is there a way to re-use aquarium water. Since I aquaculture corals my personal reef recipes include water changes once or twice a week for best results, as everyone knows that adds up in water after a while. Using a LSS(life support system, like the Georgia aquarium may be ineffective as I’ve read a lot about how those specific set up’s strip the water of most trace elements and such. But what if all the water I took out ran through a LSS that stripped it of everhthing and re added the trace with a product like neomarine kalibrate and re used the water? Would it work? Would it be a cost saver compared to the maintenance on the LSS? I’m not to familiar with ozone, and the LSS yet but would love to learn! Sorry for the rant hope anyone can help potential create an idea!! If it’s feasible or not!!

If you throw your waste water back into the ocean it will be completely reusable...muhahaha...your great great great grandkids will use it again in their tank!

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

Go coral only, nothing else. Manually scrape algae from everything. then scrub it off of rocks with a tooth brush. Dose nitrates as they are consumed to maintain desired level. Dose the big 3, dose trace elements. Never change water again???

 

[Dan_P]

Hey @Randy Holmes-Farley and the rest of the gang!!! So I’ve been racking my head trying to figure out a way to re use old water. There may already be threads like this so feel free to tag me some of there are!!! But being in the hobby for a while running shops and finally starting my own, I’ve been trying to figure ways to be more sustainable. I’ve tried to find more research specifically about the Georgia aquarium filtration details/methods, since the re use 99.9% of water. Obviously a much larger scale than anything I would ever do, But it got me thinking is there a way to re-use aquarium water. Since I aquaculture corals my personal reef recipes include water changes once or twice a week for best results, as everyone knows that adds up in water after a while. Using a LSS(life support system, like the Georgia aquarium may be ineffective as I’ve read a lot about how those specific set up’s strip the water of most trace elements and such. But what if all the water I took out ran through a LSS that stripped it of everhthing and re added the trace with a product like neomarine kalibrate and re used the water? Would it work? Would it be a cost saver compared to the maintenance on the LSS? I’m not to familiar with ozone, and the LSS yet but would love to learn! Sorry for the rant hope anyone can help potential create an idea!! If it’s feasible or not!!

I did not find the Georgia Aquarium‘s annual budget for water but did read that the 99.5% reuse saves them $0.15/gallon.

The other aspect of their closed loop system is lots of measurements per day, lots of automation and all habitats are on isolated loops. The breakpoint for such a system might not be reached on a small scale.

 

[MabuyaQ]

Hydroxide and sulfide precipitation could be used and/or running it through a RO system, but if either would be economically viable. Supporting the local waste water company to win back more resources for circular usage may be a better idea.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Hey @Randy Holmes-Farley and the rest of the gang!!! So I’ve been racking my head trying to figure out a way to re use old water. There may already be threads like this so feel free to tag me some of there are!!! But being in the hobby for a while running shops and finally starting my own, I’ve been trying to figure ways to be more sustainable. I’ve tried to find more research specifically about the Georgia aquarium filtration details/methods, since the re use 99.9% of water. Obviously a much larger scale than anything I would ever do, But it got me thinking is there a way to re-use aquarium water. Since I aquaculture corals my personal reef recipes include water changes once or twice a week for best results, as everyone knows that adds up in water after a while. Using a LSS(life support system, like the Georgia aquarium may be ineffective as I’ve read a lot about how those specific set up’s strip the water of most trace elements and such. But what if all the water I took out ran through a LSS that stripped it of everhthing and re added the trace with a product like neomarine kalibrate and re used the water? Would it work? Would it be a cost saver compared to the maintenance on the LSS? I’m not to familiar with ozone, and the LSS yet but would love to learn! Sorry for the rant hope anyone can help potential create an idea!! If it’s feasible or not!!

The assumption is you can remove solids and add back trace elements and get to natural seawater.

The problem is that tank water is often elevated in some elements and also gets a lot of organic matter. That is far harder to solve, and if you could, why not use that process on the tank itself?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Go coral only, nothing else. Manually scrape algae from everything. then scrub it off of rocks with a tooth brush. Dose nitrates as they are consumed to maintain desired level. Dose the big 3, dose trace elements. Never change water again???

What about accumulating trace elements? What about accumulating organics?

 

[taricha]

I did not find the Georgia Aquarium‘s annual budget for water but did read that the 99.5% reuse saves them $0.15/gallon.

The other aspect of their closed loop system is lots of measurements per day, lots of automation and all habitats are on isolated loops. The breakpoint for such a system might not be reached on a small scale.

I remember doing a behind the scenes tour of the GA aquarium, and it seems like there's almost as much space in pipes, tanks, reactors etc involved in the water treatment as there is in the displays.
Also most of their tanks are not live coral. Only a few, so the water parameter demands are less strenuous for, say belugas or penguins. Those are mostly focused on processing large amounts of waste.

 

[brightlifeaquaculture]

I did not find the Georgia Aquarium‘s annual budget for water but did read that the 99.5% reuse saves them $0.15/gallon.

The other aspect of their closed loop system is lots of measurements per day, lots of automation and all habitats are on isolated loops. The breakpoint for such a system might not be reached on a small scale.

Yep that’s what I was thinking probably have to have a million gallons or more to make it actually matter. I actually didn’t realize how cheap water is. Through the US. Well certain parts!

 

[brightlifeaquaculture]

The assumption is you can remove solids and add back trace elements and get to natural seawater.

The problem is that tank water is often elevated in some elements and also gets a lot of organic matter. That is far harder to solve, and if you could, why not use that process on the tank itself?

got it! I wasn’t sure if any methods like uv, ozone, sand filters etc. would strip that water to a bare minimum of most elements or if there was anything that would, to create the idea of revitalizing the old water. Thank you!

I remember doing a behind the scenes tour of the GA aquarium, and it seems like there's almost as much space in pipes, tanks, reactors etc involved in the water treatment as there is in the displays.
Also most of their tanks are not live coral. Only a few, so the water parameter demands are less strenuous for, say belugas or penguins. Those are mostly focused on processing large amounts of waste.

Yep I know there’s the one big coral tank but nothing else, and they have unlimited resources for those bad boys!!!

 

[brightlifeaquaculture]

If you throw your waste water back into the ocean it will be completely reusable...muhahaha...your great great great grandkids will use it again in their tank!

I may speed up rising sea levels lol I’m surrounded by the Great Lakes and not the oceans unfortunately!!

 

[brightlifeaquaculture]

Maybe my point didn't come across very well, but it was basically that it won't realistically be profitable to reclaim that water back to a clean slate, whether that is by rodi, di, distillation, or something else, compared to dumping it and making fresh rodi from tap water

Water is cheap, replacement filters, membranes, resin (which will all suffer much more if you put dirty saltwater through), electricity aren't

Hence my question whether you want to do because of the cost, or despite the cost

Reducing water demand in the first place is probably the more promising avenue

Yep understand, that was the biggest thing I overlooked was how cheap water is actually my state is roughly 2$ give or take for roughly 748 gallons which is crazy to think about!!! Maybe the idea can be put on a shelf or created until there’s a shortage and I can bring it back lol