I want what you guys do in freshwater!

[W1ngz]

The thing is that Malawi Cichlids need a high pH. So if he is doing CO2 it's going to reduce the pH. That pH range (and water hardness) is also why many FW plants will struggle.

^And this is one big reason I jumped from Brackish to full Marine. Many more plant/algae options available.

This is why I fled freshwater... lol
It would be a balancing act then of CO2 for the carefully selected plants, and the right buffer and substrate to keep the pH up.

 

[Dvt81]

Whe

What would you be using instead of a skimmer? Purigen? You would need micron filtration IMO to remove bacteria without a skimmer. But even then, the bacteria could breakdown once it enters the filter and that breakdown would reenter the water column. The thing about Skimmers is that they are constantly removing bacteria: there is no way for the bacteria to reenter the water once it's removed (it's bubbled out into a separate container).

When you micron filtration would this be as in filter socks? I have a set of 4 in a pyramid system going from 200 down to 50 where one channels into the next and so on... The reactors would Feed off the return line and back into the bio chamber... Would 50 micron remove the elements created by dosing?

 

[Dvt81]

The best way to manage algae, is to have a balanced tank. Algae is generally due to too many nutrients or too much light or a combination of both. Consistent 50% water changes will provide far more benefit, than carbon or purigen.
If you have a sump I would dispense with a hang on refugium, and grow stem plants directly in the sump.

I believe my fish eat alot and therefore poop alot... But I love and i haven't had a death in 7 or 8 months however I'm getting a yellow tinge and algae in the tank which I'm believing is phosphates as nothing else has changed in the system.. my nitrates are always high around 40ppm which is why id like to dose to drop that and give them a better life.

 

[Dvt81]

The best way to manage algae, is to have a balanced tank. Algae is generally due to too many nutrients or too much light or a combination of both. Consistent 50% water changes will provide far more benefit, than carbon or purigen.
If you have a sump I would dispense with a hang on refugium, and grow stem plants directly in the sump.

I can feed plants directly into sump... Worried roots bursting the silicone at some point is my only issue

 

[mrpizzaface]

The best way to manage algae, is to have a balanced tank. Algae is generally due to too many nutrients or too much light or a combination of both. Consistent 50% water changes will provide far more benefit, than carbon or purigen.
If you have a sump I would dispense with a hang on refugium, and grow stem plants directly in the sump.

Fwiw I have about twenty freshwater setups in my basement. They are all breeding or grow out setups. Largest tank is a 40 breeder. I provide two 50% changes on each tank twice a week. Water changes are so easy with freshwater. I imagine this will be an overstocked Malawi tank (to curb aggression). I have a hard time seeing you get by without at least 1 50% water change a week.

 

[Dvt81]

Fwiw I have about twenty freshwater setups in my basement. They are all breeding or grow out setups. Largest tank is a 40 breeder. I provide two 50% changes on each tank twice a week. Water changes are so easy with freshwater. I imagine this will be an overstocked Malawi tank (to curb aggression). I have a hard time seeing you get by without at least 1 50% water change a week.

There is a guy halfcichlid half man on YouTube that does zero water changes but he also has a " forest" attached to the tank acting as his filter

 

[W1ngz]

I believe my fish eat alot and therefore poop alot...

Fish poo is plant food. The solution to balancing food in and plant uptake is to limit the food or the number of fish, or increase the vegetation.

Worried roots bursting the silicone

I've never heard of this being an issue for anyone.

 

[Waterislife]

I'm not sure where you're getting your information from but that's way Overkill I bread Africans for years and basically goodcleanwater a little bit of buffer African buffer do your water changes and don't over feed the fish and you're fine

 

[mrpizzaface]

I can feed plants directly into sump... Worried roots bursting the silicone at some point is my only issue

What kind of sump do you have? I have a hard time seeing plant roots break the seams. You could put the plants in terra-cotta pots if the seams breaking is a real potential issue.

 

[Hermie]

Whe

When you micron filtration would this be as in filter socks? I have a set of 4 in a pyramid system going from 200 down to 50 where one channels into the next and so on... The reactors would Feed off the return line and back into the bio chamber... Would 50 micron remove the elements created by dosing?

No I am talking like 2 micron or smaller, such as diatomaceous earth filters
like these:

Aquarium Filter | Vortex Innerspace Products Inc.

Bacteria are from 0.2 to 10 microns from what I just googled, so a 50 micron sock will not remove "all" bacteria, however it could remove some certainly.

I believe my fish eat alot and therefore poop alot... But I love and i haven't had a death in 7 or 8 months however I'm getting a yellow tinge and algae in the tank which I'm believing is phosphates as nothing else has changed in the system.. my nitrates are always high around 40ppm which is why id like to dose to drop that and give them a better life.

How much activated carbon have you used on your current system? I would think that would solve yellow tinge and removing some organics.

 

[Dvt81]

No I am talking like 2 micron or smaller, such as diatomaceous earth filters
like these:

Aquarium Filter | Vortex Innerspace Products Inc.

Bacteria are from 0.2 to 10 microns from what I just googled, so a 50 micron sock will not remove "all" bacteria, however it could remove some certainly.




How much activated carbon have you used on your current system? I would think that would solve yellow tinge and removing some organics.

So a 2 micron sock would remove alot of the bacteria that a skimmer does in SW? So I can dose vodka/ vinegar?

 

[Dvt81]

I'm not sure where you're getting your information from but that's way Overkill I bread Africans for years and basically goodcleanwater a little bit of buffer African buffer do your water changes and don't over feed the fish and you're fine

I am overkill but I don't do anything the easy way. Purigen in a bag sitting in the corner of the sump is what most guys do but that isn't me. I've got an fx4 and a sunsun canister on my 75g just now... 1 as mechanical and bio the other as a little mechanical, into little bio then rest is chemical. That's what's worked for me past 12 months the best but I want to break all these sections up and have reactors etc. I enjoy seeing the purigen bouncing up and down...rowaphos tumbling away etc.

 

[doodledreads]

While I respect your ambition, at this point, why not just do a saltwater tank? Trust me, its more challenging and more fun. I am a convert from FW tanks.

May be try a algae scrubber as your filtration? It would work as a filter and also can increase your PH.

 

[Dvt81]

While I respect your ambition, at this point, why not just do a saltwater tank? Trust me, its more challenging and more fun. I am a convert from FW tanks.

May be try a algae scrubber as your filtration? It would work as a filter and also can increase your PH.

I love my fish. It's that simple. I initially wanted goldfish but after seeing similar shapes in Malawi's i opted for them. Algae scrubbers are very expensive. I contacted a company based in the US and was told I'd need 3 of them for my aquarium at 400.00 pounds each.

Maybe the hang on in the sump ref might do the trick

 

[Hermie]

So a 2 micron sock would remove alot of the bacteria that a skimmer does in SW? So I can dose vodka/ vinegar?

well...

1. good luck finding a 2 micron sock, and
2. it would clog extremely fast from things larger than 2 micron

I am not an expert on vodka/vinegar dosing, but my advice would be to just increase your purigen reactors size/numbers instead of cultivating/exporting a bacterial population. I just don't see how you would export the bacteria efficiently in freshwater.

If you really want to go the sock route, I suppose you could have it at the bottom of your pyramid of socks, but you'd have to know the species of bacteria you are exporting so you can know their size. I mean seriously this takes a lot of scientific work. You would need to get a microscope and a graduate degree in bacteria.

Vodka/vinegar dosing is something that tons of Saltwater aquarists do not do and they have super successful tanks. So it's kind of like you are trying to do something that is not even universally accepted in the saltwater domain.

 

[Hermie]

Maybe try designing an anoxic/anaerobic bacterial filter. That is something that does work in freshwater and it's a challenge to do correctly.

 

[Hemmdog]

KISS

 

[ReefingBliss]

Man I have keep Chiclids for years about 17 on and off steady for the last 10. All I ever use are HOB filters and water changes EO week. My tank always looks great you are going way overboard.

 

[mrpizzaface]

If you want tumbling media get a few Ziss filters and add them to the sump.
With a heavily stocked Malawi tank, I don’t think there is anything you can add (equipment and chemical) that will replace the need for large and frequent water changes.

 

[Dvt81]

If you want tumbling media get a few Ziss filters and add them to the sump.
With a heavily stocked Malawi tank, I don’t think there is anything you can add (equipment and chemical) that will replace the need for large and frequent water changes.

They are the same principle as k1 media? I already have a chamber for k1 media.