First of all, a little primer on fish tanks. They are an ecosystem creating a nitrogen cycle. The fish eat food and expel nitrogen and feces which decompose and create more nitrogen. There are two types of bacteria that live in a healthy fish tank that convert the nitrogen first to nitrites and then to nitrates. Too much nitrogen or nitrite in the water will kill fish.
The filter in most fish tanks does a little bit of mechanical filtering, but it's primary purpose is to house the bacteria that is essential for the nitrogen cycle. Thus if you thoroughly wash your filter every week because your water is getting cloudy, then you are in a constant wash cycle and are not getting your fish tank where it needs to be for your fish to be healthy.
You can read more here:
http://www.diyaquaponics.info/bacteria.html
http://fins.actwin.com/mirror/begin-cycling.html
http://www.algone.com/articles/aquarium-filtration/nitrogen-cycle
Nitrates are readily absorbed by plants for their nutrient uptake. This is the lynch pin in making aquaponics a self sustaining ecosystem.
I started my aquaponics tanks using clear ammonia and putting some extra operational filters from my indoor fish tanks into the aquaponics tanks (for bacteria transfer).
No comments:
Post a Comment