chavez720
04-29-2004, 02:24 PM
Well my planted tank days are over. The 3" discus never grew to full potential so I decided that BB was the way to go. I still wanted the benefits of plants and there ability to remove Nitrate. So I built a FW Plant Refugium. I designed the overflow to be spit between the Bio tower and the Refugium. My idea is to reduce water changes, keep to a heavy feeding schedule, and to maintain Nitrate low (< 5ppm).
Tank 220g Acrylic (72X24X30). For daytime nitrate removal I use Java Fern sp. in the tank.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid114/pbcff62f51f2e617f44127dd6ac842bc7/f8d7be9d.jpg
Filter System during installation
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid112/p7d2325122b07643d99d7e73c2686e755/f8ffe4f7.jpg
The bottom container is the Bio-tower
The left container is the mechanical sump
The right container is the FW Refugium
The plants sit on a ledge about 6" off the bottom. This is so I can vacumm up all the detritus or dead leaves that fall to the bottom of that tank. All plants are potted and the substrate is Flourite (Inert substrate). I can cut off the flow to the refugium so I can use any medication or salt if needed in the main tank with out harming the plants.
Here is the FW refugium
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid114/pdfa05bc5324bfdd8a94528193b0defec/f8d7be8b.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid114/p09d5996375fef3af3f806bb836a56d1d/f8d7be79.jpg
I run the refugium reverse daylight of the main tank. So the lights are on at night and the main tank lights are run during the day time. I hope that this reduces the PH shifts from day and night. Plus I have the plants in the main tank removing the nitrate during the day and the refugium at night. A simple 55 watt PCF fixture is all the light running on the refugium. I hope to encourage more emergent growth so that I can remove as much nitrate as possible. The plants are Crypts, Micro-swords, and Barclaya. An added benefit is that I want to flower all these species of plants, something you just can not do with submerged plants. The reason I choose these plants were for the low light requirement and ease of maintenance.
I will monitor over the next few weeks Ph - Night vs Day, Nitrate Level, and Phosphate Level.
As a side note I have already begun to see some prespawn rituals from some of the discus in the tank. Maybe just coincidence? Who knows.
Tank 220g Acrylic (72X24X30). For daytime nitrate removal I use Java Fern sp. in the tank.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid114/pbcff62f51f2e617f44127dd6ac842bc7/f8d7be9d.jpg
Filter System during installation
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid112/p7d2325122b07643d99d7e73c2686e755/f8ffe4f7.jpg
The bottom container is the Bio-tower
The left container is the mechanical sump
The right container is the FW Refugium
The plants sit on a ledge about 6" off the bottom. This is so I can vacumm up all the detritus or dead leaves that fall to the bottom of that tank. All plants are potted and the substrate is Flourite (Inert substrate). I can cut off the flow to the refugium so I can use any medication or salt if needed in the main tank with out harming the plants.
Here is the FW refugium
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid114/pdfa05bc5324bfdd8a94528193b0defec/f8d7be8b.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid114/p09d5996375fef3af3f806bb836a56d1d/f8d7be79.jpg
I run the refugium reverse daylight of the main tank. So the lights are on at night and the main tank lights are run during the day time. I hope that this reduces the PH shifts from day and night. Plus I have the plants in the main tank removing the nitrate during the day and the refugium at night. A simple 55 watt PCF fixture is all the light running on the refugium. I hope to encourage more emergent growth so that I can remove as much nitrate as possible. The plants are Crypts, Micro-swords, and Barclaya. An added benefit is that I want to flower all these species of plants, something you just can not do with submerged plants. The reason I choose these plants were for the low light requirement and ease of maintenance.
I will monitor over the next few weeks Ph - Night vs Day, Nitrate Level, and Phosphate Level.
As a side note I have already begun to see some prespawn rituals from some of the discus in the tank. Maybe just coincidence? Who knows.