DIY "Anoxic Filtration System" eliminates nitrates? Anyone tried this?

[Pices]

Give it an go and hope success for you. Check out Salty Sphynx and Shaun's Fish Tank on youtube.com on their Anoxic Filtration System. Their's tanks are just amazing with 100% usage.

Has Salty Sphinx done any You Tube updates since May? I’m wondering if she’s still using them. I sent a PM but haven’t heard back.
Patty

[valp]

Yes she did a youtube update in august and in october.

[Pices]

Yes she did a youtube update in august and in october.

I’ll look again thanks.

[Gramps]

Made up 3 smaller baskets earlier. There was room under my pre-filter chamber, so decided to fill it up. Was a close call when my cat Mojo came to inspect. I thought she was gonna take a pee on them....

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Oh heck, that shouldnt be a problem, I reckon thats kinda what it's for in the long run. My cats were always fascinated with my Discus. Kitty Kitty drank daily from the OB filter discharge, and supervised WCs.

New here. Not new to Discus. I kept them for years back in the other millenium. My daughter just took the plunge and purchased a batch. I had no influence in her decision, but fortunately she let her intentions slip one day when I was sniffing her community tank. I was able to slow her down, and get her ducks, er.... discus .... in a row. Thankfully, she's good about water changes, and is already equipped and experienced with test sets, and all the other aquarium keeping rigamarole.

Although I've been in "re-fishion" (remission) for many years, after some catch-up here, the jones is already pulling strong again. I'm hoping to mentor her new found interest, but keep my hands dry. (yeah sure, old man). I've been riveted by this thread in particular, and reviewed it in it's entirety.

I wont have much but tired old dogma to offer, except this one tidbit. There seemed to be some discus-sion about the availability of clay litter. Seemingly the un-adultered version is scarce in the pet world. Prior to it's re purposing as a feline toity in the modern era, it was known as "oil sorb" and most garages in town had a 40 gallon cardboard drum of it.

Now I cant speak to it's immediate suitability as a media, but it doesnt have foofoo, or clumpling properties. Notably the grind was a bit coarser than your Fancy Feast varieties, but maybe .... ?

Gramps

[valp]

Hi, @Mogens Bang Olesen
hope you have mistyped the cost of the kitty litter, since 550 US$ are big money. Anyway I've found that alternatives to the walmart kitty litter are widespread available, at least in Italy. Look at mankysanke site (msg 1 of this thread)
You will find, there is a litter named "sophisticat" as alternative to the walmart kitty litter. I made some investigations and I've found that this product is made of a kind of clay named "sepiolite".
After that I found that lots of producer use this kind of clay. Maybe also in your country you shoud find similar products.
Your kitty litter was dissolving in a mush ? very strange, maybe a defective stock ? I tried yesterdy whith the "Sanicat classic" which is the italian brand name of the sophisticat litter and it stay granular.
Bcb's sizes in my opinion are crucial for anoxic filtration system. In little ones the anoxic zone is very narrow or neglected at all, in bigger bcb's, anoxic zone should be predominant. Dr. Novak state that the bigger is the basket the stronger is the attraction of ions inside it. For this reason is surprising for me to see that Dr. Novak in some of his video uses bcb's so little as 4". If you exclude the outer 1" or 1" and half (which is not oxigen depleted, as Dr. Novak says) the remaining anoxic zone which dimension can achive ?very little I think.
I'm planning to test my 500 lt new aquarium + sump, with 4 bcb of about 11x11x7 " (28x28x18cm)"

[farebox]

Happy Thanksgiving to all....https://youtu.be/hUCnsfzQChk

[Mogens Bang Olesen]

The price was 3,98 $ x 4 + the price of shipment to denmark ca. 530 $. Crasy, anyhow it was possible to burn the 4 bags. and I have made it to BCB baskets sice 20x20x20 cm. And to the small sump 20x20x10 cm.
I think too that the size of the BCB is very crucial. and the relation between tank size and the amount of BCB is crucial too.
I can see that my fish is getting more and more healthy and colourfull day by day. The new size and amount was implemented in my sumps about about 20 days ago so im waiting to see it on the ppm of the no3.
thankyou for your answer.

[valp]

The price was 3,98 $ x 4 + the price of shipment to denmark ca. 530 $. Crasy, anyhow it was possible to burn the 4 bags. and I have made it to BCB baskets sice 20x20x20 cm. And to the small sump 20x20x10 cm.
I think too that the size of the BCB is very crucial. and the relation between tank size and the amount of BCB is crucial too.
I can see that my fish is getting more and more healthy and colourfull day by day. The new size and amount was implemented in my sumps about about 20 days ago so im waiting to see it on the ppm of the no3.
thankyou for your answer.

550$ Ouch! I'm curious about how you have burned your clay........ and if you have tested the burned clay against dissolution after a long time.

[Mogens Bang Olesen]

I made a foundation with a recess in the middle by stacking some stones. Then I took a smaller steel container diameter 12 cm height 8 cm and placed it on top of the hole. Then I took two gas burners to weed and put under the steel container. Cat litter in the container and burned it for 20 minutes.
When it is burnt it cooled down in water and it is fine there is almost no dust in the rinsing water.
The first burned BCB's I have had in the swamps for over 100 days, so I can guarantee that it will not dissolve again. Roasted pottery did not go into solution either. I had some roasted cat litter in a glass standing for testing for 2 weeks before I started.

I have supplemented both my sumps d: 16-11-2018 and since has the tanks and fish improved: The water are getting clearer, the algae is getting less. And my fish more colorful. And they are standing by the front glass looking soo happy.

Its a joy, Im so happy I went on with the anoxic adventure. Thanks Dr. Novac, Shaun, Salty.

[valp]

I made a foundation with a recess in the middle by stacking some stones. Then I took a smaller steel container diameter 12 cm height 8 cm and placed it on top of the hole. Then I took two gas burners to weed and put under the steel container. Cat litter in the container and burned it for 20 minutes.
When it is burnt it cooled down in water and it is fine there is almost no dust in the rinsing water.
The first burned BCB's I have had in the swamps for over 100 days, so I can guarantee that it will not dissolve again. Roasted pottery did not go into solution either. I had some roasted cat litter in a glass standing for testing for 2 weeks before I started.

I have supplemented both my sumps d: 16-11-2018 and since has the tanks and fish improved: The water are getting clearer, the algae is getting less. And my fish more colorful. And they are standing by the front glass looking soo happy.

Its a joy, Im so happy I went on with the anoxic adventure. Thanks Dr. Novac, Shaun, Salty.

Ok so probably temp reached at least 700°C. I'm curious about because sepiolite (the main mineral of which litter is probably made) has a very complex structure in which water molecules take part.
Chemically sepiolite is an hydrate clay Mg4Si6O15(OH)2 · 6H2O.
Buning above 100°C will remove the cristalization water (last 6 water molecules) whithout deeply altering cristalline structure; clay is able to recover those water molecules as soon as you put clay in water again.
Burning at temp so high as that of a gas flame, can probably remove even the inner water molecules and I fear that this cannot be done without permanently alter the clay cristalline structure. So I wonder if after this treatement clay is able to mantain its prerogativs (ie ability to capture NH4+ cations).
So keep going your experiments and let us know if your burned clay can get rid of nitrates anyway. In my opinion, if your method works and do not compromise the main function of the kitty litter, it will be a must since permeability should remain constant along time so bcb's will last longer without maintenance.

[Mogens Bang Olesen]

Hi again
After I burned it the cat litter was quickly refrigerated in water. Therefore, I have the presumption that the evaporated H2O is reestablished. I hope. Otherwise I must try with the cat litter you talked about that can be bought in Italy.
Otherwise, I can see the fish getting better day by day. I hope the best, there are many days ( i think 45 to 65 ) to the anoxic process to be completely underway. I hope and it looks good.

[Paul Sabucchi]

I am also very interested in this novel approach, definitely a new twist on the old BCBs! As Valp mentioned here in Italy we seem to have foubd a few different brands of clay based kitty litter. The one I put 8 months ago in the pond baskets is holding up just fine. Should you require any more I am sure shipping a few bags from Italy should be a lot less expensive. Nonetheless I think that when the time comes to swap media in my discus tank I will probably try Biohome Ultra first

[valp]

What I was supposing in my previous message has found a first confirmation on some scientific papers. This is what I've found about change in cristalline structure of sepiolite clay after burning.
Clay structure is modified. Cristalization water is expelled from structure, and if burning temperature is at least 300°C, also the water inner molecules are lost. At this point probably cristalline structure is permanently modified and cannot recover even if clay is put again in water. Open channels inside the clay are a little narrowed, and original structure undergoes a kind of bending. Anyway, in my opinion, the negatives charges around oxigen's atoms (ie all around open channels) are increased so I suppose that the pull strenght toward NH4+ of the burned clay should be even greater than that of the normal one.
P.S.
Sepiolite clay is widely used as oil absorber in industry and is little expensive.

[Paul Sabucchi]

Thank you for the very thorough research and explanation!

[MickO'S]

Wow Mogens that’s some commitment to a cause !!!!!
I’m really looking forward to this thread moving forward with your aquarium!

I bet there will be great things to come !

Mick 👍