Bog filter for aquarium

[lomeli562]

Has anyone ever considered building a bog filter for an aquarium? I was thinking using an overflow to feed it and having a pump send it back up or a pump in a sump to feed the bog filter then an overflow in the bog filter back to the sump. Can anyone think of any pros and cons for it? Any ways to improve it? All coments are apreciated

 

[Wy Renegade]

Has anyone ever considered building a bog filter for an aquarium? I was thinking using an overflow to feed it and having a pump send it back up or a pump in a sump to feed the bog filter then an overflow in the bog filter back to the sump. Can anyone think of any pros and cons for it? Any ways to improve it? All coments are apreciated

I think the hard part would be sitting this up so that water would flow back into the aquarium somehow once it had gone through the bog. It would almost be easier to sit this up in a single aquarium, with the bog behind the retaining wall, using the theory of a Reverse Flow undergravel filter. I have a few tanks set-up with a bog portion, but never considered actively pumping the water through the bog portion.

 

[Mebbid]

If I'm not mistaken, this would just be a refugium right?

Something like this

It's just a place to grow things away from the display tank. They are commonly done in salt water to grow macro algae that would otherwise be eaten in the display or overrun and kill the corals.

They aren't really done very often with fresh water, but the reasoning would be the same.

 

[Wy Renegade]

If I'm not mistaken, this would just be a refugium right?

Something like this

It's just a place to grow things away from the display tank. They are commonly done in salt water to grow macro algae that would otherwise be eaten in the display or overrun and kill the corals.

They aren't really done very often with fresh water, but the reasoning would be the same.

Similar to the idea of a refugium, but instead of a tank with water, a bog filter would run the water through a tank full of pea gravel, water saturated soil, and bog plants. Similar to this idea for ponds: 21. The Bog Garden

 

[lomeli562]

Similar to the idea of a refugium, but instead of a tank with water, a bog filter would run the water through a tank full of pea gravel, water saturated soil, and bog plants. Similar to this idea for ponds: 21. The Bog Garden

Exactly what i was thinking and maybe with a large enough plant you can reduce a couple nitrates and cut down on water changes a bit

 

[Mebbid]

I honestly think it would be more useful to go with a traditional refugium rather than the bog filter idea that Wy popped up. The gravel used in the bog filter would take a huge amount of space that could be used instead to increase the volume of the tank.

You could use a fast growing plant such as water sprite or anacharis to eat up the nitrates in the water. It would be a 1 - 2 punch by increasing the water volume and decreasing nitrates.

 

[lomeli562]

Hmm how would i go about building a refugium for fresh water? Ive seen it done for salt water tanks but only heard of it for fresh water

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[Mebbid]

You would do it the exact same way. Instead of the macro algae use some fast growing water column feeding plants like the anacharis or water sprite that I mentioned.

 

[lomeli562]

Okay thanks ill look into it maybe i can throw some pothos in there too

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[Wy Renegade]

I honestly think it would be more useful to go with a traditional refugium rather than the bog filter idea that Wy popped up. The gravel used in the bog filter would take a huge amount of space that could be used instead to increase the volume of the tank.

You could use a fast growing plant such as water sprite or anacharis to eat up the nitrates in the water. It would be a 1 - 2 punch by increasing the water volume and decreasing nitrates.

I agree that the traditional refugium is a much easier process and much more practical than the idea of a bog filter, however just for clarity, I would point out that the OP is the one who proposed the idea, I simply clarified what they were talking about.

The notion does have me thinking however how one could incorporate something similar into a none traditional tank, such as this one; http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f136/wy-renegades-40b-tiger-salamander-paludarium-332973.html While as you pointed out, the gravel in a bog filter would take up a huge amount of space in the traditional aquarium, in this aquarium that space is already being taken, this would just provide an opportunity for some additionally filtering as a result.

My apologies to the OP if I've taken your thread too far into left field, you post/thread simply got me thinking and scheming.

 

[lomeli562]

No go right ahead i love projects lol

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