An idea to reduce nitrates

[ginty]

Algae scrubber

Do you guys think i could put a water pump in my tank, pump water into a container outside my tank. Divide the container in 2 with a roughed up piece of sewing mesh. Put another pump inside the container on the opposite side of the sewing mesh of where the tank water is flowing in to, and put the outlet pipe back into the tank? On the side of the sewing mesh where the tank water is first entering i will have lighting so that algae grows.

What do you think? Are standard cheap water pumps powerful enough for this?

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Mebbid]

That sounds like too much work. You can take a half of a plastic box and attach it to the side of your tank with suction cups. Put some plastic canvas inside and run an air stone into it. Add light to the outside of your tank.

 

[Mebbid]

Also, the pumps will never equalize so you will overflow it or run a pump dry. Probably the prior.

If you want to set this up outside your tank you will need to look into making a refugium then you can set it up in there.

 

[ginty]

That sounds like too much work. You can take a half of a plastic box and attach it to the side of your tank with suction cups. Put some plastic canvas inside and run an air stone into it. Add light to the outside of your tank.

Ideally i didnt want it inside the tank because i only have two views into my tanks and thats the face and one side. I can only have the lamp on the side and thats where i sit on my sofa watching my fish, so that will block my view.

What i was thinking is, couldnt i get a reasonably deep container, i was going to half fill it with one pump and when its half full turn on the other pump on. I was going to buy two of the same pumps so they work equally

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Mebbid]

Ideally i didnt want it inside the tank because i only have two views into my tanks and thats the face and one side. I can only have the lamp on the side and thats where i sit on my sofa watching my fish, so that will block my view.

What i was thinking is, couldnt i get a reasonably deep container, i was going to half fill it with one pump and when its half full turn on the other pump on. I was going to buy two of the same pumps so they work equally

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

The problem is that no 2 pumps will ever pump the same amount of water. Height also changes the flow of water.

 

[Mebbid]

Another option you could try is to hang a window planter over the tank and drill a hole in the bottom using a window planter and running a piece of pvc up to the level you want your water to be in the planter and then pvc directing the water back into your tank.

 

[ginty]

Another option you could try is to hang a window planter over the tank and drill a hole in the bottom using a window planter and running a piece of pvc up to the level you want your water to be in the planter and then pvc directing the water back into your tank.

Do you mean like this idea?
Im thinking of something like this because one 2nd thoughts i dont want to risk leakage. If one of the pumps break when im not home i could be in trouble.
HOW TO: Overhead aquarium sump filter: http://youtu.be/YFcioRUCa6c


Here are pics of my setup. Any suggestions as your advice is very helpful.
I need a decent way to get water from my tank to the plant box. Do i use a powerhead? If so do you know anyone good but reasonable makes?

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Mebbid]

That video is exactly what I had in mind when I suggested that to you. But you really need to get away from the 2 pumps idea. you can't run 2 pumps expecting one to pull the water out and another to push the water into the same container. The only way to reliably take water out of a display and return it into a tank is with an overflow. The only other option is to make a completely closed circuit like a canister filter and even that requires a single pump.

No two pumps will have the exact same amount of water output no matter if they are the same brand or not. Even 1 cup of flow difference per hour is a potentially disastrous difference.

 

[BBradbury]

Reducing Nitrates

Hello gin...

An easy way of reducing nitrates is to use Chinese evergreen in the tank. Attached is a pic of the plant emersed in the tank water. The plant roots remove all forms of nitrogen from the water. The tank isn't very pretty, but the system works, the fish live in nitrogen free water.

B

 

[ginty]

That video is exactly what I had in mind when I suggested that to you. But you really need to get away from the 2 pumps idea. you can't run 2 pumps expecting one to pull the water out and another to push the water into the same container. The only way to reliably take water out of a display and return it into a tank is with an overflow. The only other option is to make a completely closed circuit like a canister filter and even that requires a single pump.

No two pumps will have the exact same amount of water output no matter if they are the same brand or not. Even 1 cup of flow difference per hour is a potentially disastrous difference.

Ive forgot about the two pump idea. Thanks.
I think im going to copy the idea in the youtube video. Pump water into a window planter. Make an overflow pipe that runs direct to the tank. Put some sewing mesh in middle with a light on it. So the algae can grow.

What do you think?

Could you suggest a good power head .

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Aquarium Advice mobile app