Hiatt filtration system - My own test

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mlanda

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Feb 26, 2011
Messages
71
Location
Montreal, Canada
Hi to all,
As you know there is out there on the net a filtration system named Hiatt, that affirm that you always will have 0, 0, 0, 0 in all your readings, that his right now bacteria can stablished the aquarium (nitrogen cycle) in 24 hours and also that you will never need a protein skimmer if you follow the instructions.
I do my research and the people who said that it doesn't work they have never tried, so I do my test and here are the results:
My tank is a 33 SWFLR (my rock was dry when I buy it from aquariumsupplies.ca, so it was not live), I have 2 internal filters with the carbon from the Hiatt system, I have 2 550 gallons / hr koralia and almost 2 months old.
I have stocked: 3 fishes, 1 brittle star, 4 turbo snails and 1 cleaner shrimp.
See the pictures for my readings today (29-May-11) amazingly I never do a water change even at the end of my cycle.
If you have questions, just let me know.
I am not promoting the system, I am just confirming that works as they have said.
 

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Nop, I have 2 like this (150 gallons / hr) with foam an tri-base palletized carbon (majesticreefs.com), it is a bit high the price, but it works!! I just buy the TBPC and the right now bacteria.
As you can see the output of the water need to be a little bit out of the water, it makes a little bit of noise (like a waterfall) but you will get use to.
The water is crystal clear.
 

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hmmm does it have nitrate reducing media? i'd bet it does and with that you should be careful because the nitrates can be released back into the water columb and kill everything
 
No, I don't have any media to reduce any nitrates, it is just the carbon with the foam (the normal black one to catch the debris)
 
Not the carbon it seems like the combination, the carbon and the right now bacteria.
I run another test with my QT with another brand of bacteria, and I don't see the same result even in both aquariums I have the TBPC.
Try to read about that carbon in the net, they said that it have more space for the bacteria to grow than the other biological materials.
 
mr_X said:
so, if i'm reading correctly, using carbon deletes the necessity for water changes?

I don't think that it is like that.....but it sound very simple.
If it's like that, more people will know that and will apply to their systems.
 
they probably wouldn't if you go wit ha reef system, it requires a bit mroe work and alot of dosing of the system rather then a simple PWC that will replenish lost trace elements
 
It is 3 months for now, no change of water, readings 0...... 5 fishes for now, I will add a coral beauty at the end of this month... No skimmer also.
 

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I'm sorry but this just can't be good.... Pwc's do more than simply remove trates, it also replenishes trace elements in the water that coral/fish/bb use up, I can understand that the combo results in 0-0-0, but no matter the readings, that's still 3 month old water that hasn't been replenished...can't be good
 
remember huma, you can dose trace elements and calcium, iodine strontium.

there are those with well establised reef systems that do bi annual water changes and do small daily dosings, as there is the belief that doing water changes puts mroe stress on the system and takes out established bacteria from the water columb. so they rely on skimmers and natural filtration to keep their reef systems with low to no water polution, which is why those have DSBs and refugiums to pull all the organics from the water. some also say that the use of refugium mud grows a different type of forna and also replenishes lost trace elements
 
I mean I guess its possible, but I don't see the health and benefit in this hiatt system, and I completely understand now after your explaination:) but what I'm thinking is that this hiatt system can't possibly be healthy for a system if the owner doesn't dose with trace elements... I think this system could def be a benefit, but not in and of itself
 
I have never seen a reef tank that did little to no water changes that i actually liked the look of. there are many trace elements you can't dose for, or test for, for that matter.
keeping the water clean is simple with a small bio load.
 
indeed it is simple and once again the guy newyorksteelo on youtube hasn't done a PWC in a few month on his 90g, really i can't prove it only by what he says in his videos of his newly done system.

i would agree that its best to keep things low and do regular waterchanges even if its once a month for those large systems that would be incredibly hard and expensive to do them weekly
 
thats what i was thinking as well... i mean if someones running a 300-400g sw reef, hed be looking at 30-40g pwcs a week...thats a bucket of salt a month...crazy! and just imagine the ro water..thats 120g a month in ro water. . not including the run off the rodi creates
 
thats what i was thinking as well... i mean if someones running a 300-400g sw reef, hed be looking at 30-40g pwcs a week...thats a bucket of salt a month...crazy! and just imagine the ro water..thats 120g a month in ro water. . not including the run off the rodi creates

Logically I have to dose once every 2 weeks, for all the trace elements that they use, I always use Kent Marine Essential Elements.
Remember guys that this is a test that I am doing, I am not saying that this is the best way to have a SW aquarium, I am just verifying that all works fine and as they said.
I am going to add some light maintenance corals, but I will need to wait for maybe another 2 months.
I forget to put the last picture, but I have a lot of algae (purple) without using any other chemicals that they have as purple up.
The fishes and also the inverts that I have are doing great!!!

 
Here are the pics....
 

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