View Full Version : SandBed Waste Technicians
wwest
07-06-2006, 12:44 AM
i have noticed lately i have some fish waste on my sandbed, is there any crab or something that cleans that up? or do i do it manual. i have done it manualy in the past.. thanks in advance.
fat walrus
07-06-2006, 12:58 AM
you have no shrimp or crabs?
wwest
07-06-2006, 01:00 AM
i have around 5 crabs, no shrimp yet i was going to get a skunk shrimp but i read they dont like iodine treatments and could kill them rather quickly.. which shrimp do you suggest?
fat walrus
07-06-2006, 01:06 AM
hey, if you are going to be killing skunk cleaners with iodine, don't you think there will be other problems in your tank? the skunk cleaner is a hardy as any other shrimp. other choices are coral banded shrimp, peppermint, or scarlett shrimp.
wwest
07-06-2006, 01:20 AM
thats just what i read and i didnt want to waste my money or kill a shrimp on finding out.
fat walrus
07-06-2006, 01:23 AM
don't worry about it. they'll be fine. they will be as hardy as everything else in your tank if you give it proper care.
u know this is always a lingering question which needs to be adressed or at least made aware of the pro's & cons because outcomes vary from the choices to make!
take west's case for example. he;s battling a breakout of Algae (which is fine & eventually controlable) which basicly means the levels havn';t stablised yet. the question remains on the best way to employ the means to battle problems like these with these situations.
does he A) deal with the problems he has now, then employ the clean up crews & the like to deal with any future issues.
or B) increase the bioload by introducing new additions to try to deal with the problem in the first place, & hopefuly u dont play a catch your own tail game?
these are relatively simple choices, we make them all the time, but the effects are more wide spread than we realise!
a shrimp is going to add to the load, not that u dont need them, they are great in the tanks. they do a role thats needed to the task at hand. but its transfering one form of nutrients into another, then another & so forth down the line, & at the end of the day u still have that one extra bioload step that u didnt have before!.which is contributing to the problem in wests case in the first place! does this make sence u guys, im just wondering if im making any sence today...lol
fat walrus
07-06-2006, 02:24 AM
so then the choices would seem to be:
A) think it over, ponder some more, ask more people, procrastinate....do more research, find reasons to disprove every theory thus far....
B) do something
veriann, well put.......that post made us think.
wwest
07-06-2006, 08:35 AM
how big of a diference would one shrimp make in the bioload? and if my bioload is full right now wouldnt a shrimp help take the bioload down some?
ZeroKoolNYC
07-06-2006, 08:47 AM
Just curious but maybe you could install a Fluidized Bed Filter on your aquarium that would add more area for the bacteria to grow increase the bioload of your tank. It's used in many public aquariums and I have it setup on my aquarium and it works wonderfully.
Input = output + 1
energy is converted through hierachial progression plus toxin excression per body!
so a fish eats(input)> released as waste(output)>same bio mass!plus toxin body flush from the act of processing & converting energy in the form a fish can use!
the cycle continues down the line!
one shrimp wouldn't increase the bio load greatly. but i was refering to any magnifacation effects that happen down the line on a water chemistry
wwest
07-06-2006, 09:16 AM
ok that makes sence... i am thinking about bringing the damsel in here to work. and the firefish i have are on load (friends 20 gal crashed) so im not sure yet if i am keeping them or not. lol thanks for the help everyone..
Just curious but maybe you could install a Fluidized Bed Filter on your aquarium that would add more area for the bacteria to grow increase the bioload of your tank. It's used in many public aquariums and I have it setup on my aquarium and it works wonderfully.
zero to be honest i have not had alot of experience with these beds first hand. im glad u find them an asset in your system though!
i could never quite grasp the whole concept though. the unit rocks from side to side on these units (yes?) with constant water flow through the unit! with your sand partical in constant friction mode, im assuming how only the most resilant bacteria could survive that 24/7 without getting rubbed out of existance!
also would the ph be heigher in these beds?
well for starters, shrimp and most all crustaceans need iodine. any iodine in levels that would kill them would also kill many other things and is a sure sign you are over dosing. so i wouldn't worry about that.
and for the bio-load. while they do technically add to the bio-mass in the tank, they are up taking waste and foods, that would other wise decompose causing other issues. they are converted to things that can be better processed by the system. this in short is the whole point of the clean up crew.
i would also agree with the recommendation cleaner shrimp, peppermint shrimp, also saron shrimp. coral banded are good, but occasionally can get big and aggressive.. just something to keep in mind
wwest
07-06-2006, 10:30 AM
ok, i cant remember exactly what i read i just remember it saying that "iodine treatment" i was assuming they ment just treatment. not iodine in general
but i will take the experts words for it :)
it might have indicated an iodine dip as "iodine treatement", which is somethign that is used on some coral and fish to help with infections
wwest
07-06-2006, 10:39 AM
oh ok,
I think im going with a peppermint thanks again everyone.:)
fat walrus
07-06-2006, 09:21 PM
zero to be honest i have not had alot of experience with these beds first hand. im glad u find them an asset in your system though!
i could never quite grasp the whole concept though. the unit rocks from side to side on these units (yes?) with constant water flow through the unit! with your sand partical in constant friction mode, im assuming how only the most resilant bacteria could survive that 24/7 without getting rubbed out of existance!
also would the ph be heigher in these beds?
no rocking from side to side. tiny glass beads are kept suspended in the water column by massive waterflow traveling upwards. the tiny glass beads are always in motion exposing its entire surface area for bacteria action. the idea was that this would provide the greatest surface area and the media is self-cleaning. this type of filter was thought to keep a very large colony of young and hungrey bacteria so that the filter can react very quickly to bio-load changes. the problem with the filter is that all the bacteria is raised in an evironment that is very oxygen-rich, and a power loss would allow very limited time for the filter to survive if the bead column collapses.
that was a great post...informative, straight to the point, great problematic discription with a hint of garlic!
thanks blubber. im sure ive seen the long rectangle vessile swinging from side to side though. might have been in the novilty shop!;)
ether that or a medieval contraption from the 80's
fat walrus
07-07-2006, 02:39 AM
there are also fluidized bed filters for ponds. because freshwater allows for less bouyancy, the tiny glass beads have been replaced by plastic BBs.
didn't i already give ur BB's & crude projectile thingy the other night?
Amphibious
07-07-2006, 05:46 AM
v,
im sure ive seen the long rectangle vessile swinging from side to side though.
I think u be thinking of a filter gadget called the Bio-rocker. Not familiar with it at all. Just remember the name. I don't think it gained any positive following.
could be Amp, in all seriousness ive seen it & do remember it was for marine. it filled with water rocked from side to side sloshing the water back & forth over the media, then dump & fill all over again! for the life of me i assumed its was a fluid bed cause thats what it looked like! but a bio rockerseems to fit the bill!
yep, you've seen them
its a type of wet/dry filter..
here is a link to one
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=8178&N=2004+22778
and a pic
http://a1272.g.akamai.net/7/1272/1121/20051126000926/www.drsfostersmith.com/images/Categoryimages/normal/p_12135_17725D.jpg
thanks rob>>>2 part additive thanks, a) for proving im not crazy, & b)for doing some extra leg work to bring it here for all to see!
Amphibious
07-07-2006, 06:39 PM
thanks rob>>>2 part additive thanks, a) for proving im not crazy, & b)for doing some extra leg work to bring it here for all to see!That's why Rob's da man in charge here. He gets the necessary information to clarify our faded or clouded memory of things useful and useless. :rotfl:
yeah:yawn: :yum: :eat: :cheers: u feed us all the good stuff!
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