There are two mulms – “bad” one, and the “good” one.

If we have less surface area (and too much flow!) than needed for a given bioload HMF will clog and turn into plane sponge filter requiring often cleaning.
We will have too much “bad” mulm in it (almost not biodegraded, high lability).
The same as we have in a canister filter as nitrification byproduct - detritus.
As canister is not good place for heterotrophs, it accumulates quickly.
Too long without cleaning - and it will turn reductive.
In a HMF made good a lot of “good” mulm – almost totally biodegraded, low lability mulm (micronized). It has to stay there as long as possible.

As I say HMF have very active low labile mulm which works even better than mulm in a gravel.
Making good HMF you virtually getting one more substrate surface aria of you tank in filter (!), and this mulm in HMF works just like the most valuable part of it – top thing layer of mulm laying on substrate.
Even more, mulm in HMF is much more active – more flow, more oxygen, more organic food for “critters”.
It works just like an UGF but without those disaster after several months.

To do not clog HMF with large debris we need good prefilter. Than cleaning HMF virtually needn't.

Composting trimmings with Earthworms is great for Biodynamics experiment, but I can’t see any sense in it for a common tank as we have Earthworm castings.
We can make ferty steaks from this compost the same way as we do from earthworm castings – freezing it in 2ml syringes.
In 90-s some guy made an experiment with trimmings (see TheKrib).
As I remember he did not used proper mineralization methods or composting with eartworms.


naman

There's a lot of info about using Earthworm castings on the net for aquariums.
Several of us used it here in the Bay area back a few years ago.
I think many have opted to use ADA' AS in place of it.
Some of the folks that used it well where a group of Brazilian aquarists, mostly for CO2 enriched systems, not so much the non CO2 approach , but there's no reason it will not work well there either.

If you use a sump for the HMF, then adding a sock style prefilter with a 50 micron rating will help a great deal. On a smaller system, I used a simple coffee filter that gravity feed(just like a coffee machine) and prefiltered the sponge biomedia. Kept the tank spotless and was simple to use. Coffee filters are easy and cheap to use.
Coffee and the filters are good for compost as well.

Regards,
Tom Barr

As far as I know heterotrophs do not live for a long time in big quantities in a tank as they have not much optimal places to live in (mostly thing layer of mulm only). This is why it is recommended to put in an overstocked tank heterotrophic bacteria cultures regularly.

HMF is an excellent base for heterotrophs, so tank will have constant supply of them to mineralize silt in a tank, not only in a sump preventing build up of non mineralized organics ("bad mulm" as i say). This is very good.

Tom, what is the size of a bacteria?
Why they use mostly 200-300nm EstroSieves, not 50's ?

naman

Which bacteria are you referring too?

Regards,
Tom Barr

I might have the ideal organic aquarium fertilizer that I will actually produce.
I'll start another thread, but it will be the only liquid product available that's sustainable and organically produced.
Fits nicely into this idea and concept.



Regards,
Tom Barr

I am an aquatic ecololgist who is relatively new to planted aquariums, but the hightech approach has rubbed me the wrong way since I started. I guess one's stance on hightech depends on your basic objectives. If one is creating a miniature aquatic garden, then I guess hightech is fine. If one is trying to create a microcosm of a natural system, then the hightech approach is antithetical to your objectives.

I got my toes wet with high tech when I started DIY CO2 injection. I bought a 65w PC light fixture for my 28 gallon tank. I think I'm done. I am very conscious of the wasted water with 50% weekly water changes (we are just recovering from a historical drought). I'm aware of the energy use of many aquarium setups. I'm ready to explore any methods of reducing the ecological footprint of my aquarium.

- Incidently, living in a warmer climate, I am also very uncomfortable with the idea of introducing invasive species to local water ways. I wonder how many people in the planted tnak community also worry about invasive species and would be interested in exploring the use of local native species?

Nealf, you make good points on high tech aquariums as far as energy use and water waste. Personally, I'm planning on a big low tech tank as soon as I can save up the money and work out the many details, because it is appealing to me also -- mostly because I'm lazy, I suppose. Low maintenance is good for me timewise, and there are the added benefits of less waste.

However, the high tech tank environment is natural in some areas of the world, and we are just duplicating those environments. There are high light areas with CO2 springs and plenty of nutrients. If those areas did not exist, the plants we use in a high tech tank would not exist in their current form. So, I still see high tech tanks as natural. Some of the high tech plants are beautiful, and we will not be able to duplicate their look in our low tech tanks.

Well, you understand that folks have different goals, that's the 1st step with making the rest of the hobbyists more aware of the issue.

Way too many run off the deep end with high tecgh gardens and think that's best.
Much likie farmers who think more yeild is best.


If you have ever followed what I do and where I got and the photo's I post on natural systems, you'll see I'm very much on this side of the fence.

However, gardening is still something I like also.
My impact is low, the wastewater is used for landscape irrigation for the plants, compost and soil.

It is not "wasted", it is simply cycled to the next phase.

I'm developing an organic macro (low NH4) sustainable fert as well for the water column. Soil sediments make a lot of sense but you can mix a small amount and use the other methods I suggest within the Non CO2 approach.

If low in/out is the goal, then you cannot beat the non CO2 method approach.
It wins on most trade offs, and if you have the patience, it can also do very well with scaping.

I try not to be reactionary and put off by so called high tech approaches, each method and it's components should be objectively viewed and understood in practical terms as well as more in depth.

If you use a lot of water, find a post use for it.
I use 190 gallons per week or so and that all ends up on my yard and for my plants indoors. It also helps to humidify the dry air here inside.

The folks next door have their sprinkler on even if it rains
They dump lots of herbicides on it to keep weeds down, they are terrible.
They use at least 1000 gallons a week if not more. My Landlord is allowing me to redo some things to reduce the urban runoff and reuse water, as well as change out water hungry plants for natives that need much less water and look great year round.

ADA suggest doing 50% weekly water changes.
Amano does not suggest doing any other "no water change" methods.
where the water goes after you pour it down the drain(wastewater treatment and then it's often reused somewhere again) makes a big difference.

The composted liquid ferts I've seen are pretty good and I may make them from Azolla as I have some feed operations that are interested in using it for feed.
I'd like to feed/trade/sell to poultry farmers here.

We have some sustainable chicken farms not too far from here.
That + Azolla makes a great mix. Then it's mineralized to remove the NH4 and OM to very low levels and can be used for aquariums. Ideally, I can get them to invest in an aquatic plant farm to deal with their waste and water issues while providing them with a very high quality feed. They add a good deal of other aquatic weed suppression and a good source of PO4.

Cluck cluck, I like chicken
Of course I do not associate with any common "street chickens", only the organic sustainable raise birds that drink wine and discuss eye laying in coffee shops

Regards,
Tom Barr








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Heteros and nitrifying. Mayby they use 200-330nm sieve to do do not remove useful cultures attached to particulates in water column?

naman

Yes, I suppose, but given all the other material in there and the ultra fine filtering, that would get clogged rapidly.

However, you do not need to have pure bacterial sieving.
The particulates they are attached to are not detrimental, a food source and surface area for them to attach to. Thus the "mulm" itself would be fine to use.

You can dry out mulm from a filter sponge and use that.
It will rapidly recolonize and act as a well mineralized organic layer.

I suggested this back in the 1990's and really have not done much with it since about early 2000's.

Drying it out is a bit of work and you need to collect it etc, but if you have another aquarium that's established already, this step is really not needed, you can use the fresh mulm instead. All you need is some bacterial inoculum with a little organic matter(some reduced carbon) to keep them going.

Regards,
Tom Barr