1) What are
the basic main types of aquarium filtration?
2) What are types of tiny marine crustaceans
found in our aquarium?
3) What is a Berlin system?
4) What is a Deep Sand Bed?
5) What Is A Refugium?
6) What is cycling of tank?
7) What is Live Rocks?
1) What are the basic main
types of aquarium filtration?
Types of Aquarium filtration to be employ for your aquarium
system can seem overwhelming some time when you look at
all the filter types available. Many filters claim to
be all-purpose solutions, capable of keeping your tank
in perfect health and working order by themselves. However,
the three basic types of filtration used in aquariums
are still mainly make up of biological, chemical and Mechanical
filtration.
Biological Filtration uses nature to
keep your aquarium clean and healthy. There are two types
of biological filtration. These two types are known as
aerobic (nitrifying) filtration and anaerobic (de-nitrifying)
filtration. Both of these types of filters work by cultivating
bacteria or algae which convert the toxic nitrogenous
waste of aquatic animals into less harmful nitrogen compounds.
These compounds may be gases that naturally escape into
the air or liquids that can be removed by doing periodic
partial water changes. Examples of aerobic biological
filters you can buy are under gravel filters, wet/dry
or trickle filters, and fluidized bed filters.
You may have seen the term "cycling" while reading
about aquarium keeping. The nitrogen cycle is a natural
process that takes place in any body of water. When organic
waste - excess food, fish poop, dead fish, etc - decomposes,
it produces toxic ammonia, deadly to aquatic life. Bacteria
convert ammonia to nitrite, then nitrate (also harmful
when it builds to high levels).
Nitrate is removed from your water primarily through
water changes, although in specialized systems, plants
consume it, or "denitrifying" bacteria convert
it to harmless nitrogen gas. Nitrate buildup is a problem
in any system; freshwater organisms are resistant to
levels easily maintained by regular partial water changes,
but saltwater organisms are far less tolerant, so saltwater
setups often employ additional means of removing nitrates
like algal filters or live sand techniques.
Ammonia is the most common cause of death in aquariums.
Deadly "new tank syndrome" refers to the fact
that most beginners introduce fishes into aquariums
before the nitrogen cycle has become established. Once
the cycle is in place, it can still be disrupted if
there are sudden increases in waste (for instance, new
fish in your tank) or if your bacteria become depleted
due to over-use of antibiotics or changing/cleaning
too much of your biological media at one time.
Bacteria will not flourish on surfaces like glass or
acrylic, because these materials have little surface
area. Water flowing past surfaces like these can dislodge
microbes easily. Contrast them with the bottom of your
tank, probably covered with sand or gravel. It may cover
the same dimensions as the walls of your tank, but note
how craggy the materials are. These nooks and crannies
increase surface area, enabling bacteria to colonize
these surfaces with little disruption.
Chemical Filtration as it’s name
applied remove chemicals from your water, mainly using
activated carbon, or other chemical media (such as ion
exchange resins) to purify aquarium water. The carbon
or other material removes toxins and impurities as water
passes through the filter. The carbon or other material
removes toxins and impurities as water passes through
the filter. It will remove toxins and solid waste from
aquariums that are not removed by a biological filter.
A chemical filter will also remove toxins and solid
waste from aquariums that are not removed by a biological
filter. Other chemicals, like phosphate and silicate,
come from tap water, fish food, or other additives.
Phosphate and silicate cause algae blooms, and the best
way to remove them is chemical filtration (unless they're
only coming from your tap water, in which case using
reverse-osmosis purifiers or water deionizers can also
take care of this problem.)
Mechanical Filtration can be consider
the second most important filteration syatem for your
water. It removes particles from the aquarium that may
discolor or cloud the water by passing the water through
a fine floss or mesh material. Mechanical filters remove
particles that may clog the biological filter in an
aquarium. Most chemical filters are also mechanical
filters. Many aquarium hobbyists use both a biological
and a separate mechanical/chemical filter. Using two
separate filters helps keep an aquarium clean in between
water changes, and also provides a "back up"
in case one of the filters stops running. However, there
are several good arguments against using mechanical/chemical
filters in certain types of aquaria, such as live-reef
tanks, where they may remove valuable nutrients or food
microorganisms from the aquarium itself.
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2) What are types of tiny
marine crustaceans found in our aquarium ?
Copepods
Copepods make up one of the largest biomasses
on earth and are found all over. They are in nearly every
freshwater body in the world and also in most seas and
oceans. They are found widespread across the planet and
play an important part in the world's ecology. These crustaceans
are microscopic organisms. The majority range between
1 and 2 millimeters long, though some polar species can
reach up to 1 centimeter in length.
Copepods make up one of the largest biomasses on earth
and are found all over. They are in nearly every freshwater
body in the world and also in most seas and oceans.
Most copepods are parasitic and attach themselves to fish,
coral and other marine life. Others feed directly off
cellular phytoplankton. Copepods are an important source
of food for many fish, whales, other crustaceans and seabirds.
They are also important in bringing carbon to deep sea
levels and are therefore major players in the carbon cycle.
Phytoplankton
Phytoplankton are microscopic, multicellular plants that
thrive in the world's oceans. It form the core of the
ocean food chain, and as a floating creatures, they are
easily eaten by small fish and filtering whales. Many
of these small fish are in turn eaten by larger fish,
and even by humans. As plants, phytoplankton are part
of the global carbon cycle, which creates our breathable
air. It is estimated that phytoplankton provide up to
half of the oxygen in Earth's atmosphere.
Scientists have focused on phytoplankton as a key component
in the health of Earth's environment. As environmental
conditions are changed through global warming and other
human actions, the highly sensitive phytoplankton populations
wax and wane, alerting researchers to imbalances in the
conditions of the oceans.
Amphipods
A small crustacean of the order Amphipoda, such as the
beach flea, having a laterally compressed body with no
carapace.
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3) What is a Berlin system
?
The Berlin Filtration System which will only work in Saltwater
aquarium and was invented in Germany which is where the
name come from. The original Berlin System is still the
preferred filtration system of many reef tank purists and
consists of only :
• Live Rock
• Protein Skimmer
• Metal Halide Lighting
It works on the concept that all of the microorganisms necessary
to support a marine reef aquarium can be found in and on
live rock collected from the ocean. This includes aerobic,
facultative anaerobic, and purely-anaerobic bacteria, many
other microorganisms, algae, and filter-feeding sessile
invertebrates. The only commercial filtration used is a
high-quality protein skimmer. The Live Rock in a Berlin
System serves two important purposes:
• Biological Filter - The surface of the Live Rock
serves as a platform for the nitrifying bacteria (nitrosoma
and nitrobacter) which convert the ammonia produced in your
tank into nitrites and then nitrates.
• Natural Nitrate Reduction - The multitude of small
"cells" in Live Rock create the perfect oxygen
free place for anaerobic bacteria to grow. Anaerobic bacteria
converts the nitrates in the tank water into nitrogen gas,
which is eventually vented into the atmosphere.
The protein skimmer is the primary filter in a Berlin filter,
removing D.O.C.s (Dissolved Organic Compounds) from the
tank water. D.O.C.'s are, for the most part, proteins which
would normally be broken down and processed by the bacteria
in the Biological Filter. D.O.C.'s are created by fish and
invertebrate detritus and uneaten food. Since live rock
is not the most efficient (surface area/lb or /cu.ft.) biological
filter platform, skimming most of the proteins from the
tank water helps the relatively small bacteria population
to keep up with the tank's bioload.
The original Berlin Filter System incorporated Metal Halide
lighting. However, any reef tank lighting system (i.e. Power
Compact, fluorescent, etc.) would work as well, as long
as the spectrum and wattage were comparable. The Berlin
method is quite simple and deserves a simple explanation.
It is basically a reef aquarium with a fair amount of live
rock, equipped with good lighting, an empty wet/dry filter
or reservoir (USING NO FILTRATION MEDIA), good water circulation,
and a protein skimmer. As in most reef tanks, a chiller
is usually used to maintain the correct temperature.
This system is proving to be one of the best for supporting
marine reef tanks. If set up and maintained properly, the
aquarium will remain extremely healthy, exhibiting little
or no nitrates and phosphates. It will be a thing of beauty,
and has the added bonus of requiring less maintenance and
water changes than other methods require . . . but there
is one major catch: In order for this type of aquarium to
be successful, patience must be highly exercised in stocking
the reef with animal life. It may take up to between six
months to a year to complete the display, and no fish at
all should be added until the reef is almost complete. Because
the nitrogen cycle proceeds on a slower scale than in an
aquarium using conventional biological filtration, great
care must be taken not to exceed the nitrogen-handling capability
of the bacteria populations with each addition of livestock.
In Summary, the Berlin Filter is an efficient filtration
method which has proven itself over the years. The filter
is simple, inexpensive to install and will work well for
most reef systems if the biological filter capacity is not
exceeded.
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4) What is a Deep Sand Bed?
A deep sand bed commonly is defined as a bed of fine
sand with a minimum depth of 4 to 6 inches to ensure a
layer of water in the lower portion of the sand which
will receive poor circulation. An established deep sand
bed is composed of live sand which, like live rock, contains
bacteria and other marine organisms such as worms, crabs,
snails and stars.
Deep sand beds can be constructed of a variety of materials,
but typically fine or "superfine" sand is used,
with a size between 1 mm and 0.05 mm. A larger particle
size provides improved circulation, which would in turn
require a greater depth. Comparatively, the larger particles
may be too heavy for the worms and other inhabitants to
lift, which would limit circulation into the bed. Additionally,
larger particles (2 mm or larger) are prone to detritus
accumulation, which would necessitate periodic siphon
cleaning. A well-chosen fine grain sand will create a
deep sand bed which reduces cleaning.
The main function of a Deep Sand Beds act both as a nitrate
filter and a supplementary calcium reactor. The water
flow through the sand bed is achieved by diffusion and
the activity of resident inverts that circulate water
through the bed, acting rather like a pump on a filter.
The important point is that the deeper down you go, the
less oxygen is available. This is due to both the inverts
and resident bacteria continuously using up oxygen.
It is this lowering of oxygen levels that is critical
to the functional aspect of a deep sand bed which helps
remove Nitrate N03 breaking this down to release it as
a harmless nitrogen gas.
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5) What Is A Refugium?
Refugium is define as an area or refuge where micro-organisms
can live and breed without the worry of predation from
fish or other organisms. Refugiums can be of any size
which is connected to a larger tank with shared filtration.
Refugiums are used to grow algae for Natural Nitrate Reduction
(NNR), isolate sensitive critters (i.e. Sea Horses) or
to hold/raise food (copepods, amphipods, feeder fish)
for the main tank. Macro-algaes are also kept in refugiums
to aid in waste (nitrate and phosphate) removal from the
aquarium’s water. Many people setup refugiums as
part of the filtration system for their saltwater aquarium,
especially with reef tanks, where nutrient control is
a huge concern.
Additionally, a refugium provides small and larval invertebrates
sanctuary from predators, such as fish, that inhabit the
system by physically separating them with an impassable
barrier. Besides the roll of a micro-organism farm to
help feed corals, fish and other invertebrates in your
tank and a nutrient control filter, refugiums also help
to stabilize the pH of your tank. During the daytime,
while the lights are on over your reef tank, the different
algae will photosynthesize. The algae will take in CO2
and release 02 while producing sugars to feed themselves.
But during the nighttime, they will respire, meaning they
take in O2 and release CO2. The CO2 produces carbonic
acid which will lower the pH. By running the refugiums
light on a reverse daylight period (opposite of the main
tank’s light) the algae in the refugium will help
balance out the CO2 and O2 production and maintain a more
stable pH level.
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6) What is cycling of tank?
Cycling is a process that all Aquarium tank must go through
when it is initially set up, in order to establish the
necessary bacterial populations that are required to deal
with organic compounds that will eventually be present
in the tank. These wastes are produced as byproducts of
life occurring in the aquarium - fish waste, coral secretions,
and uneaten food all break down into their organic components
and must be dealt with.
The goal of cycling a fish tank is to establish a bed
or colony of bacteria in your biological filter to help
eliminate toxins made by the fish's metabolism.
The bacteria grown will then digest the ammonia from waste,
turning it into Nitrite. Although Nitrite in hard water
or water with a high pH level is actually more toxic than
ammonia, what happens is that the bacteria filter turns
the Nitrite into Nitrate, which is relatively less harmful
to the fish.
If the water in your fish tank is not changed on a regular
basis, the Nitrate accumulates and becomes harmful, causing
fish to stop eating and becoming stressed. Additionally,
the growth of algae is accelerated. Therefore, it is imperative
that you follow the cycling process and maintain a clean
tank (which regularly removes nitrates) for the health
of your fish
Cycling of tank can be kick start by the introduction
of a pcs of market shrimp or squid which is left to rot
inside the tank. When the meat decomposes, the nitrogen
cycling start when it started providing a source of food
for bacteria.
"How do I know my tank is cycled?"
A tank is considered "cycled" when repeated
tests for ammonia and nitrite read 0 ppm. The time it
takes to cycle a tank depends on a number of factors,
so the only way to know for certain is to test for ammonia
and nitrite.
It is important to test for several days to make certain
that your tank is cycled. It is possible for ammonia and
nitrite to read 0 ppm on one day, and then appear in significant
amounts the next day due to increased waste or decomposition
in the tank.
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7) What is Live Rocks ?
Live Rock is a porous rock of oceanic origin found around
the reef areas as rubble, boulders, or calcified lumps
of broken dead coral that have bound together to form
larger chunks or structures. Its porous nature means that
it is riddled with beneficial bacteria and a multitude
of other organisms that can be used to fulfill part of
the Biological filtration in the aquarium.
The use of live rock in an aquarium creates an ecosystem
in miniature that mimics the processes of biological filtration
that occur in the natural ocean environment. This enables
the hobbyist to successfully maintain healthy marine organisms
displayed as if they are living on a real reef in the
ocean. Live rock in modern aquariums has been a huge break
through, now allowing the home aquarist to not only keep
alive, but propagate and grow animals once considered
impossible in captivity.
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