Flood and Drain in my Bio-Filter

[wh33t]

This should be a quick one...

Just wanted to know if this could be less than optimal for my bio-filter. The reason it floods and drains is because it used to be my flower bed but I upgraded so it became my bio-filter. I was thinking perhaps it might be better to have continuous flow?

What are you guys using?

Btw, my media is hydroton.

[Oliver]

From the standpoint of a grow bed, if all you are growing are green leafys, then continuously flooded will work. If you are growing flowering plants then you will want to have it flood and drain as their roots absorb oxygen. Urbanfarmer may want to chime in on this.

From the standpoint of a bio-filter, you always want flood and drain, as the added aeration from that action is beneficial in helping the bacteria multiply and process the fish waste.

So, it depends on the types of plants you grow and the density of fish in your fish tank. With more fish then more bacteria are required to convert their waste. Remember, bacteria need and use up the dissolved oxygen in the water; and flooding and draining helps in adding DO to the water as well as aerating the bacteria directly.

Oliver

[urbanfarmer]

From the standpoint of a grow bed, if all you are growing are green leafys, then continuously flooded will work. If you are growing flowering plants then you will want to have it flood and drain as their roots absorb oxygen. Urbanfarmer may want to chime in on this.

The roots of plants need to respire, which requires oxygen. Presumably, different plants have different oxygen requirements. Ultimately, the DO (dissolved oxygen) will determine whether the plants do well or do poorly. The flood and drain action creates hyperoxygenated water through a series of physical and mechanical processes. This is why we don't talk about flood and drain grow beds becoming anaerobic, it just doesn't happen (except of course at the bottom). A constant flow grow bed will have to rely on the DO of the incoming water to support the metabolic processes of life for the plants and bacteria, and it will likely not have a large margin of error. Tread carefully young Skywalker.

[wh33t]

From the standpoint of a grow bed, if all you are growing are green leafys, then continuously flooded will work. If you are growing flowering plants then you will want to have it flood and drain as their roots absorb oxygen. Urbanfarmer may want to chime in on this.

The roots of plants need to respire, which requires oxygen. Presumably, different plants have different oxygen requirements. Ultimately, the DO (dissolved oxygen) will determine whether the plants do well or do poorly. The flood and drain action creates hyperoxygenated water through a series of physical and mechanical processes. This is why we don't talk about flood and drain grow beds becoming anaerobic, it just doesn't happen (except of course at the bottom). A constant flow grow bed will have to rely on the DO of the incoming water to support the metabolic processes of life for the plants and bacteria, and it will likely not have a large margin of error. Tread carefully young Skywalker.

Thanks for the replies guys!

I understand that oxygen is very crucial to the plants but I wasn't sure how well the nitrogen cycle bacteria responded to a flood and drain style system. Good to know that it will be effective and that I've already got it going!

[urbanfarmer]

I understand that oxygen is very crucial to the plants but I wasn't sure how well the nitrogen cycle bacteria responded to a flood and drain style system. Good to know that it will be effective and that I've already got it going!

The nitrifying bacteria respond very well to oxygen. In fact, they require it as aerobic bacteria.

[davidstcldfl]

...I never thought to F&D a bio-filter.. .
Funny how one pictures a 'certain thing' , when you hear a word. Mine is more of what I think of, when someone says 'bio-filter'....in my case, it has bunched up netting, the water goes to the bottom and flows up through the netting....with air being pumped to the bottom.
Of course, any media bed, is also acting as a bio-filter....

Tread carefully young Skywalker.

"luke" isn't so young anymore....he turned 60 a few days ago.

wh33t.....pictures ?...

[urbanfarmer]

...I never thought to F&D a bio-filter.. .
Funny how one pictures a 'certain thing' , when you hear a word. Mine is more of what I think of, when someone says 'bio-filter'....in my case, it has bunched up netting, the water goes to the bottom and flows up through the netting....with air being pumped to the bottom.
Of course, any media bed, is also acting as a bio-filter....

Tread carefully young Skywalker.

"luke" isn't so young anymore....he turned 60 a few days ago.

wh33t.....pictures ?...

It sounds like you made more of a degas tank assuming the DO drops drastically enough in that space of water!

A flood and drain gravel bed acts as biofiltration (nitrification, and other nutrient cycles), mechanical filtration, and even some degass (denitrification) at the most bottom layer.

[wh33t]

...I never thought to F&D a bio-filter.. .
Funny how one pictures a 'certain thing' , when you hear a word. Mine is more of what I think of, when someone says 'bio-filter'....in my case, it has bunched up netting, the water goes to the bottom and flows up through the netting....with air being pumped to the bottom.
Of course, any media bed, is also acting as a bio-filter....

Tread carefully young Skywalker.

"luke" isn't so young anymore....he turned 60 a few days ago.

wh33t.....pictures ?...

It sounds like you made more of a degas tank assuming the DO drops drastically enough in that space of water!

A flood and drain gravel bed acts as biofiltration (nitrification, and other nutrient cycles), mechanical filtration, and even some degass (denitrification) at the most bottom layer.

Pictures soon!

[davidstcldfl]

It sounds like you made more of a degas tank assuming the DO drops drastically enough in that space of water!

It's 'kind of' like a friendly's net tank...combo...bio-filter. I added a little air just to make sure the bacteria is happy. When I made it...I was given a bunch of old shade cloth. PVC shavings and/or bio-balls were more $ then I wanted to spend at the time.

My water goes through a swirll (vortex) filter, then through a few media beds, then into the bio-filter.
My fish load is (was) pretty high..I probably needed a 'de-gass' tank.
We've been moving fish to the farm, so the fisk load in the backyard has dropprd a good bit.