| The interesting question to me is-- what does happen to the poop? I don't mean
the bit that might collect in the bottom of a tray, but all the fish waste, etc.
My experience is with shower water pumped directly off the bottom with no settling or prefilter in front.
I suspect it is pulverized by the pump, thrown over the media and the heterotrophs eat it. It can't just be all pulverized and washed over the side with the outflow water. Heres why I think that.
Back in the early months when the BH and lava rock shower tanks were cycling, they both had a tremendous amount of DOC foam, even with the flush through water. After a few months there was no more foam.
Now, when I turn the semi-open system water off, in a few days there is a bacterial bloom and cloud that smells definitely heterotrophic ( a sewer smell ) but no DOC foam.
So, if it were just a pulverization thing, there would be DOC foam when the flush water was turned off, right?
However, when that flush water is turned off and nutrient builds up, the heterotrophs in the water column go crazy. This sysyem has got to have the flush water to work, in my experience. |