Chemical Media

[OohFeeshy]

Going to Uni in a few weeks, no idea how often I'll be home etc.

Anyone got any input about chemical media, predominantely for nitrate removal, but anything else is a bonus? Interested in longevity, value for money and suchlike.

Ideas currently include Polyfilter (expensive but seems to have good reviews), Cleanwater Filtration Medium (no idea on how well it works but seems quite cheap), Fluval Lab Series Nitrate Remover (which apparently can be recharged), or some sort of JBL thing (they have about fifty million types).

 

[three-fingers]

I don't know any that work well long-term. Polyfilter gets used up pretty fast IME.

Best options IMO would be DIYing an nitrate reducing filter (a PVC tube full of something like Seachem Denitrate connected to a tiny pump with a slow flow), or adding floating plants and putting a light on a timer.

Tetras Easybalance worked well for reducing nitrates when I tested it at the lfs, you could get someone to dose that (or similar product) or rig up a dosing pump.

What type of tank is this for and why do the nitrates need to be low?

 

[OohFeeshy]

Well, I don't need them to be low; but with an 11 week term and no guarantee I'll be home at any point I'm not really sure what to do. Predominantely it's for the 4ft (4x15x12, Eheim 2213, Fluval 4+, gold sev, dwarf giraffe, delhezi, Parauchenoglanis loennbergi), in which live plants aren't an option due to no lighting and the sev. I'm not exactly rigorous with water changes for it, but if I'm not at home there's obviously concern that if something happens the whole system's in the proverbial. Family aren't really an option, they're just about capable of dishing out a few pellets.

 

[bitteraspects]

Am I reading this right? You will not be able to care for your tank for 11 weeks?
Is there no one who can stop in to do your weekly WC while you're away?

As I don't use chemical additives ot filtration in my tanks, I can not make a suggestion in that department. But to my knowledge, no product will work for an 11 week period with no maintenance.

Your best bet is to add some plants to your tank. You can get potted low light plants from your LFS like anubias, and put a bunch in the tank. This should greatly improve your chance of survival.

 

[three-fingers]

Try a multi-pronged approach.

If you can, make/buy a nitrate filter. Make sure your family at least top up the tank while your gone, or set up an automatic top-up system. Chuck in as much frogbit and/or Salvinia as possible and add a strip tube on for 12 hours on a timer. Even if some of the stuff is eaten, a lot of it should last 11 weeks and these things grow very fast.

Getting your family to dose pre-measured amounts of something like Tetra Easybalance would help too.

But really I wouldn't worry about it though, as long as it is topped up and nothing goes wrong with the filters, 11 weeks shouldn't harm the fish even if you do nothing.

 

[OohFeeshy]

I don't especially want to add lighting, the hood wasn't built for it and the fish aren't fans of bright lights either. I've tried various low light plants in the past/at present (including Salvinia), all that really happens is they get shredded by the sev, decay and cause more problems.

So methinks what I'll end up doing is giving it a very good cleanout at some point soon, including the external which could be... fun. I might change the food, it's JMC catfish pellets at the minute which break up very quickly and probably don't help. Possibly some kind of frozen formulation, very finely chopped prawns in appropriate sized portions would be helpful on several fronts. Topping up shouldn't be needed, it's covered to stop jumping. Easybalance... quite possibly. I could always try it out first.

N.B. 11 weeks is a 'very worst case scenario'. That's assuming I don't come home at all from now until Christmas. I have no idea how often the intervals will be in practice, only time will tell.