my rice experiment
- Thread starter kkil4life
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why would you say that??
I dont know about the tunze skimmer, is it over/underpowered for ur tank?
and maybe cuz u rinsed the rice out much better than me ur didnt immediately see the skim......but it does wet skim for almost a day
waiting for the hanna po4 checker to come before I test the po4.......nitrates are almost undetectable because of the algae......thats why I'm taking pics of the algae to see how long it takes to die away
sugar would just dissolve almost immediately.......
Fishamatank
New member
It was my opinion, you are trying something that is a little "out there", and are doing things a little backwards. You've already introduced the rice and are now checking if it leaches NO3 or PO4 after it's already in the tank. I hope it works, but I highly doubt the next big thing in reef keeping will be a "rice reactor". I hope it works out for you, it was not my intent to offend you, but you are introducing a lot of unknowns into your system.
noahm
Active member
The research is already out there as far as rice hulls reducing nitrates in wastewater treatment. It is not much of a stretch to try it in the reef. As to whether the phosphorous in the rice is problematic, or just in a benign form is still up in the air, as well as whether whole grain rice is as/less/more effective than the agricultural waste product hulls. If it wasn't for people like the OP, stuff like carbon dosing would never have been tried at all and now it is a mainstay for many reefers.
haha, didnt meant it like that bro.
I just wanted to know if u had more information than me regarding this as it would be helpful for me as well as anyone else interested in trying this out.
I didn't mean to come across like that
exactly bro.....and if the rice doesn't work, my next experiment will be with Mcdonalds beef patty in a reactor
lol
as long as I dont see any ill effects I'm willing to proceed with this.....
I've considered dosing bacteria, but we really dont get anything good like mb7 here. I might go around and look whats available in a few days, but I know I can only get sera and tetra.
as for using rice, I have been using it for years, but to eat not for my reef....lol
quick update, I just went to check on my tank, and was going to feed my corals since the feeders come out at night, suddenly my tank is all milky, not too much but still noticeable.
so I checked my skimmer, its still skimming quiet a bit, but heres the thing, one side of the rice has started to tumble......I think the tumbling has caused it to turn milky, maybe I should put in another carbon bag? I haven't changed the flow or anything, but it started tumbling on its own. that too only the left side of the reactor, the right side is still pretty much sitting in one place.
will post updates in the morning......
so I checked my skimmer, its still skimming quiet a bit, but heres the thing, one side of the rice has started to tumble......I think the tumbling has caused it to turn milky, maybe I should put in another carbon bag? I haven't changed the flow or anything, but it started tumbling on its own. that too only the left side of the reactor, the right side is still pretty much sitting in one place.
will post updates in the morning......
aurora
New member
The nice thing about rice and other carbohydrate grains is that most bacteria will readily use these natural carbo as fuel. The bacteria that are present in your tank water column and liverocks will do just as well as any bacterial cultures. You can try the same experiment with other carbohydrates such as a variety of pasta which probably will have even higher percent of carbohydrates relative to proteins if they can hold up to extended soaking in saltwater without becoming mush. IMO, there is nothing in rice that I wouldn't add to what I feed my fish anyhow.
CalvinsTang
New member
just for everyone wondering.....here is a quick wiki on the contents of rice
Rice, white, long-grain, raw Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 1,527 kJ (365 kcal)
Carbohydrates 79 g
Sugars 0.12 g
Dietary fiber 1.3 g
Fat 500 mg
Protein 7.12 g
Water 11.62 g
Thiamine (Vit. B1) 0.0701 mg (5%)
Riboflavin (Vit. B2) 0.0149 mg (1%)
Niacin (Vit. B3) 1.62 mg (11%)
Pantothenic acid (B5) 1.014 mg (20%)
Vitamin B6 0.164 mg (13%)
Folate (Vit. B9) 8 μg (2%)
Calcium 28 mg (3%)
Iron 0.80 mg (6%)
Magnesium 25 mg (7%)
Manganese 1.088 mg (54%)
Phosphorus 115 mg (16%)
Potassium 115 mg (2%)
Zinc 1.09 mg (11%)
icycoral
I glue animals to rocks
An update on my tank. It's been about 30 hours since I brought the rice reactor online. I have one half cup of rice at a very rapid tumble. The orp in the reactor section of my sump has dropped from 321mv to 297mv and my tank water has a very slight milky look and I mean very very slight. I've never seen my skimmer so active it's pulling all sorts of light green skimmate. I haven't noticed any real reduction in the algea on the glass. All livestock seems fine, softies, lps, and sps are all fine. Everything has normal polyp extention and have not lost or gained any color. All filter feeders cucumbers, coco worms, and feather dusters appear normal. Over all I belive I am starting to see a slight bacterial bloom similar to what some people useing bio pellets see in the first few days if they have high nutrient levels. So far so good. :thumbsup:
heres a morning update
all the rice has started to tumble,l so I guess around 200gph should be enough for tumbling the rice.....
but my water got cloudly after the rice started to tumble....
this is what the corner looked like yesterday
and this is what it looks like now
skimmer is still skimming wetish.....but becoming more normal now
all the rice has started to tumble,l so I guess around 200gph should be enough for tumbling the rice.....
but my water got cloudly after the rice started to tumble....
this is what the corner looked like yesterday
and this is what it looks like now
skimmer is still skimming wetish.....but becoming more normal now
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