JPMagyar
New member
Thread Purpose: To determine the efficacy of using zeolites as an inexpensive and simple means to increase biological filtration in reef aquaria and thereby reduce ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite.
I recently purchased the Fauna Marin Ultra-Lith System and then went on to read the hundreds of pages of arguments that have raged with regards to zeolites as filter material, but this morning Mesocosm refered me to an article originally linked by Boomer.
In vitro Comparison of Zeolite (Clinoptilolite) and Activated Carbon as Ammonia Absorbants in Fish Culture
and I also read Jens Kallmeyer's article on
Zeolite Filters
And that's where my questions began. Could zeolites be used to make a cheap new super efficient filter? What I'd like to start is a not so much a general discussion as they seem to degrade into personal debates, but rather a compilation of serious scientific tests and references that might shed some light on the efficacy of zeolites as filter media in reef aquariums.
So I ask that posters either ask questions, offer means of testing, or share reference materials and other relevant information they have found, and avoid anecdotal information or opinions.
Items that seem to me to be of interest initially are:
1) Where can one find zeolitic materials for sale outside of aqauria stores? I understand that zeolitic materials are already heavily used in waste management and agriculture, and it would seem logical to me that cheap sources of such materials must exist which could siginificantly reduce the cost of experimenting with zeolites as filters.
2) What research has been done to validate the presence of autotrophic and heterotrophic bacteria in zeolites currently offered on the market today, and furthermore what evidence exists to support the concept that "seeding" and "feeding" the bacterial colonies can speed and/or increase their growth?
3) Given the enormous amount of communal brain power on RC can't we as a community come up with some basic methods for testing zeolites at home?
So that's it. Is anyone else interested? Is there another thread that has gone down this road? Am I posing the wrong questions?
Here's to learning from my fellow reefers! :bum:
Thanks as always,
Joe
I recently purchased the Fauna Marin Ultra-Lith System and then went on to read the hundreds of pages of arguments that have raged with regards to zeolites as filter material, but this morning Mesocosm refered me to an article originally linked by Boomer.
In vitro Comparison of Zeolite (Clinoptilolite) and Activated Carbon as Ammonia Absorbants in Fish Culture
and I also read Jens Kallmeyer's article on
Zeolite Filters
And that's where my questions began. Could zeolites be used to make a cheap new super efficient filter? What I'd like to start is a not so much a general discussion as they seem to degrade into personal debates, but rather a compilation of serious scientific tests and references that might shed some light on the efficacy of zeolites as filter media in reef aquariums.
So I ask that posters either ask questions, offer means of testing, or share reference materials and other relevant information they have found, and avoid anecdotal information or opinions.
Items that seem to me to be of interest initially are:
1) Where can one find zeolitic materials for sale outside of aqauria stores? I understand that zeolitic materials are already heavily used in waste management and agriculture, and it would seem logical to me that cheap sources of such materials must exist which could siginificantly reduce the cost of experimenting with zeolites as filters.
2) What research has been done to validate the presence of autotrophic and heterotrophic bacteria in zeolites currently offered on the market today, and furthermore what evidence exists to support the concept that "seeding" and "feeding" the bacterial colonies can speed and/or increase their growth?
3) Given the enormous amount of communal brain power on RC can't we as a community come up with some basic methods for testing zeolites at home?
So that's it. Is anyone else interested? Is there another thread that has gone down this road? Am I posing the wrong questions?
Here's to learning from my fellow reefers! :bum:
Thanks as always,
Joe
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