smokinguns
Well-Known Member
God i love these post. My entertainment for the evening.
Sucker fish in hydroponic system
- Thread starter DaddyPaddy
- Start date
SickSadLittleWorld
Well-Known Member
Its not an experiment...it has been done before, it's called aquaponics. Never heard it done with MJ but here's a link to get you started: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquaponics
imabeast
Active Member
i found this at http://aquaticconcepts.thekrib.com/Articles/Plant_Pests.htm
Algae Eaters
The most effective control of algae in a planted aquaria is via algae eating fish. It is especially critical in the set up of a new tank to make sure algae does not get established before the plants have had a chance to establish themselves. For this reason and to help the biological filtration get established, it is recommended that some hardy algae eaters are added right away.
Black mollies Black sailfin mollies are excellent candidates for the break-in period of a planted tank since they are cheap and easy to find. They are usually considered expendable and are removed after a month or so. It is important to not feed them. If they are fed, they will not be quite so eager to consume alage. When they are hungry, they are eager consumers of most algae types seen during the break-in period.
Otocinclus sp. Otocinclus are diligent algae eaters, but are best kept in schools due to their small size. One per 10 gallons is a useful rule of thumb. Various species of otos are seen in the shops at various times; most are good algae eaters but some seem to prefer the slime coat on fish to algae. Unfortunately, there seems to be no way to distinguish the "attack otos" from normal otos.
Otos seem to be very delicate fish, but this is probably due to capture and shipping abuse rather than an inherent weakness. When a fish shop gets some in, it is wise to wait a while before purchasing to account for die offs. Most people report getting a dozen and having them die over a period of a few months until just a couple are left. Those then seem to last for a long time.
"Plecostomus" sp. Plecostomus is the generic name for a wide range of sucker-mouth fish. Only the smaller types are useful in a planted tank, since the larger varieties tend to eat the plant right along with the algae. Two common types that are useful are the "bristle-nose plecostomus" and the "clown plecostomus" or Pekoltia. Both stay under 4" long and don't seem to cause too much plant damage. Sometimes broad-leafed plants like Amazon swords will be scraped a little too closely by the plecos, so they bear watching.
Their diet can be supplemented by blanched zucchini and bottom feeder tablets. They also appreciate a chunk of driftwood in the aquarium to satisfy their need for cellulose.
Siamese Algae Eater The Siamese Algae Eater, Crossocheilus siamensis, is a very good algae eater and is known to eat black brush (red) algae. The only problem is that these fish are hard to find. There are two common fish in this family. The most commonly seen is Epalzeorhynchus kallopterus, commonly known as the Flying Fox. The Flying Fox is the more attractive of the two. It tends to have a brownish body with a very distinct, sharpedged black stripe with a distinct, thin gold or bronze stripe above it. These tend to be very aggressive when they are full grown and don't eat red algae (as far as one aquarium reference is concerned).
The other member is the Siamese Algae Eater. It is the same shape as the Flying Fox but tends toward a silverish body with a somewhat ragged black stripe. There may be an indistinct gold or bronze stripe above the black. These are definitely not aggressive; they are good companions for discus and small tetras.
When they are young, the differences between E. kallopterus and C. siamensis may not be very apparent, especially if you haven't seen both types together. Unfortunately, most wholesalers don't sell fish to stores by their scientific name and the common names that are used some- times get pretty silly (like "siamese flying fox"). If you really can't tell which one the store has, buy it anyway, but be prepared to sacrifice it if it turns out to be the wrong kind (unless your fish aren't bothered by it, of course).
Farlowella sp. Farlowella are useful algae eaters although they are very sensitive to water conditions. They type known as the Royal Farlowella will get too large for a plant tank and may cause damage.
Snails are usually considered disasters in a plant tank, but with dense planting and good plant growing conditions, the right type of snail can be very useful by consuming dead plant material and detritus. Any damage they do cause will be compensated for by fast plant growth.
Malaysian trumpet snail The Malaysian snail, Melanoides tubercularia, is an interesting creature in that it lives in the substrate during the day and only comes out at night. Its shell is a perfect cone shape and gets to about 2 cm long. It is a livebearing snail and reproduces quite readily. It is considered beneficial to a plant tank and doesn't seen to harm plants, even in large populations. They are hard to find for sale, but usually come for free on plant shipments. If desired, Clown Loaches will keep them and other snails well under control.
Ramshorn snail Ramshorn snails are very common and come in various sizes. Their shape is as their name suggests. The smaller varieties (under 1 cm) are not too damaging to a plant tank, although they seem to relish the tender leaves of the Hygrophila family.
The other type is the dark and light brown striped Columbian Ramshorn that can grow big as large as 2 inches in diameter. The stripes run the length of the shell with a pattern of random width light-dark-light stripes that stays constant throughout the snails life. These snails are *extremely* prolific and have a terrific appetite for plants.
Pond snail Pond snails are football shaped snails under 2 cm in length. They are to be avoided, as they will happily eat all your plants.
Mystery (Apple) snail One of the most beautiful kinds of snails are the Mystery snails. These snails have a shape similiar to the Pond snail, but their spiral is rounder, and they grow much larger. They can reach tennis-ball size if well taken care of. The come in many varieties. The snail's body can be dark, or almost albino (very light with a bright orange speckle pattern). The shell can be dark, bright orange, albino, or multi-colored striped (length-wise like the Ramshorn). The Apple snail variety typically has the multi-colored stripes, with a dark body. In general these snails don't eat living plants. They prefer algae and dead plant/animal material (canned spinach will get you a very large Mystery snail).
Snail Prophylactics To guard against unwanted snails, use a weak potassium permanganate solution. The Manual of Fish Health recommends a concentration of 10 mg/l as a 10-minute bath as a general disenfectant for aquarium plants. Then rinse them in running water. This kills snail eggs and parasites and might guard against algae spores.
Algae Eaters
The most effective control of algae in a planted aquaria is via algae eating fish. It is especially critical in the set up of a new tank to make sure algae does not get established before the plants have had a chance to establish themselves. For this reason and to help the biological filtration get established, it is recommended that some hardy algae eaters are added right away.
Black mollies Black sailfin mollies are excellent candidates for the break-in period of a planted tank since they are cheap and easy to find. They are usually considered expendable and are removed after a month or so. It is important to not feed them. If they are fed, they will not be quite so eager to consume alage. When they are hungry, they are eager consumers of most algae types seen during the break-in period.
Otocinclus sp. Otocinclus are diligent algae eaters, but are best kept in schools due to their small size. One per 10 gallons is a useful rule of thumb. Various species of otos are seen in the shops at various times; most are good algae eaters but some seem to prefer the slime coat on fish to algae. Unfortunately, there seems to be no way to distinguish the "attack otos" from normal otos.
Otos seem to be very delicate fish, but this is probably due to capture and shipping abuse rather than an inherent weakness. When a fish shop gets some in, it is wise to wait a while before purchasing to account for die offs. Most people report getting a dozen and having them die over a period of a few months until just a couple are left. Those then seem to last for a long time.
"Plecostomus" sp. Plecostomus is the generic name for a wide range of sucker-mouth fish. Only the smaller types are useful in a planted tank, since the larger varieties tend to eat the plant right along with the algae. Two common types that are useful are the "bristle-nose plecostomus" and the "clown plecostomus" or Pekoltia. Both stay under 4" long and don't seem to cause too much plant damage. Sometimes broad-leafed plants like Amazon swords will be scraped a little too closely by the plecos, so they bear watching.
Their diet can be supplemented by blanched zucchini and bottom feeder tablets. They also appreciate a chunk of driftwood in the aquarium to satisfy their need for cellulose.
Siamese Algae Eater The Siamese Algae Eater, Crossocheilus siamensis, is a very good algae eater and is known to eat black brush (red) algae. The only problem is that these fish are hard to find. There are two common fish in this family. The most commonly seen is Epalzeorhynchus kallopterus, commonly known as the Flying Fox. The Flying Fox is the more attractive of the two. It tends to have a brownish body with a very distinct, sharpedged black stripe with a distinct, thin gold or bronze stripe above it. These tend to be very aggressive when they are full grown and don't eat red algae (as far as one aquarium reference is concerned).
The other member is the Siamese Algae Eater. It is the same shape as the Flying Fox but tends toward a silverish body with a somewhat ragged black stripe. There may be an indistinct gold or bronze stripe above the black. These are definitely not aggressive; they are good companions for discus and small tetras.
When they are young, the differences between E. kallopterus and C. siamensis may not be very apparent, especially if you haven't seen both types together. Unfortunately, most wholesalers don't sell fish to stores by their scientific name and the common names that are used some- times get pretty silly (like "siamese flying fox"). If you really can't tell which one the store has, buy it anyway, but be prepared to sacrifice it if it turns out to be the wrong kind (unless your fish aren't bothered by it, of course).
Farlowella sp. Farlowella are useful algae eaters although they are very sensitive to water conditions. They type known as the Royal Farlowella will get too large for a plant tank and may cause damage.
Snails are usually considered disasters in a plant tank, but with dense planting and good plant growing conditions, the right type of snail can be very useful by consuming dead plant material and detritus. Any damage they do cause will be compensated for by fast plant growth.
Malaysian trumpet snail The Malaysian snail, Melanoides tubercularia, is an interesting creature in that it lives in the substrate during the day and only comes out at night. Its shell is a perfect cone shape and gets to about 2 cm long. It is a livebearing snail and reproduces quite readily. It is considered beneficial to a plant tank and doesn't seen to harm plants, even in large populations. They are hard to find for sale, but usually come for free on plant shipments. If desired, Clown Loaches will keep them and other snails well under control.
Ramshorn snail Ramshorn snails are very common and come in various sizes. Their shape is as their name suggests. The smaller varieties (under 1 cm) are not too damaging to a plant tank, although they seem to relish the tender leaves of the Hygrophila family.
The other type is the dark and light brown striped Columbian Ramshorn that can grow big as large as 2 inches in diameter. The stripes run the length of the shell with a pattern of random width light-dark-light stripes that stays constant throughout the snails life. These snails are *extremely* prolific and have a terrific appetite for plants.
Pond snail Pond snails are football shaped snails under 2 cm in length. They are to be avoided, as they will happily eat all your plants.
Mystery (Apple) snail One of the most beautiful kinds of snails are the Mystery snails. These snails have a shape similiar to the Pond snail, but their spiral is rounder, and they grow much larger. They can reach tennis-ball size if well taken care of. The come in many varieties. The snail's body can be dark, or almost albino (very light with a bright orange speckle pattern). The shell can be dark, bright orange, albino, or multi-colored striped (length-wise like the Ramshorn). The Apple snail variety typically has the multi-colored stripes, with a dark body. In general these snails don't eat living plants. They prefer algae and dead plant/animal material (canned spinach will get you a very large Mystery snail).
Snail Prophylactics To guard against unwanted snails, use a weak potassium permanganate solution. The Manual of Fish Health recommends a concentration of 10 mg/l as a 10-minute bath as a general disenfectant for aquarium plants. Then rinse them in running water. This kills snail eggs and parasites and might guard against algae spores.
DaddyPaddy
Member
Oh and potter, Even though youre against my idea I think the seperate res thing is a cool idea if i ran a timed pump from one to the other. It would prob be pretty effective in a drip and drain system if you had a bunch of fish in the draining res. Anyone able to find the nutrient concentration of fish waist? lol
DTR
Active Member
sounds cool i hope it works that would be something to see but im just picturing a nasty rotton fish fadeing your plants i guess you could always call the bud dirtypussy if it takes on a rotton fish smell
also will the alge be turned into food your plants can use after its been through the fish?
also will the alge be turned into food your plants can use after its been through the fish?
goofygolfer
Well-Known Member
what you are describing is called aquaponc's .but it uses water from fish tank to grow plants and you still have to keep the res light proof.i have read about it in some garden mags. basically they lots of fish (goldfish especally that poop more and leave more waste ) in a big tank and run a recirculating system. the plants use the waste as ferts .
crackerboy
Active Member
What about the fishes piss and crap in you reservoir? What would that do to your PH? I'm not sure how this thing will work out for you but it will probably be pretty funny so see the results.
crackerboy
Active Member
I don't think I would smoke anything called dirty pussy. LOL. I try to stay as far away from dirty pussy as possible. LOL.
DaddyPaddy
Member
sick sad, awesome source! I didn't even think about the fish waist actually supplying the plants nutrients. Everyone that doubted my idea, check it out, used since the romans son! ::clears throat:: sorry... anyways I think I'm going to research aquaponics and see if i can make it happen, would be awesome to not have to add any nutrients to the water. This is an ecologist DREAM, completely self sufficient and good for the enviroment. Thanks for all the input guys. You truly are guru's in your own right, I'll keep posted.
dr.skunkfunk
Active Member
WOW
a fish has a parasites and carriy disease.. plus is gonna shit and piss in the water and make ammonia .
Bad idea for fish bad idea for plants...
just block the light
a fish has a parasites and carriy disease.. plus is gonna shit and piss in the water and make ammonia .
Bad idea for fish bad idea for plants...
just block the light
DaddyPaddy
Member
WOW!!! check out the sources before replying negatively please... Bacteria break down urea and nitrites/nitrates to supply nitrogen to the plants... It's what nature does son... you think our shit and piss is just toxic forever? it's part of nature. I don't believe that fish diseases for the most part affect plants in any way, they are a little different from eachother... Just watched some great youtube videos on aquaponics, seems the difficult part is the trial and error balancing the amount of plants and fish but other than that it looks amazing! gonna try it out regardless.
serialkiller
Active Member
Dude thats called Aquaponics (growing fish by feeding the fish food, they shit in the water and that feeds the plants) I have an aquaponic grow going right now, I'm only growing basil in it tho.
CLOSETGROWTH
Well-Known Member
sambo020482
Well-Known Member
someone call the rspca please lol
SatansGift
Active Member
OK I've been involved in the aquarium industry since a child, I have friends that own stores and my father managed one. None of the algae eating fish eat enough algae to keep it in check. The amount that you would need for that res to keep it clean would over pollute the water, without very good biological filtration. Now I am not bashing your idea, but sucker mouth fish do not keep algae in check. Now if you had enough biological filtration I would say use gold fish. Gold fish love to eat green plant material, hell I had a tank of goldfish once and I never once fed them food, they survived by using the plants and algae in the tank as a food source.
stylios2008
Member
I think your solution would be to cover your res with black polysheet (tape it on), that way you can pull it off from time to time and see the roots.....I doubt the fish would survive with the nutes in there
upnorth2505
New Member
violator kush
Active Member
ok go do it and find out? dont sit on your hands and let ppl bs that it cant work, until it is proven other wise, it is possable.... pulse those sucker fish are beasts, i dont think they would die, i had one that nigga was a shark, killed everything