hi Dr novak. I couldn't get laterite. but I did get flourish excel red. wondering if it will work. its my first time doing a plenum. hopefully I'll be putting bcb bags in the filter aswell
Hiiii Dr.Novak..... Nice and informative video, can I use this method in Discus fish bare bottom tank ( no gravel or sand aquarium ). Thanks in advance 🙏
thanks Doc! i am waiting for delivery of flourite to make my bcb. Two of those baskets will hopefully prop up a larger basket that will contain plants in my patio pond 😉
Hi Dr. Novak, I’m excited to see the solution you’ve developed. I’m trying to implement it but not able to get the kitty litter you’ve described. I would like to ask if zeolite can be a good substitution? What should I pay attention to if zeolite is a possible replacement? Thank you.
People in other countries have use zeolite, I myself have not personally used it in the United States. They reported to me with very favorable results.
I am setting up a sump on a 125 with Africans, and am going to add these anoxic filter baskets. It would be a small miracle if they cut down on the nitrates. I have canisters and they are very difficult for me to keep cleaning out. Like you I found them heavy and awkward. Unfortunately, I have slipped up on performing my maintenance. Thank you for adding a different voice to the fish hobby. I hope you had a meaningful Christmas, and your New Year continuous in the same way. Wife of JP
Hi Dr. Novak, I want to create an anoxic filter on my sump but having a hard time looking for clay litters, most litters here is made from bentonite. And the closest thing i have is Zeolite, I was wondering if this will be as effective as the baked clay?
@@anoxicfiltrationplenums that’s nice to hear! These goldfish are massive producer of waste and I can’t control the nitrates pretty well. This would be a game changer if i can do it successfully! What is better, Fine or coarser size for zeolites? Thank you Dr. Novak! Appreciate the reply!
My next video is going to be about ADA stainless steel canister filter and how I’m going to turn it into a BCB or Anoxic filter. so those of you that have no sump can use a canister filter instead.
@@anoxicfiltrationplenums thanks. I'm planning to instal a anoxic filter in my pond. Do bacteria really need carbon to complete the denitrification process? Do i need to put a carbon source or does it come naturally in ponds?
Cedric don’t worry once you build the baskets and put it in your pond like I have been using for the past 30 years now you’ll have no problems at all.. you don’t have to add carbon to the pond itself.
That's what I'm trying to understand better...he only has a 50 gallon tank plus 20 or so for the sump...I have a 240g tank with a 40 gallon sump...how big should my anoxic filter be?
Hi, I know this is an old video but I was wondering if just having really massive laterite rocks which I understand have iron and clay as their composition would contribute to low / no nitrates. Reason I ask is that I have a 150 gallon with about 100kg's of large laterite rock in the tank as decoration. My ammonia is under 0.02 and nitrites under 0.2 but my nitrates have never shown a reading above 0. Is it that the massive amounts of laterite has any part to play in this or just that the tank is not cycling properly.
No, it will not alone in any way contribute to the lowering of NO3. It takes a very specialized conditions to do so with very specialized bacteria that live in those condition to do so.
@@anoxicfiltrationplenums thank you for your reply. Could I trouble you to provide me with some guidance on why I am not seeing any Nitrates. I have hard borewell water with a high TDS and a PH of 9.5 so I use Seachem Prime for every water change. My filter currently has Foam, Seachem Matrix and Purigen. (Adding about 5kg of Biohome Ultimate to the mix shortly) I am thinking before I start getting into making these, I need to figure out why I am not cycling completely. It was suggested that the high PH was a possible problem. My ammonia is under 0.02 and nitrites about 0.25 and I have a light fish load without plants. It's unlikely I will use a sump, so for the BCB I will use it with a 2nd canister in parallel to the existing one. Hope thats ok?
@@arshishmaneckji9547 first of all, your pH is not the problem, if it were then nobody would own a saltwater aquarium with the very high pH they have. So think about it, pH can’t be your problem. Next you really have too much ammonia and too much nitrites in your readings. These levels on your test kit should be showing zero. Even though you may have trace amounts of ammonia your test kit should not be showing it unless you were using more lab grade test kits. What this is telling me is your tank still is not cycled yet or there could be something that’s hindering the cycling process to finish. Since I really don’t know your set up or I can’t see it in anyway, I can’t really make an astute judgment call and give you advice when it could wind up being bad advice. My next video that will be coming up Sunday will be about bacteria and plants and how they work and how to isolate specialized bacteria that we need. Maybe after the video you’ll have more knowledge to then make a judgment call on what you are or are not doing right or wrong. If it doesn’t help then you may have to wind up email me with a lot more information so I can help you.
@@anoxicfiltrationplenums Thank you. I look forward to your video. Even if the video does point me in the correct direction, I would love to stay in touch via email. I find your videos very helpful, interesting and I love to try out new stuff!
Getting the correct kitty litter is impossible india.. you mentioned Baked clay. Would this work? www.flipkart.com/v-shop-bhutdo-soil/p/itma7087052d959b?pid=SMNFUSFYYKNPJZBE&lid=LSTSMNFUSFYYKNPJZBEGOVIOV&marketplace=FLIPKART&sattr[]=quantity&pageUID=1622116386741
Hello Dr Novak! I love your content and advice on anoxic filtration and I hope you can help please? The information online is very limited, especially when it comes to use anoxic in fish tanks. I'm a big advocate of anoxic and have big baskets set up in my pond as well as having several 4" baskets in my sump with fancy goldfish. Issue I'm having is the water coming out of my tap is already alarmingly high in NO3 and that was when I have started looking into anoxic filtration. I've had the anoxic running in my tank for about 8 months and fish are fairly happy, I don't have any issues with ammonia or NO2, NO3 does not go up, but it doesn't go down at all. My tap is at about 40ppm and I'm using API drop test. I'm thinking if not to replace the 18 x 4" baskets with 4 large ones (like in a koi pond), to allow more space for the anoxic zone. But at the same time I don't want to disturb the current set up if there won't be any benefits to it. I also have a tray with aquaponics which is fed water from this tank and this doesn't seem to make any difference with water quality. I'm tired of constantly seeing dark orange/red on my tests. Am I doing something wrong? Thank you and I look forward to your reply. Ewa
One thing you didn’t tell me is: You have a substrate in your aquarium with your goldfish? Another thing is with goldfish do you have a sump that can accommodate larger BCB baskets? Your nitrates are already up to 40 ppm from the tap water and now you have to try to bring them down to an acceptable levels with your goldfish. Larger BCB should do the trick. Remember goldfish produce a lot of ammonia more-so than other fish of the same size and mass.
@@anoxicfiltrationplenums thank you for your reply! The tank is 260l with a thin layer of sand so the fish do turn it over regularly (so no plenum). I had a sump made for it (about 60l volume) and currently housing 18 baskets (4"x 4"x 4"). Not sure if it's an overkill but on other hand the nitrates don't seem to go down. Or how long should I leave the water in the tank without changes to see a difference in NO3? I can make a video of my setup over the weekend and share with you if that helps :) Many thanks!
@@ewaward607 OK now I understand, your sand is causing a big problem you have to change it over to either a Plenum or use a bigger size substrate like 2 to 3 mm in diameter. The problem you’re having is a very common problem with sand bottom Aquariums.
@@anoxicfiltrationplenums thank you for your reply. I'm not sure if I understand why the sand is the culprit - is it because it allows nitifying bacteria to live on it and produce the NO3 before the waste is filtered in the sump? Also, the anoxic baskets require iron to work correctly (if I remember right). How is it that plenum can work without it? Sorry if my questions are silly, just really curious! Thank you :)
Hi sir I am from India I am having a 200 gallon planted discuss tank runs with 1 canister, 1 top filters can I add this basket in the main tank or should built a new sump filter? How much quantity should I add? Please suggest me
Thanks, Kevin!!! I've been researching your amazing ideas for a Koi pond I'll be doing! But just wondering about my 2 full size Aqua clear HOB filters on my 75 gal mbuna tank....I'm thinking why not turn them into Anoxic filters????
Ok which is a better replacement for Laterite. Flourite Red, Aqualat by Oliver Knott, Eco-complete red, I heard that you could used IRONITE. Even you said that you need something with Iron in it? but Ironite in my discus tank hummm. but Ironite is not hard to find. your thoughts.
flourite "regular" or flourite sand. both of those have more iron than "flourite red." They also have less "extra" stuff than Ecocomplete does, but you might be able to use ecocomplete red as well.
Can you make these Anoxic filter by using media bags, that way they could fit in a hang on the back filter or canister filter. or could you place these basket in a media bag. or what do you think about using Fabric pots to hold the cat liter and laterite? your thoughts.
I am making a anoxic filter using Pentair polyester mesh media bags. No reason why they should not work vs vented plastic baskets. Just be wary of the weight as the clay media is very, very heavy. Use a PVC pipe to keep the center free of for adding the laterite/seachem red/ironite, and cover up with more kitty litter. Zip tie the bags shut and gently position in place.
Thank you Dr. Novak for sharing the video. Your expertise is so much appreciated. I have a quick question about the Anoxi Filter, can this be adopted with a Canister Filter, for example Fluval FX6? Currently I am running a 75 Gallon Tank with 6 Discus fish and I am having challenges maintaining a low Nitrate Level. I have been using the Fx6 with biohome ultimate media for 6 months.
Ok you have your Anoxic Filters in your sump for 45 to 60 day if you take them out of the water because of doing water change or cleaning your sump do you now have to wait another 45 to 60 days for these filters to restart? or should you try and keep them ( Anoxic Filter) under water forever?
Absolutely, This is the whole reason the filter was designed for non-planted ponds and aquariums. Plants are just an enhancement to the whole system but not mandatory.
@@anoxicfiltrationplenums Thanks so much - I'm building it today! - and thank you for the research and videos as well. I will also be putting in a Koi pond next spring and for sure will have one of these filters similar to yours
Ok i am going to try this using kitty litter and seachem flourite as it has high iron content i assume the flourite will need to be in the middle or just mixed in ? can these baskets simply be dropped into and aquarium such as mbuna tank and is there any side effects
They can go directly into the aquarium with now side effects. Will the fish however dig up the BCB? A guy name Shawn in Australia did same thing in his tanks with great success but he had non aggressive fish that did not dig into the substrate.
My next video is going to be about a brand new ADA stainless steel canister filter. I will give my true evaluation of such a filter and if it’s worth the money. I’m also going to show how to make it into an Anoxic filter for those of you who have no sumps.
Hi Dr, a lot of being talked that anoxic will beat nitrate big time, now if i have crowded tank, will filter help a lot?. Mind you i have put the best bio media from marine pure, matrix, siporax, eheim substrate pro but all of them seems unable to beat nitrate
Hello.... where do you find Laterite? I’m making waterfall Anoxic Filter. We made a 5000 gallon pond but still haven’t made the waterfall because we were going to make a bog waterfall. My filter system is based off of Wrightly drum system but the problem I have had is that the fine particles don’t get caught. Will the Anoxic Filter bog-ish filter help with this ? Thank you and I appreciate the help
Hi Dr. Thanks for the informative videos. Does the water HAVE to flow over the baskets? What happens if the water flows through it? By means of a standard over/under sump.. Will this be too much oxygen reaching the bacteria in the litter? Look forward to your reply..
Can't seem to locate Duplarit G in the USA (or Laterite) , whats your opinion on using Flourite? [I did find some on Alibaba, but they want me to buy a few metric tons! lol]
Hi Doctor Novak! Amazing video, I was wondering what your thoughts were about Diatomaceous Earth as a substitute for the cat litter? It sounds to me that they are very similar as far as attraction and absorption, and the Diatomaceous Earth I have is a lot prettier than cat litter but also has a consistency closer to crushed stone so a little bigger.
Unfortunately they are as different as night and day only kitty litter Unscented will work. your diatom earth is more for micro filtering and polishing aquarium water.
Hi Doc, how many of the BCB's would you recommend to put in a sump for a 125 gallon aquarium? Or what is the maximum dimensions I can make a BCB and how many of those would you recommend? Thank you so much
I'm still figuring this out too. Check out this article www.mankysanke.co.uk/html/anoxic_filtration.html. One 30cm X 30cm X 20cm is recommended for one 20-inch Koi. Based on the example in this video, using three 4x4x4 baskets in a 50 gallon, you would need about 7 to 8 baskets 4x4x4 baskets (for your 125 gallon), in a 40 gallon sump, with roughly 1250-2500gph water flow. But really it depends on your fish load and how much they eat. It will take 45-60 days for baskets to be fully cycled. Let me know if you need laterite.
It is based on the volume of the media filter. In general, you should try to have a flow rate of 320l/h or less to enable the anoxic bacterias to handle the task.
Thank you for sharing your work! May I know if you have experimented to determine the smallest viable size of an anoxic filter before there isn't enough depth to achieve an anoxic zone?
thankyou much DR. Novak i am so glad to have found your videos, amazing testing and studies. i am in the process of starting 2 new 55gal aquariums and really want to do the plenum with kitty litter and laterite. however I'm sure no news to you laterite very hard to find with that said however i believe i saw on one of your videos that ironite plus 12-10-10 can be used. would the ironite take the place of the laterite cant seem to find the video i saw that mention in.. thanks for all you hard work.
What brand of kitty litter is this? It seems to actually turn into nice looking black once it's wet. Do all fired clay kitty litter turn thia color when wet? Can I use this laterite and kitty litter mix as a substrate and it would still suck up nitrates or would it eventuakly get depleted?
HI, Would this work using any baked clay pellets ? having a hard time getting this sort of cat litter in the UK but I can get baked clay pellets used for hydroponic cultivation systems. Filter seems very interesting and would like to build one but sourcing the cat litter is an issue.
Fwiw, I'm now 4 months into 2 aquariums using a product called Safe T Sorb as a substrate over plenums and things are going great. Safe T Sorb and another product called Oil Dri are meant to be used as shop absorbants for oil or other liquid spills. They are purely a baked clay product, same as the kitty litter.. I don't know about availability in the UK but it may be a clue to another alternative for you.
hi Dr novak. I couldn't get laterite. but I did get flourish excel red. wondering if it will work. its my first time doing a plenum. hopefully I'll be putting bcb bags in the filter aswell
Hiiii Dr.Novak..... Nice and informative video, can I use this method in Discus fish bare bottom tank ( no gravel or sand aquarium ). Thanks in advance 🙏
Do you also run a plenum with the sump baskets?
yes
Can we use pumice, lava rocks or other pebbles in place of kitty litter? Thanks!
No not really
@@anoxicfiltrationplenums thanks for your answer.. 😊😊
thanks Doc! i am waiting for delivery of flourite to make my bcb. Two of those baskets will hopefully prop up a larger basket that will contain plants in my patio pond 😉
Best of luck!
thanks for uploading your videos again. I was worried. No one else has this information on UA-cam
Dear Doctor Novak, I live in Malaysia and I am having trouble finding any natural kitty litter clay at all, could you give some alternative for it??
Hi Dr. Novak, I’m excited to see the solution you’ve developed. I’m trying to implement it but not able to get the kitty litter you’ve described. I would like to ask if zeolite can be a good substitution? What should I pay attention to if zeolite is a possible replacement? Thank you.
People in other countries have use zeolite, I myself have not personally used it in the United States. They reported to me with very favorable results.
Kevin Novak Ph.D. I will try it out and give you feedback whenever I can
Kevin Novak Ph.D. By the way, do I have to replace the zeolite after some times? Or it can be used for permanent?
@@tinsp253 as far as I know it doesn’t have to be replaced
Kevin Novak Ph.D. That’s really positive, thanks a lot for sharing
Dr. Novak does the kitty litter and latrate have to be layered or can it be mixed together. IE in a meshes filter bag? Thanks Robert
It can be mixed if you like.
Thank you
I am setting up a sump on a 125 with Africans, and am going to add these anoxic filter baskets. It would be a small miracle if they cut down on the nitrates. I have canisters and they are very difficult for me to keep cleaning out. Like you I found them heavy and awkward. Unfortunately, I have slipped up on performing my maintenance. Thank you for adding a different voice to the fish hobby. I hope you had a meaningful Christmas, and your New Year continuous in the same way. Wife of JP
Thank you for re-uploading!
Hi Dr. Novak, I want to create an anoxic filter on my sump but having a hard time looking for clay litters, most litters here is made from bentonite. And the closest thing i have is Zeolite, I was wondering if this will be as effective as the baked clay?
Yes use the zeolite
@@anoxicfiltrationplenums that’s nice to hear! These goldfish are massive producer of waste and I can’t control the nitrates pretty well. This would be a game changer if i can do it successfully!
What is better, Fine or coarser size for zeolites?
Thank you Dr. Novak! Appreciate the reply!
Dr. Novak once have in place does the media (cat litter) have to be replaced after some time?
Thank you,
Robert
Good question. Some say after two to three years they replaced their cat litter but I have used the same cat litter for 30-yrs with no troubles.
@@anoxicfiltrationplenums thank you
what if you don't have a sump???
My next video is going to be about ADA stainless steel canister filter and how I’m going to turn it into a BCB or Anoxic filter. so those of you that have no sump can use a canister filter instead.
Does it give some sort of benefit to put Laterite as a pocket Inside the kitty litter instead of mixing the two? Many thanks! 👍
is the bacteria growing in the anoxic filter sensitive to salt?
No it’s not sensitive to salt, in fact the bacteria lives in saltwater conditions just as well as it does in freshwater.
@@anoxicfiltrationplenums thanks. How about alternative to kitty litter?
Cedric sorry after all my test...their is no good replacement.
@@anoxicfiltrationplenums thanks. I'm planning to instal a anoxic filter in my pond. Do bacteria really need carbon to complete the denitrification process? Do i need to put a carbon source or does it come naturally in ponds?
Cedric don’t worry once you build the baskets and put it in your pond like I have been using for the past 30 years now you’ll have no problems at all.. you don’t have to add carbon to the pond itself.
Those will hold a Hugh bacteria colony, probably enough for a tank exceeding 500 gallons or more
That's what I'm trying to understand better...he only has a 50 gallon tank plus 20 or so for the sump...I have a 240g tank with a 40 gallon sump...how big should my anoxic filter be?
Hi, I know this is an old video but I was wondering if just having really massive laterite rocks which I understand have iron and clay as their composition would contribute to low / no nitrates.
Reason I ask is that I have a 150 gallon with about 100kg's of large laterite rock in the tank as decoration. My ammonia is under 0.02 and nitrites under 0.2 but my nitrates have never shown a reading above 0. Is it that the massive amounts of laterite has any part to play in this or just that the tank is not cycling properly.
No, it will not alone in any way contribute to the lowering of NO3. It takes a very specialized conditions to do so with very specialized bacteria that live in those condition to do so.
@@anoxicfiltrationplenums thank you for your reply. Could I trouble you to provide me with some guidance on why I am not seeing any Nitrates. I have hard borewell water with a high TDS and a PH of 9.5 so I use Seachem Prime for every water change. My filter currently has Foam, Seachem Matrix and Purigen. (Adding about 5kg of Biohome Ultimate to the mix shortly)
I am thinking before I start getting into making these, I need to figure out why I am not cycling completely. It was suggested that the high PH was a possible problem.
My ammonia is under 0.02 and nitrites about 0.25 and I have a light fish load without plants.
It's unlikely I will use a sump, so for the BCB I will use it with a 2nd canister in parallel to the existing one. Hope thats ok?
@@arshishmaneckji9547 first of all, your pH is not the problem, if it were then nobody would own a saltwater aquarium with the very high pH they have. So think about it, pH can’t be your problem. Next you really have too much ammonia and too much nitrites in your readings. These levels on your test kit should be showing zero. Even though you may have trace amounts of ammonia your test kit should not be showing it unless you were using more lab grade test kits.
What this is telling me is your tank still is not cycled yet or there could be something that’s hindering the cycling process to finish. Since I really don’t know your set up or I can’t see it in anyway, I can’t really make an astute judgment call and give you advice when it could wind up being bad advice.
My next video that will be coming up Sunday will be about bacteria and plants and how they work and how to isolate specialized bacteria that we need. Maybe after the video you’ll have more knowledge to then make a judgment call on what you are or are not doing right or wrong. If it doesn’t help then you may have to wind up email me with a lot more information so I can help you.
@@anoxicfiltrationplenums Thank you. I look forward to your video.
Even if the video does point me in the correct direction, I would love to stay in touch via email. I find your videos very helpful, interesting and I love to try out new stuff!
Getting the correct kitty litter is impossible india.. you mentioned Baked clay. Would this work?
www.flipkart.com/v-shop-bhutdo-soil/p/itma7087052d959b?pid=SMNFUSFYYKNPJZBE&lid=LSTSMNFUSFYYKNPJZBEGOVIOV&marketplace=FLIPKART&sattr[]=quantity&pageUID=1622116386741
Hello Dr Novak! I love your content and advice on anoxic filtration and I hope you can help please? The information online is very limited, especially when it comes to use anoxic in fish tanks. I'm a big advocate of anoxic and have big baskets set up in my pond as well as having several 4" baskets in my sump with fancy goldfish. Issue I'm having is the water coming out of my tap is already alarmingly high in NO3 and that was when I have started looking into anoxic filtration. I've had the anoxic running in my tank for about 8 months and fish are fairly happy, I don't have any issues with ammonia or NO2, NO3 does not go up, but it doesn't go down at all. My tap is at about 40ppm and I'm using API drop test. I'm thinking if not to replace the 18 x 4" baskets with 4 large ones (like in a koi pond), to allow more space for the anoxic zone. But at the same time I don't want to disturb the current set up if there won't be any benefits to it. I also have a tray with aquaponics which is fed water from this tank and this doesn't seem to make any difference with water quality. I'm tired of constantly seeing dark orange/red on my tests. Am I doing something wrong? Thank you and I look forward to your reply. Ewa
One thing you didn’t tell me is: You have a substrate in your aquarium with your goldfish? Another thing is with goldfish do you have a sump that can accommodate larger BCB baskets? Your nitrates are already up to 40 ppm from the tap water and now you have to try to bring them down to an acceptable levels with your goldfish. Larger BCB should do the trick. Remember goldfish produce a lot of ammonia more-so than other fish of the same size and mass.
@@anoxicfiltrationplenums thank you for your reply! The tank is 260l with a thin layer of sand so the fish do turn it over regularly (so no plenum). I had a sump made for it (about 60l volume) and currently housing 18 baskets (4"x 4"x 4"). Not sure if it's an overkill but on other hand the nitrates don't seem to go down. Or how long should I leave the water in the tank without changes to see a difference in NO3? I can make a video of my setup over the weekend and share with you if that helps :) Many thanks!
@@ewaward607 OK now I understand, your sand is causing a big problem you have to change it over to either a Plenum or use a bigger size substrate like 2 to 3 mm in diameter. The problem you’re having is a very common problem with sand bottom Aquariums.
@@anoxicfiltrationplenums thank you for your reply. I'm not sure if I understand why the sand is the culprit - is it because it allows nitifying bacteria to live on it and produce the NO3 before the waste is filtered in the sump?
Also, the anoxic baskets require iron to work correctly (if I remember right). How is it that plenum can work without it? Sorry if my questions are silly, just really curious! Thank you :)
@@ewaward607 video would be great .
Hi sir I am from India I am having a 200 gallon planted discuss tank runs with 1 canister, 1 top filters can I add this basket in the main tank or should built a new sump filter? How much quantity should I add? Please suggest me
Thanks, Kevin!!! I've been researching your amazing ideas for a Koi pond I'll be doing! But just wondering about my 2 full size Aqua clear HOB filters on my 75 gal mbuna tank....I'm thinking why not turn them into Anoxic filters????
Ok which is a better replacement for Laterite. Flourite Red, Aqualat by Oliver Knott, Eco-complete red, I heard that you could used IRONITE. Even you said that you need something with Iron in it? but Ironite in my discus tank hummm. but Ironite is not hard to find. your thoughts.
flourite "regular" or flourite sand. both of those have more iron than "flourite red." They also have less "extra" stuff than Ecocomplete does, but you might be able to use ecocomplete red as well.
Doc, is the anoxic zone need a water flow through of it ?
Water will flow through the Anoxic zone but very ,very slowly
Can you make these Anoxic filter by using media bags, that way they could fit in a hang on the back filter or canister filter. or could you place these basket in a media bag. or what do you think about using Fabric pots to hold the cat liter and laterite? your thoughts.
I am making a anoxic filter using Pentair polyester mesh media bags. No reason why they should not work vs vented plastic baskets. Just be wary of the weight as the clay media is very, very heavy. Use a PVC pipe to keep the center free of for adding the laterite/seachem red/ironite, and cover up with more kitty litter. Zip tie the bags shut and gently position in place.
Thank you Dr. Novak for sharing the video. Your expertise is so much appreciated. I have a quick question about the Anoxi Filter, can this be adopted with a Canister Filter, for example Fluval FX6? Currently I am running a 75 Gallon Tank with 6 Discus fish and I am having challenges maintaining a low Nitrate Level. I have been using the Fx6 with biohome ultimate media for 6 months.
My next video is going to be just on that subject so stay tuned.
Ok you have your Anoxic Filters in your sump for 45 to 60 day if you take them out of the water because of doing water change or cleaning your sump do you now have to wait another 45 to 60 days for these filters to restart? or should you try and keep them ( Anoxic Filter) under water forever?
You can clean or change water does not matter cause the bacteria colonies are already developed in the porous media inside the basket.
Will this type of filter work with a non-planted tank - I have a 65 gallon Mbuna tannk - Thanks!
Absolutely, This is the whole reason the filter was designed for non-planted ponds and aquariums. Plants are just an enhancement to the whole system but not mandatory.
@@anoxicfiltrationplenums Thanks so much - I'm building it today! - and thank you for the research and videos as well. I will also be putting in a Koi pond next spring and for sure will have one of these filters similar to yours
API First Layer Laterite is no longer available....Is Seachem's Flourite Red a good substitute?
YesIt is a good substitute
Hi Doc,
Is there a golden ratio for clay/laterite? is too much iron bad to establish? I will be using Seachem Red instead of laterite.
Harry DK Actually it doesn’t take much iron to help the bacteria grow so the ratio would be maybe half a cup of the iron compared to the kitty litter
Kevin Novak Do you think it is ok to use flourish tablets instead of latterite. It has iron as well as other minerals.
clark kent As long as it doesn’t have phosphates are nitrogen in it you’ll be OK.
thank you for uploading again. can you please reupload the video where you show how to make a plenum?
best regards
It is now on UA-cam again.
How about liquid iron as a substitute for laterite?
Ok i am going to try this using kitty litter and seachem flourite as it has high iron content i assume the flourite will need to be in the middle or just mixed in ? can these baskets simply be dropped into and aquarium such as mbuna tank and is there any side effects
They can go directly into the aquarium with now side effects. Will the fish however dig up the BCB? A guy name Shawn in Australia did same thing in his tanks with great success but he had non aggressive fish that did not dig into the substrate.
Hello Kevin....thanks for sharing the knowledge....can I create the same kind of anoxic filter inside the canister?
My next video is going to be about a brand new ADA stainless steel canister filter. I will give my true evaluation of such a filter and if it’s worth the money. I’m also going to show how to make it into an Anoxic filter for those of you who have no sumps.
Will the Anoxic filter work in a shrimp tank
Yes definitely.
Ok Thanks, but have you used Ironite
Hi......nice vid......I would like to know about saltwater aquarium.........
Does this work for saltwater?
Good question i would like to know
What is the kit you used to test. Thank you very much.
Hi Dr, a lot of being talked that anoxic will beat nitrate big time, now if i have crowded tank, will filter help a lot?. Mind you i have put the best bio media from marine pure, matrix, siporax, eheim substrate pro but all of them seems unable to beat nitrate
Hello.... where do you find Laterite? I’m making waterfall Anoxic Filter. We made a 5000 gallon pond but still haven’t made the waterfall because we were going to make a bog waterfall. My filter system is based off of Wrightly drum system but the problem I have had is that the fine particles don’t get caught. Will the Anoxic Filter bog-ish filter help with this ? Thank you and I appreciate the help
Hi Dr.
Thanks for the informative videos.
Does the water HAVE to flow over the baskets?
What happens if the water flows through it? By means of a standard over/under sump..
Will this be too much oxygen reaching the bacteria in the litter?
Look forward to your reply..
Can't seem to locate Duplarit G in the USA (or Laterite) , whats your opinion on using Flourite? [I did find some on Alibaba, but they want me to buy a few metric tons! lol]
split half a ton with me? LOLLLLLLLLL
Thank you for taking the time and sharing this with us! U rock doc!
Hi Doctor Novak! Amazing video, I was wondering what your thoughts were about Diatomaceous Earth as a substitute for the cat litter? It sounds to me that they are very similar as far as attraction and absorption, and the Diatomaceous Earth I have is a lot prettier than cat litter but also has a consistency closer to crushed stone so a little bigger.
Unfortunately they are as different as night and day only kitty litter Unscented will work. your diatom earth is more for micro filtering and polishing aquarium water.
Will this work on a saltwater reef tank
Hi Doc, how many of the BCB's would you recommend to put in a sump for a 125 gallon aquarium? Or what is the maximum dimensions I can make a BCB and how many of those would you recommend? Thank you so much
I'm still figuring this out too.
Check out this article www.mankysanke.co.uk/html/anoxic_filtration.html. One 30cm X 30cm X 20cm is recommended for one 20-inch Koi.
Based on the example in this video, using three 4x4x4 baskets in a 50 gallon, you would need about 7 to 8 baskets 4x4x4 baskets (for your 125 gallon), in a 40 gallon sump, with roughly 1250-2500gph water flow. But really it depends on your fish load and how much they eat.
It will take 45-60 days for baskets to be fully cycled. Let me know if you need laterite.
4x4x4 inch baskets
apolloblue21 Do you have any laterite left?
Yes, it's on ebay
www.ebay.com/itm/Laterite-for-Anoxic-Filters-Biocenosis-Clarification-Basket/323175388904?hash=item4b3ec116e8:g:LVMAAOSwywFajvQ2
Thank you for sharing Dr.Novak.
Does water retention matter?
If so, is the flow rate based on tank volume or media size?
It is based on the volume of the media filter. In general, you should try to have a flow rate of 320l/h or less to enable the anoxic bacterias to handle the task.
Thank you for sharing your work! May I know if you have experimented to determine the smallest viable size of an anoxic filter before there isn't enough depth to achieve an anoxic zone?
1" will be the minimum depth for a good Anoxic zone.
Which would be the optimal depth to the Iron kernel and the maximum size for the baskets?
I wouldn't say that the nitrate levels are zero... cause the results from using test strips are not accurate.
didnt the plenol remove the nitrates?
thankyou much DR. Novak i am so glad to have found your videos, amazing testing and studies. i am in the process of starting 2 new 55gal aquariums and really want to do the plenum with kitty litter and laterite. however I'm sure no news to you laterite very hard to find with that said however i believe i saw on one of your videos that ironite plus 12-10-10 can be used. would the ironite take the place of the laterite cant seem to find the video i saw that mention in.. thanks for all you hard work.
What brand of kitty litter is this? It seems to actually turn into nice looking black once it's wet. Do all fired clay kitty litter turn thia color when wet? Can I use this laterite and kitty litter mix as a substrate and it would still suck up nitrates or would it eventuakly get depleted?
Try Oil-Dri , it is just like Kitty litter but cost is just a little more.
HI, Would this work using any baked clay pellets ? having a hard time getting this sort of cat litter in the UK but I can get baked clay pellets used for hydroponic cultivation systems. Filter seems very interesting and would like to build one but sourcing the cat litter is an issue.
Fwiw, I'm now 4 months into 2 aquariums using a product called Safe T Sorb as a substrate over plenums and things are going great. Safe T Sorb and another product called Oil Dri are meant to be used as shop absorbants for oil or other liquid spills. They are purely a baked clay product, same as the kitty litter.. I don't know about availability in the UK but it may be a clue to another alternative for you.
Would this work for a saltwater reef tank? And if not would u direct me to a video on a saltwater one please
Why do you need a screen mesh on top of the baskets? It seems unnecessary.