Media Beds increase oxygen demand?! - Aquaponic Gardening2024-03-28T16:54:56Zhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/forum/topics/media-beds-increase-oxygen-demand?commentId=4778851%3AComment%3A574043&x=1&feed=yes&xn_auth=noIf this is really a concern p…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2014-08-07:4778851:Comment:5740432014-08-07T13:44:41.874ZJim Fiskhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/JimFisk
<p>If this is really a concern perhaps you should look into ozonation. Used in everything from sewage treatment plants (for exactly the same reasons as AP) to swimming pools these days. The extra oxygen molecules boost oxygen in the system as they go from H2O2 (some as high as H2O8) back to H2O. I have been using a small one, intended to purify drinking water, in my 2500 gal system for a couple of years now as an O booster. Others use pure oxygen bled into the system on a regular basis and…</p>
<p>If this is really a concern perhaps you should look into ozonation. Used in everything from sewage treatment plants (for exactly the same reasons as AP) to swimming pools these days. The extra oxygen molecules boost oxygen in the system as they go from H2O2 (some as high as H2O8) back to H2O. I have been using a small one, intended to purify drinking water, in my 2500 gal system for a couple of years now as an O booster. Others use pure oxygen bled into the system on a regular basis and based upon dissolved O readings.</p>
<p>As far as media beds are concerned the ebb cycle certainly adds O to the system. I remove the solids, both sinkers AND floaters before the media beds now. An air line in the filter can also help break down those solids right in the filter. A full blown bio-filter will also break down the solids into nitrates before entering any of the beds. There are many ways to address the O2 levels in the system and thereby the breakdown of solids.</p> Sounds more like an aquacultu…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2014-08-07:4778851:Comment:5742202014-08-07T11:19:29.905ZCarl Bhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/CharBeau
<p>Sounds more like an aquaculture problem. In high fish density, oxygen needs to be artificially supplied to the system, and anything other than a fish that uses oxygen would be a waste. In aquaponics, where functioning bacteria are a key necessity, "too much oxygen being consumed by bacteria" sounds a bit like "my fish are eating too much food and getting too big." So, the observation may be correct, but the implication that it's a bacteria problem isn't.</p>
<p></p>
<p>I agree, the media…</p>
<p>Sounds more like an aquaculture problem. In high fish density, oxygen needs to be artificially supplied to the system, and anything other than a fish that uses oxygen would be a waste. In aquaponics, where functioning bacteria are a key necessity, "too much oxygen being consumed by bacteria" sounds a bit like "my fish are eating too much food and getting too big." So, the observation may be correct, but the implication that it's a bacteria problem isn't.</p>
<p></p>
<p>I agree, the media bed should be adequately oxygenated during the drain phase. </p> Perhaps not in an immediate s…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2014-08-06:4778851:Comment:5739602014-08-06T01:58:30.450ZGeorgehttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/Geoge
<p>Perhaps not in an immediate sense but aren't you removing nutrients which would have been available later, after being dissolved? I don't understand why you think it better to remove solids instead of increasing oxygen On the other hand, I suppose if you want dense fish stocking with lots of feeding, then you must remove solids.</p>
<p><br></br> <cite>Glenn said:…</cite></p>
<p>Perhaps not in an immediate sense but aren't you removing nutrients which would have been available later, after being dissolved? I don't understand why you think it better to remove solids instead of increasing oxygen On the other hand, I suppose if you want dense fish stocking with lots of feeding, then you must remove solids.</p>
<p><br/> <cite>Glenn said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://community.theaquaponicsource.com/forum/topics/media-beds-increase-oxygen-demand#4778851Comment573884"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>The elimination of un-dissolved solids outside of our media beds doesn't reduce the available nutrients to the plants nor the oxygen available to the fish, to the plants, or to the bacteria our AP systems all rely on.</p>
<p></p>
<p>I hope this helps.</p>
</div>
</div>
</blockquote> I fully understand that decom…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2014-08-06:4778851:Comment:5741062014-08-06T00:24:35.383ZAdam Dusenhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/AdamDusen
<p>I fully understand that decomposition of organic matter uses up oxygen... That''s a no-brainer. But wouldn't that oxygen be coming from the abundant atmospheric oxygen during a drain cycle? And not as much the DO in the water during a flood cycle? Am I making sense here?<br></br> <br></br> <cite>Glenn said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://community.theaquaponicsource.com/forum/topics/media-beds-increase-oxygen-demand#4778851Comment573884"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>"Many factors…</p>
</div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p>I fully understand that decomposition of organic matter uses up oxygen... That''s a no-brainer. But wouldn't that oxygen be coming from the abundant atmospheric oxygen during a drain cycle? And not as much the DO in the water during a flood cycle? Am I making sense here?<br/> <br/> <cite>Glenn said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://community.theaquaponicsource.com/forum/topics/media-beds-increase-oxygen-demand#4778851Comment573884"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>"Many factors affect the dissolved oxygen concentration in pond water. It’s not just the fish load in your pond. Atmospheric temperatures as well as weather conditions affect dissolved oxygen. <strong>Fish waste and decaying organic matter have a draining effect on dissolved oxygen levels because oxygen is used up during decomposition</strong>. Aerobic bacteria (<strong>good bacteria</strong>) consume a lot of oxygen. Algae blooms and submerged plants also have an adverse effect on oxygen level because they consume a lot of oxygen during the nighttime hours, through photosynthesis. This is why you may discover that the dissolved oxygen concentration of your pond is quite low in the early morning hours. If the demand for oxygen by plants, bacteria and fish is greater than the dissolved oxygen level of the pond, your fish are most likely to suffer."</p>
<p>From: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.koihealth.info/oxygen.html">http://www.koihealth.info/oxygen.html</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>It's easy to find myself thinking along lines that plants like or even need solids. But they don't. <strong>Plants need and ONLY uptake the nutrients that are fully dissolved in water</strong>. In our media beds there is a very large amount of surface area for the solids AND bacteria to become attached and for the oxygen demand to be high. The elimination of un-dissolved solids outside of our media beds doesn't reduce the available nutrients to the plants nor the oxygen available to the fish, to the plants, or to the bacteria our AP systems all rely on.</p>
<p></p>
<p>I hope this helps.</p>
</div>
</div>
</blockquote> "Many factors affect the diss…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2014-08-05:4778851:Comment:5738842014-08-05T17:58:50.363ZGlennhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/Glenn
<p>"Many factors affect the dissolved oxygen concentration in pond water. It’s not just the fish load in your pond. Atmospheric temperatures as well as weather conditions affect dissolved oxygen. <strong>Fish waste and decaying organic matter have a draining effect on dissolved oxygen levels because oxygen is used up during decomposition</strong>. Aerobic bacteria (<strong>good bacteria</strong>) consume a lot of oxygen. Algae blooms and submerged plants also have an adverse effect on oxygen…</p>
<p>"Many factors affect the dissolved oxygen concentration in pond water. It’s not just the fish load in your pond. Atmospheric temperatures as well as weather conditions affect dissolved oxygen. <strong>Fish waste and decaying organic matter have a draining effect on dissolved oxygen levels because oxygen is used up during decomposition</strong>. Aerobic bacteria (<strong>good bacteria</strong>) consume a lot of oxygen. Algae blooms and submerged plants also have an adverse effect on oxygen level because they consume a lot of oxygen during the nighttime hours, through photosynthesis. This is why you may discover that the dissolved oxygen concentration of your pond is quite low in the early morning hours. If the demand for oxygen by plants, bacteria and fish is greater than the dissolved oxygen level of the pond, your fish are most likely to suffer."</p>
<p>From: <a href="http://www.koihealth.info/oxygen.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.koihealth.info/oxygen.html</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>It's easy to find myself thinking along lines that plants like or even need solids. But they don't. <strong>Plants need and ONLY uptake the nutrients that are fully dissolved in water</strong>. In our media beds there is a very large amount of surface area for the solids AND bacteria to become attached and for the oxygen demand to be high. The elimination of un-dissolved solids outside of our media beds doesn't reduce the available nutrients to the plants nor the oxygen available to the fish, to the plants, or to the bacteria our AP systems all rely on.</p>
<p></p>
<p>I hope this helps.</p>