G
Guest
I just can't get enough of my micro-herds, so I decided to build them a home and breeding ground. This is what I came up with; kind of a X between Bio-bucket and composting. (If I ever decided to go to hydro, I think bio-bucket would be my choice)
Here's a shot of the whole thing:
30gln res at the bottom. The tub has a 4" hole cut in the lid and a 350gln Magdrive pump to push the water to the top of the bucket and a 50gln pump helping circulate the bulk of water.
The pumps pushes water to the top of a 5gln bucket where it trickles back down through 3 distinct layers where it will drain back to the res.
The bucket has a 4" hole cut into the bottom.
A 4" plastic pot was dropped into the bottom of the bucket where it fits snuggly through the hole leaving a lip overhang in the bucket.
The lip and inside bucket bottom are sealed with GE Silicone II (this stuff is delicate enough for the most sensitive of organisms - used in terrariums with "environmental indicator" pets; ie...arboreal frogs, etc...)
The outer bucket bottom is then lined with the silicone and the pot is dropped through the 4" hole in the tub lid.
Here's a pic of the inside of the tub:
You can see the pot hanging down through.
The pump output runs straight up through the pot, through the center of the bucket where it stops about 1/2" short of the lid.
There seems to be plenty of oxygen created and the bacterias are hard at work already.
Here's a pic of the inside of the bucket:
The top layer in the bucket is rooting plugs; they provide great surface area vs. pocket distribution and are fairly large chunks.
The second layer is shredded plugs (1/4 and smaller pieces), this creates a surface similar to slow sand but not quite as slow or dense.
The first 2 layers are where 90% of the action is going on.
The third layer is crushed lava rock, this is where I get alot of disturbance in the water flow to create a bit of oxygen and a little bit more of bio-filteration.
I ran it for 3 days with plain tap before adding anything. On days 4 I added some micros and molasses. On day 7 I added some Nitrifying bacterias(5 strains). On day 10 I added Rhizobacterias (10 strains). On day 14 I topped up both bacterias. On day 15 (today) I had to add more molasses, the workers have been eating quite a bit. The initial dose of molasses had the water very dark brown/black but by today even after stirring in the res the water has become very light colored and so I added a bit more molasses to make sure there is plenty to eat in there. I also added about 2 cups of Marine Cousine to the top of the bucket, bacterias should eat this up and leave me some nice enzymes. The bottom of the tub is not painted since it is dark enough to keep light out but the lid and bucket were painted chrome to reflect the light off (this was also around the house - Krylon Plastic Fusion). I also added a tube to the lid of the bucket for fresh air; I forget what this is called but the downward flow of water creates a suction of fresh air through the bucket and water.
Feedback? Anything is appreciated.
J.
Here's a shot of the whole thing:
30gln res at the bottom. The tub has a 4" hole cut in the lid and a 350gln Magdrive pump to push the water to the top of the bucket and a 50gln pump helping circulate the bulk of water.
The pumps pushes water to the top of a 5gln bucket where it trickles back down through 3 distinct layers where it will drain back to the res.
The bucket has a 4" hole cut into the bottom.
A 4" plastic pot was dropped into the bottom of the bucket where it fits snuggly through the hole leaving a lip overhang in the bucket.
The lip and inside bucket bottom are sealed with GE Silicone II (this stuff is delicate enough for the most sensitive of organisms - used in terrariums with "environmental indicator" pets; ie...arboreal frogs, etc...)
The outer bucket bottom is then lined with the silicone and the pot is dropped through the 4" hole in the tub lid.
Here's a pic of the inside of the tub:
You can see the pot hanging down through.
The pump output runs straight up through the pot, through the center of the bucket where it stops about 1/2" short of the lid.
There seems to be plenty of oxygen created and the bacterias are hard at work already.
Here's a pic of the inside of the bucket:
The top layer in the bucket is rooting plugs; they provide great surface area vs. pocket distribution and are fairly large chunks.
The second layer is shredded plugs (1/4 and smaller pieces), this creates a surface similar to slow sand but not quite as slow or dense.
The first 2 layers are where 90% of the action is going on.
The third layer is crushed lava rock, this is where I get alot of disturbance in the water flow to create a bit of oxygen and a little bit more of bio-filteration.
I ran it for 3 days with plain tap before adding anything. On days 4 I added some micros and molasses. On day 7 I added some Nitrifying bacterias(5 strains). On day 10 I added Rhizobacterias (10 strains). On day 14 I topped up both bacterias. On day 15 (today) I had to add more molasses, the workers have been eating quite a bit. The initial dose of molasses had the water very dark brown/black but by today even after stirring in the res the water has become very light colored and so I added a bit more molasses to make sure there is plenty to eat in there. I also added about 2 cups of Marine Cousine to the top of the bucket, bacterias should eat this up and leave me some nice enzymes. The bottom of the tub is not painted since it is dark enough to keep light out but the lid and bucket were painted chrome to reflect the light off (this was also around the house - Krylon Plastic Fusion). I also added a tube to the lid of the bucket for fresh air; I forget what this is called but the downward flow of water creates a suction of fresh air through the bucket and water.
Feedback? Anything is appreciated.
J.
