what do you do with the stuff that stays behind? The ocean serves this
function planet wide, but it probably not work in a small closed system. I
would think that plants would do a better job.
Biosphere II failed for a couple of reasons - one is that the 'soil' had not
yet fully composted and it consumed large amounts of oxygen as it was broken
down.
The other is that they tried to be cute - they included a 'desert' area and
a saltwater aquarium for the tourists to look at. If they were serious
about making it work, they should have started with a simpler system instead
of trying to include non-productive habitats.
There is an example of a closed system that is even commercially available.
Remeber 'ecosphere'? That's the sealed glass container that has shrimp,
algae and bacteria inside. As long as you light is adequately, the shrimp
will live several years, but not reproduce.
I'll stop before I get too far off topic.
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-nanfa-in-aquaria.net On Behalf
Of Mark
Sent: Friday, May 21, 2004 11:36 PM
To: nanfa-in-aquaria.net
Subject: NANFA-- Closed Aquarium System
Thinking about this ecosystem concept -- Is it possible to actually
create a closed, self-cleaning system? I'm thinking about a
distillation setup to remove excess nutrients from the water.
Natural systems get flushed out with rains from time to time which
carry away dissolved nutrients. Rain is essentially
distilled/evaporated and recondensed water. How 'bout a reservoir
that accepts water from the aquarium via an overflow that isolates it
from exchange with the tank water. A submersible heater in the
reservoir to create vapor (it's a closed chamber). A coil running
through this chamber that circulates chilled water, chilled by a
thermoelectric unit like the IceProbe. Water vapor condenses on the
coil and is collected and returned to the tank. The dissolved
nutrients are retained in the evaporation chamber where they can
accumulate without contaminating the aquarium water. What kind of
easily obtainable parts could be fitted into something like this?
-- Mark Ohio USA <))><-- /"Unless stated otherwise, comments made on this list do not necessarily / reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes / Association" / This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes Association / nanfa-in-aquaria.net. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get help, send the word / subscribe, unsubscribe, or help in the body (not subject) of an email to / nanfa-request-in-aquaria.net. For a digest version, send the command to / nanfa-digest-request-in-aquaria.net instead. / For more information about NANFA, visit our web page, http://www.nanfa.org /----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /"Unless stated otherwise, comments made on this list do not necessarily / reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes / Association" / This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes Association / nanfa-in-aquaria.net. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get help, send the word / subscribe, unsubscribe, or help in the body (not subject) of an email to / nanfa-request-in-aquaria.net. For a digest version, send the command to / nanfa-digest-request-in-aquaria.net instead. / For more information about NANFA, visit our web page, http://www.nanfa.org