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Filtering:

A high performance pump with filter is important for the water hygiene. There are different possibilities. A possibility is to use a large interior filter. It should be controlled that the current in the basin does not become too strong. If necessary the discharge of the filter can be rerouted with a tube so it flows from above into the basin.

An external filter with a large filter volume is rather suitable. However, there is the risk of watering the house by a damage of the filter or the tube connections. Therefore we recommend to take out a suitable insurance policy.

We made good experience with the "Febi Turbocleaner". That one has a pump upstream, which pumps 90 l/min., equals 5,400 litres per hour. In the filter bucket the water goes through a diffuser. Thus a mixture of water and air results. Dirt particles link with oxygen bubbles which are guided upward through a kind of reactor. The bubbles burst and the high-viscosity waste water flows by a discharge out of the filter. This water, by the way, can be used as plant fertilizers.

Another possibility is to reroute the water of the pump to an external plant pot of i.e. a Philodendron ( Philodendron scandens ) or a Window-Leaf Plant( Monstera deliciosa ) etc. where the plant decomposes the nutrients in the water. In order to prevent an overflowing of the plant pot, it has to be taken care that the expiration from the plant pot is largely enough selected that more water can run off, than the pump can deliver.

With any filter we fix the tube of runback a quite above of the water surface. The ripple of the water causes an oxygenation, which favors the water quality. Basins right next to a window don't need mechanical filtering as far as we use Shell Flowers ( Pistia of atratiotes ) and Water Hyacinths ( Eichhornia of crassipes ) as biological filtering. The duff has to be suction cleaned occasionally and filled up again with fresh water.

 

Heating:

We do completely without heating of the water in our aquariums! We control everything via the ambient temperature. Therefore the air temperature is always somewhat warmer than the water temperature, which would correspond to nature. With water heating the danger exists that the water temperature is too high in comparison to the air temperature. If the animals inhale too cold air the danger of pneumonia exists.

The rooms have not to be heated separately, but only with the emitter rejected heat of the HQI/HCI burners. Thus in summer results a room temperature of approx. 28°C and in winter is it still 13-15°C.

 

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