Dear Dr. Novak,
I have inserted six zeolite-laterite
baskets in the small pool before the waterfall. I understand that your
Attapulgite Laterite Biocenosis Baskets can perform the entire process of
recycling ammonia-nitrite-nitrate-Dinitrogen. Meanwhile, my needs are merely
taking out nitrates. The problem is nitrate is an anion and therefore will not
be attracted to the biocenosis basket, if so then the bacteria within the
basket will never get any nitrates for their oxygen needs. Therefore I’m afraid
that this effort would be useless, except the possibility of it to function as
some sort of fire extinguisher whereas if the current conventional biofilters
are unable to dissolve all the ammonia that passes through it, then the
biocenosis baskets will finish the job. Please help me clarify whether it is
true that the biocenosis baskets will not be able to capture nitrates from the
water? Thank you for your kind attention, I look forward to your answer. May
God bless you always.
Sincerely yours,
Yogas
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| Photo from my iPhone. |
Here is an excerpt from my
book that explains about how water goes into and out of the Biocenosis baskets.
Many hobbyists say that: “It
is impossible to have oxygen in the baskets because the substrate will compact,
and therefore will inhibit any biological process to take place.” However, they
forget about the substrate permeability1 qualities, and the large part it plays in the
microbial and chemical processes. The permeability of Kitty litter and Laterite
allow oxygenated pond water with inorganic compounds to pass through the
substrate on a current-carrying magnetic field, which then allows the substrate
to stay more aerobic. Such substrate has two characteristics that enable fluids
to move through it: (1) porosity and (2) permeability. Porosity is the presence
of small openings, or pores. Permeability means that some of the pores are
connected by spaces through which fluids can move. Nonetheless, actual tests of
the baskets have confirmed the existence of oxygen at low levels for bacterium
to exists and exists it does. Yet, in all honesty, how it gets there is still
somewhat of an unknown to scientist. Yet, I will try to explain the best I can
for the hobbyist.
Oxygen penetration is less
and less with depth. It decreases for two reasons: microbial metabolism and
subsequent biogeochemical processes. Diffusion is a very effective process over
short distances; however, it has its limitations.
Yet, the presence of oxygen
in the biocenosis clarification baskets suggests that oxygen does diffuse as
far as the center of each basket. Concomitantly, biogeochemical processes may
produce or retain some oxygen.
Differential pressure
existing across gradients. Ion displacement (differential pressure) exists when
there is a relationship with carbon dioxide removal. If there is a substrate
producing some carbon dioxide, it then becomes a factor in creating anoxic
condition. The addition of anion producer such as microbial or aggregate or
both needs to produce enough oxygen to engage or attract the carbon dioxide and
that will then move the cations, releasing the oxygen and consequently going
more aerobic. The point being made here is that it is that oxygen is present in
the substrate of each basket and it is clearly not there only because of
diffusion alone.
Okay, if you have been following Brian Woodcock’s Anoxic
pond build and if you have read Dr. Franco’s findings too, then you understand
that these two men have notice that Phosphates (Dr. Franco’s test in his fish
tank) an anion (PO4¯)
and Nitrates also an anion (NO3¯) [Brian’s Nitrates went down from 80+ ppm to 30 ppm] have
both went down in solution over a given time.
What Yogas is asking is how can that be when anions that are
negatively charge ions also being attracted inside the Biocenosis baskets
when the baskets only attract positive ions?
If you read my excerpt carefully the
answers is there. The Biocenosis baskets through DIFFUSION are attracting
oxygenated water with canton and anions that are in solution together through
convection, percolation or electrical charge bringing in all ions form bulk
waters. Although the bulk water is mainly positively charged the negatively
charge ions are still being carried into each Biocenosis basket too. The only
way to get just the right amount and/or correct water movement, oxygen and ions into
and through the Biocenosis baskets is with the correct porosity and
permeability of the substrate. If water weren’t constantly being exchange inside
the Biocenosis basket it would then go anaerobic and not stay anoxic for
aerobic organisms.
In
aerobic organisms, oxygen is used as a thermal electron acceptor during
respiration. This is largely because oxygen has a very low reduction potential
allowing aerobic organisms to use their electron transport systems most
efficiently. In anaerobic organisms, thermal electron acceptors other than
oxygen are used. These inorganic compounds have a higher reduction potential
compared to oxygen, meaning that respiration is less efficient in these
organisms generally leading to slower growth rates compared to aerobes. Many facultative
anaerobes can use either oxygen or alternative thermal electron acceptors (like
nitrates) for respiration dependent on the environmental conditions. Most
respiring anaerobes are heterotrophs, although some do live autotrophically.
Imagine if you will, that water is going into and out of the
baskets like a sponge absorbs water. The sponge not only will absorb the fluids
you're trying to pick up, but also what is in that fluid will adhere to the water
molecules. For example if you had Red Kool-Aid mixed in the water. Now when the
fluids fills the sponge the sponge turns red from the Kool-Aid too, it just doesn’t
pickup the H2O
only.
So now you understand when water goes into the Biocenosis
baskets it uses all incoming ions as a food sources or its oxygen requirements
by stealing the ions oxygen. And you thought all this was going to be
complicated!
Also, if the Biocenosis baskets
did not have negative and positive charge ions in them your plants would suffer
and not grow as well. Please read about plants in my blog and how ions negative
and positive must be taken in equal amounts in order not to have a fatal pH
swing in plants.
You may also like to read about plants in my blog: No plant fertilizer tabs are to ever be used in a Biocenosis Basket ever! This will prove that positive and negative ions are in each Biocenosis basket.
“Quote from blog:
“The adsorption and absorption, or in equal equilibrium between anions and cations is very important. If anions where taken into a plant without cations in equivalence, any plant would suffer from a fatal pH swing. Repeatedly it has been observed that the uptake of nitrates from pond containing both ammonium and nitrates only starts after ammonium has been exhausted or its concentrations greatly reduced.”
Anoxic Filtration System by Syd
Mitchell, Tony Ruiz & Dr Kevin Novak
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