Aquatic systems using chlorine and ozone are prone to dangerous chloramine, Trihalomethane production, commonly known as disinfection by-products (DBP’s) or total residual oxidants (TRO’s). These by-products are harmful to the animals, with both short and long-term effects to the animals health. Unlike swimming pools, animals spend most, if not all, of their time in these water bodies with the resultant effect that the DBP’s can lead to eye, skin, and respiratory irritation,with potential long-term lung and eye damage over time.Thus, minimizing chlorine use and its by-products is crucial in maintaining a healthy environment.
Biological activity in a sand filter influences the pH levels and promotes the breakdown of organic particles (uneaten food, faeces) and urea (coming from sweat, human cells, etc.) into ammonia. When biological activity is low or absent, less ammonia is produced through degradation and microbial metabolism that is significantly reducing trichloramine formation.
AFM®‘s unique properties and superior filtration of fine particulates, dramatically reduces the systems organic load , while also preventing biofouling & anaerobic activity within the filters.
No bacterial colonisation
No biofouling
Less THM Production
Cleaner Water
No Parasites
Facilities for marine mammals and birds face challenges with sunlight exposure, as UV radiation breaks down free chlorine, reducing its disinfection effectiveness during daylight hours. This leads to uneven chlorine demand between day and night, which can result in inconsistent chlorination and increase the risk of THM formation due to fluctuating chlorine levels and organic content. Cyanuric acid helps counter UV effects, but its efficiency decreases over time, with the result of substantial water changes being needed.
ACO® protects chlorine from UV radiation, maintaining efficiency and stable free chlorine levels at the same dosage rate throughout day and night. This reduces chlorine consumption drastically and reduces cleaning requirements by protecting surfaces from algal attachment.
AMPLIFIES COAGULATION REACTIONS:
Installed between the pump and the filter, the ZPM® creates strong water cavitation to provide the perfect mixing and turbulent environment necessary for coagulation.
INITIATES THE FLOCCULATION PROCESS:
ZPM neutralizes the electrical charge (Zeta potential) of particles to initiate flocculation by mechanically forming larger particles that can be retained by your filter for better filtration quality.
For an efficient coagulation & flocculation, use a constant flow peristaltic pump. Make sure to maintain a neutral pH and an alkalinity (TAC) > 80 mg/l.
Effective fish filtration systems are a combination of filtration components to ensure pristine water quality, for the health of the inhabitants and to ensure crystal-clear visibility for aquarium or zoo visitors. Over time, systems have grown increasingly complex to be able to support larger and more diverse fish populations, or to sustain fish in facilities with limited access to replacement water.
With this progression and increased complexity, Dryden believes that some core principles have been overlooked, steering focus toward CURE rather than PREVENTION of issues from the outset.
Media Filtration:
Capturing large particulates by trapping them within media spaces, while specialized media further enhance filtration by adhering particles to their surfaces.
Challenges with sand or zeolite media:
Effective particle removal of >20 micron particles at 95% efficiency.
Biofouling within the media increases the systems biological load.
Biofouling blocks the surface of the media, initially improving performance, but then leading to channels and poor quality water bypassing the media.
Excess organics and biofouling increase oxygen demand, lowers pH & alkalinity and increases the nitrates concentration in the system.
Biologically active media (sands and zeolites) do not release all the dirt during the backwash/filter cleaning process. This leads to an accumulation of organics trapped in the system over time.
Biofilter Role:
Converts toxic ammonium to less toxic nitrate; it is a biochemical process, not a particulate filter.
Challenges:
If organics are allowed to enter the biofilters, the biofilters turn into particulate filters.
Accumulation of organic particulates causes a bacterial shift toward heterotrophs, leading to elevated ammonia levels.
In high particle-load conditions, heterotrophic bacteria outcompete autotrophs, disrupting the nitrogen cycle’s delicate balance. This then results in more biological filtration surface area being required to compensate for the imbalance.
Saline fish systems relying on high ozone dosing, to compensate for high organics loads, risk elevated bromamine levels (TRO’s). These high bromamine levels are well known for causing damage to fish gills, eyes and even internal organs in the long-term.
Protein Skimmer Role:
Fine particles to attach to air bubbles by surface tension, forming a foam that rises to the surface and is released to waste by overflowing the rim of the outlet. When ozone is added, the some TDS (Total Dissolved Substances) is also removed through coagulation & Flocculation.
Challenges:
Larger particles could settle in the bottom of a poorly designed unit, increasing the bioload of the system.
Due to fluctuating incoming water quality the units need constant monitoring and adjustment for continous efficient performance.
No bacterial colonisation
No biofouling
Less THM Production
Cleaner Water
No Parasites
APF® as a coagulant and flocculant, effectively aggregates small particulates, enhancing the efficiency of organics removal and further reducing chlorine use, especially in penguin systems where the bird faeces are typically below 1 micron in size and are not normally filtered out by media filtration.
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