THE POTENTIAL APPLICABILITY OF NATURAL MINERALS AS FILTER MEDIA FOR MODULATING WATER QUALITY IN AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS

Abstract

The optimal water quality requirement varies among species, and natural filtration materials can be used in aquatic systems to provide and maintain species-specific water quality parameters. Ammonia is one of the nitrogenous compounds originating from the metabolic wastes of aquatic organisms in aquatic ecosystems. Toxic substances and ammonia can be controlled in various ways by ion exchange and adsorption. In this study, the effects of natural clinoptilolite and diatomite on fresh water parameters were determined. This investigation was conducted by trial groups with 3 replicates for 16 days in two experimental systems. For the first experimental group, 3 g of raw zeolite (Z) was directly placed in a 500 ml freshwater aquarium, and the second experimental group was arranged with 3 g of raw diatomite (D) under the same conditions. The third experimental group was described as the control group (C) without zeolite and diatomite. Water parameters (such as pH and ammonium) were determined daily during the experiment period (8 days). After experiment 1, when zeolite and diatomite reached saturation, a desorption system was created with 3 groups containing 3 replicates, and this period was named experiment 2. During the 8-day period, water parameters were determined 7 times. At the end of the study, it was found that the NH4+- N concentrations different statistically (P < 0.05). pH, temperature and oxygen values did not vary among the experimental groups (P > 0.05). The results suggested that zeolite and diatomite have good adsorption performance for NH4+- N removal from the aqueous environment.