<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7869790#post7869790 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BeanAnimal
Spuds, shall I repeat myself again? You seem to want to convince me of something I already know.
I said "Of course if you can get hte bucket to deform then a bulkhead would work... that certainly does not make what I said incorrect. Traditional bulkheads don't work well on curved surfaces."
Just because you got your bucket to "deform" and become flat does not mean that bulkheads work on curved surfaces (which you are infering by repeating your statement). You also seemed to have a problem with the concept of a uniseal and how they work (they don't need a "round" hole")
So for the sake of helping people instead of giving them partial information:
TRADITIONAL BULKHEADS DO NOT WORK WELL ON CURVED SURFACES. UNISEALS WORK VERY WELL ON CURVED SURFACES.
I am not sure how much clearer it could be. Once again, you tightened a bulkhead down and deformed the bucket so that it has a flat area. The bulkhead then sealed. I am glad you have no leaks... but that certainly does not discount anything I have said, nor does it make traditional bulkheads suitable for curved surfaces.
Bean...
Relax.... I have read many of your posts here and I do have alot of respect for your opinions and your base of knowledge in this hobby.
I am not disagreeing with you-- but both will work on a bucket-- unless the bucket is curved and made out of a rigid and brittle material.
I qualified my original statement about the uniseals in general that I have never cut my own hole for a uniseal (I've used them on precut --precision cut--very round holes and they sealed just fine)--- so I expect the reader of my post to take my lack of experience with uniseals into account...
if you say the hole doesn't need to be very round then I completely believe you and cheerfully retract my statement.... (about the roundness of the holes being critical for them to seal properly)
That being said-- bulkheads will seal and not leak when used on a plastic bucket--- either bulkheads or uniseals can be used.
If anyone is worried about using a bulkhead on a curved bucket-- you can use a square bucket....
![Wink ;) ;)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
-- a square bucket is usually a better utilizer of space anyway...
I think we are getting a little hung up on this part of the bucket DSB discussion....
@LRS078
I think that should be a good enough size...
I ran a bucket DSB for 4 months but I don't think it was big enough (5 gallon bucket with 50 pounds of sand) on a 135 gallon lightly stocked tank.... my trates still were rising just slower-- since then I've added a 29 gallon fuge and macro (chaeto and some grape caulerpa) lighted 18 hours per day and the trates are dropping real fast--- I'm certain the bucket DSBs work, just need to use a big enough volume on your system.... my bucket DSB is still connected to my system but I plan on making it bigger (using a 15 gallon glass tank with about 125-150 pounds of sand)