DSB in a bucket for nitrate control

I recall posts that indicated that the levels started dropping after 4 weeks.

You may also be producing nitrate faster than the DSB can process it.

Either way, give it more time.
 
I can't for the life of me figure out where they are coming from! RO/DI water, light feeding, clean or no mechanical filters, tons of cheato, light bio load- 1 yellow tang, and 3 chromis, couple snails, crabs, and 2 conchs. Nothing special.
 
Thrice,
Have you verified the results with a couple different test kits? Perhaps your test kit is giving you a bad read.

Just a thought
 
You want nothing more than the anaerobic bacteria and anoxic bacteria and SAND in the RDSB. Anything further and it can turn into a fug factory. Prefilter the water and keep the flow low enough as not to disturb the sand. Also seems to help if you use a bulkhead to drain that is at least 25% bigger than the input but that is personal taste.

Update: Installed the RDSB on my 220 system on 8/18/06 in a 15 or so gallon rubbermaid. Saw some minor bulging in the rubbermaid when loaded and reinforced with 1/4" x 3' zip ties on all 3 axis. As of last night had to take the system down as the rubbermaid was bulging around the zip ties grossly and I could not count on its structural integrity. I want something bigger than a salt bucket but it NEEDS to be strong and/or cylindrical. I don't have the stuff to drill glass so making a sacrificial RDSB out of a 20 high is out. I now don't trust anything that isn't BURLY or isn't cylindrical. May have to function test a draining a drilled/bulkheaded cylindrical trashcan next to the tank. Will update as events unfold.

As always, input is more than welcome....
 
I can confirm 100% that nitrate comes from tapwater or RO/DI and NOT from Instant Ocean salt mix. I always get identical readings on tapwater or RO/DI premix/post mix per salifert and tetra nitrate test kits.

thriceanangel, check through your tank and setup for areas of fug collection, dirty bioballs, or even a dead snail. You'd be shocked how much a tiny snail can screw your nitrates.
 
Week two report

Bucket still up and running with the phos/carbon reactor prefilter at about 100 gph.

Nitrates holding steady at about 30 still.

LRS078 - look at getting a brute container...much more heavy duty and the only things really good for holding water. Either that or go with a bucket daisy chain.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8027557#post8027557 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LRS078
..... I don't have the stuff to drill glass so making a sacrificial RDSB out of a 20 high is out......

As always, input is more than welcome....
Click to expand...

You should reconsider doing it yourself...

My only training was this thread..

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=603816

It really is as easy as its shown (took me about 3 minutes to drill through the glass)... I drilled one hole on a 10 gallon tank for practice and then drilled a 45mm hole (1" bulkhead) on a 29 gallon tank for use as a gravity returned fuge....

I used a garden hose spraying over the glass rather then the water dam shown in the thread.

my hole saw was only $6.20 (shipped to my door)
 
I was digging through fishy equipment storage and came accross a CPR overflow box I forgot I had. Now I shouldn't have to drill.... Although very good resource for drilling....

Then I got thinking, what if I used a 30 or 20 high as a fuge (w' the overflow) then did a salt bucket to back up the fuge's DSB. Flow would go as follows: ~500 gph powerhead runs from sump up to 20 high fuge, CPR overflows into Instant Ocean RDSB, drains back into sump. That way I can get fuge and RDSB together. I can also switch out salt buckets over time while keeping the fuge.

Thoughts?
 
week 3 update

Did monthly stuff today, and changed/cleaned the carbon reactor which increased flow through the bucket by about 2x so that should help.

Nitrates are still holding steady in the 20-30 range and no rising whic is good so I will do another water change tomarrow to bring them down again.

Hope this thing starts to kick in soon so I can start doing some sweet SPS:D
 
Scraped the dual setup: went with a 25 high 80% full of sand, going to pile some chaeto on top of that. Using overflow box w' 500gph powerhead and a spraybar mod. No dust, plenty of flow, and I can plop two faded single strip lights on to grow some chaeto for a bit extra.... Started it yesterday, will update results....
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8064386#post8064386 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LRS078
Scraped the dual setup: went with a 25 high 80% full of sand, going to pile some chaeto on top of that.

>>>> I dont think you want to do that. From what Ive heard cheato needs more flow that the rdsb.

Using overflow box w' 500gph powerhead and a spraybar mod. No dust, plenty of flow, and I can plop two faded single strip lights on to grow some chaeto for a bit extra.... Started it yesterday, will update results....
Click to expand...
 
OK. I took out all the rock, I shook all the crap out of it, I blasted it with a powerhead and restacked it, I removed all substrate and now am bare bottom. I did a 50% water change. AND I had to redo the DSB because of a leak. But the nitrates were up to 80, and now are down to 20ppm, and holding there for the past 2 weeks. I am hoping that with the redone rdsb, and the fact that there is NO PLACE where nitrates can hide out, when the rdsb kick in, I hope I will be nitrate free. Hope in one hand and crap in the other and see which fills up faster... Here's to hope!
 
Better late than never. I installed my RDSB August 12th with 80 lbs of Aragomax sand in a 15 gallon rubbermaid container. I added 40 lbs more on August 29th which brought me to a depth of 9 inches. On Sept. 1st my nitrates were still at 40. Had been at 50 before installing the bed. I did a water change that day, and a couple of days later the nitrates were at 30. Most likely because of the water change I thought. But yesterday they read between 5-10. Now that is an improvement. plus, since I started the RDSB, I bought a Copperband to add to my already substantial fish load. I have gone from feeding three cubes a day to five. So, increased feeding and I get lower nitrates. I think it is indeed working out. I will test again next weekend to see where the nitrates are. I am hoping to get close to a 0 reading at that time.
 
Question for all RDSB gurus.

Will it make sense to put on very bottom of the bucket a layer of "Mud" (I believe it's called Miracle Mud, but not sure). From somewhere I'd read, that mud is just a very fine particle sand. Also, it'll provide over time all the trace elements needed.

Or am I just crazy?
 
If you tried mud, you would want the mud at the top, not the bottom. But then again, if you did mud, you wouldn't need any sand either. 2" of MM can be used in place of 10" of sand.

For those that are ready to ditch their RDSB after the 2nd year, keep the top 2" of the sand layer and pitch the rest. Reseed your new bucket with that at the bottom and cover it up with new sand.

I've been running RDSB's for about 6 years inline with other eco filtration, such as LR tide pool with filter feeders and a tidal algae zone.

My typical set up is...

Tank -> Mechanical Sump -> LR Tide Pool -> RDSB -> Algae Tidepool -> Tank.

The ability to ditch the DSB and start from fresh every other year is really nice.
 
I've read this entire thread and find it very interesting. Thank you all for your contributions. I have been concerned about my nitrate levels of about .10 according to my Red Sea test kit. Does the remote deep Sand Bed just act as any other media that the water circulates through. Does the water actually circulate through he lower level of sand? Is it better to feed the RDSB using a spray bar? I am ready to set one up. My current setup includes a 90 gallon mixed reef and about 35 gallon 3 compartment sump / refugium
Thanks Again

Alan
 
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