DSB in a bucket for nitrate control

Status
Not open for further replies.
Anthony Calfo said:
good heaven's, yes... thank you :p

I spent a good year in lectures/hobby clubs trying to break folks from calling the CLM (closed loop manifold) the "Calfo manifold" :D
Click to expand...

Hehe. I THOUGHT that would be your response. I suspect that you aren't too thrilled with Horizontal Overflows being called Calfo Overflows?

Anyhow, you're going to be speaking at a event last Saturday of January 2006 in Dallas called Next Wave. I'll have to come up to you and ask you to tell me about Calfo Refugiums, or some such... ;)
 
it is, of course, flattering... but they are truly not unique concepts. At best I get credit for popularizing some such (obvious) things :p

I am always very happy though to be a mouthpiece for fellow aquarists to benefit from my work/history, experience and travels :)

See you in the great state of Texas soon!

Anth-
 
OK here is another question. I have no room for an overflow and was considering setting up a DSB in a closed container. The problem is with the container closed how can I tell if the flow is right?

I have a canister Filstar XP2 and it would be very convenient to just plumb it into the return line if the flow rate was right. Or just set up another CL with a new pump and a ball valve to adjust.

Also I was considering using a water container for this purpose since the only space I have is narrow (where I store a h20 container right now). But how do I know if I have not enough flow or too much.
 
I do not think a filter canister will work for a DSB. The reason is it is designed to have flow to go through it and some media for filtration, in this case it would be sand. This means the would be no extremely low flow area for anaerobic denitrification.

Anthony
 
Sorry just to clarify the CL would include a canister AND a separate "DSB in a drum" as Mr. Calfo has advocated on this thread.

Or just two separate CL (the existing canister on a CL and a new one with the DDSB)
 
FWIW... I would not go through the effort of converting a canister for any such use for any aquarium. It's too small to be effective on most aquariums, and simply not needed on aquariums small enough (where moderate water changes alone will reduce nitrate and have many more benefits).

But for the purpose of mental excercise and to answer your question (how do you know too much or not enough flow), its a simple matter of comparing the incurrent and effluent waters. If nitrates are lower on the effluent, then its working obviously (flow is slow enough). But if there are nitrites present in the effluent, then your flow is too fast (nitrification instead of NNR is occuring).
 
I would like to say THANK YOU! Mr. Calfo. I was so frustrated with the GHA, I was almost ready to throw in the towel (not really). I was pretty well disgusted with the lack of progress.
Anthony,
This thread & Refugium tips (formerly "flow rate thorugh a refugium") & Protein Skimmer Production/Improvements had turned my tank around 180*. Thank you, thank you , thank you.

Just a quick update, Nitrates have came down considerably.
Here is a couple of pic from a month ago;
Picture018.jpg


Picture025.jpg


And here about one month later;
Picture7471.jpg

Picture745.jpg
 
fabulous, Awright! Just fabulous to hear. I am very happy for you, and grateful you took the time to share your progress. It is inspiring and redeeming for folks like me/us to hear that take the time to mentor fellow hobbyists for exactly this reason: so you stay in the hobby and succeed. Thank you :)

delphinus - no problem at all on the mangroves in the short to medium term (simply until they outgrow the bucket... 3 years or so). The deep anoxic sand will be quite natural for them.
 
Awright, let me just say, that is an AMAZING turnaround for one month's time.

Anthony, thanks for the mangrove tip. Will try that then. I've been growing 5 mangroves from pods since '02. They've grown insignificantly in this time (5 leaves each maybe? Barely just twigs) so I'm tempted to try something different for them in the hopes of encouraging some growth out of them. I don't want any NNR out of the mangroves themselves, I just like them for the novelty, they're just "kewl".
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6229260#post6229260 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NexDog
So how big a bucket will I need for a 450g system. :)
Click to expand...

Very amusing. :)

On a serious note, however, I would recommend you daisy chain a couple of buckets together. IMHO, there is no significant benefit to making this large and unweildly. After all, a 5 gallon bucket O' sand is going to be heavy enough as it is.

I'd add them one at a time, giving the system a little time in between each just to see what kind of a total effect each is having. My guess is that 2-4 is going to be your range.

(Btw, happy birthday to me! :) )
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6229260#post6229260 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NexDog
Great thread. :)

So how big a bucket will I need for a 450g system. :)
Click to expand...
I would think a 150g should do it.;)
 
two words: garbage can DSB

er... two words and an abbreviation, that is. :)

Scale it up folks... kitchen garbage can, trash can, 55 gall food barrel (you can get these for free or next to nothing from the wholesale restaurant district in your home town...and/or local repackaging plant for pickles, olives, pepper rings, etc. Cheeeeeeap.)

If you have a tank big enough to need one of these super-sized DSBs, then you have the space for it. Basement, filter room, etc. Tall profile lets them stand right next to the sump, refugium etc and run on a quiet little loop of its own to and from any of the downstream staging tanks (again... refugium, prop tank, sump, etc.). Feed it with a small pump or a bleeder line of the sump return manifold.
 
Re: XL DSB buckets

reminder... for large systems, please recall (from my very first post of this thread) the mention of a 55gall tank filled with sand and used for this purpose on a 2K gall LFS system. Even with such a heavy bioload, it was staggeringly effective.

The point: larger vessels up to a 55 gall trash can or food grade plastic barrel can easily handle most any home aquarium. Smaller (20-30 gall kitchen sizes) likely are enough for most XL home displays.
 
I'm sure that you could do the same thing for african cichlids but unless you are doing some fancy water conditioning (i.e. rift lake salt mixes etc.) why bother? I would simply do 30% water changes weekly or every 2 weeks and nitrate shouldn't be an issue at all.

In addition you will note dramatic improvement in growth, color, breeding and overall health with this sort of regimen.

Of course I live in west texas where our water is very hard and perfect for most rift lake species.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

vlangel
75g Lurking danger and Leafy Seadragons
4 5 6
Replies
103
Views
4K
vlangel
vlangel
G
Porifera identification
Replies
0
Views
45
GLE
G
E
Neptune DDR diy question for AWC
Replies
3
Views
642
Reefing102
Reefing102
DjPhato
Pericelis tectivorum, the GIANT Predatory Flatworm
Replies
5
Views
112
DjPhato
DjPhato
E
Refractometer woes….what would you do?
Replies
12
Views
1K
jrill
J
Back
Top