DSB in a bucket for nitrate control

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Hans1976,

Just to chime in, AnnArborBuck is completely correct as to the water routeing in my setup. I just needed a way to incorporate my canister filter (which draws the water from my sump and then serves powers my RDSB system which gravity drains back to the sump).
 
Re: RDSB

Re: RDSB

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6350064#post6350064 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by prezioso73
Here are some attached Pics...


--I'm not seeing them. And I'd also like to see how you made this happen.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6339671#post6339671 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by guntercb

I think a wet/dry trickle filter would be awesome with a RDSB. You use the wet/dry to convert ammonia to nitrate and the RDSB to convert the nitrates. This was touched on above, but with no real thought. Any thoughts on this?



Thanks,
Chris


Chris,

I used a canister filter to power my setup but I don't think it has too much of a benefit over a setup like Awright uses (posted on page 7 of this thread) which just uses a powerhead. The reason is that the "food" for the RDSB denitrifying bacteria are the nitrates that are free in the water -- all water in the tank. In theory is seems like a nice idea to have the RDSB after the Wet/dry but I don't think it really makes much of a difference.

On the same topic, I'm not so sure that one would ever need to "maintain" the RDSB or have two RDSBs in the system so that one could be occasionally changed out. First reason being the bacteria would always have food in the source of the dissolved nitrates free in the water and second because the system will never be prone to a "crash" . . . provided it is built correctly (high flow, mechanically prefiltered water, etc.)
 
RDSB

RDSB

Here is the RDSB. Full of Southdown and suspended from my basement rafters. I had to because my sump is on a cabinet so I could not put it on the floor. Hope this thing works!
19738rdsb1.jpg

The other bucket is a filter from my display tank with phosban, carbon...
 
Re: RDSB

Re: RDSB

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6350161#post6350161 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by prezioso73
Here is the RDSB. Full of Southdown and suspended from my basement rafters. I had to because my sump is on a cabinet so I could not put it on the floor. Hope this thing works!
19738rdsb1.jpg

The other bucket is a filter from my display tank with phosban, carbon...

Is that being held by the bucket handle? If yes, that would scare the heck out of me as they are prone to come off. :D
 
I have a 5g bucket lying around I was going to use, but those grooves on the side of the bucket up near the top, make it hard to drill for a uni-seal. The uni-seal is just too big, so I end up having to drill way further down, losing a lot of volume. Anyone seen buckets that don't have those grooves, but are still as strong?
 
if you must drill further down, you can still use an elbow turned up with an extension ala stand-pipe (presuming the pipe diameter (hole drilled and piupe used) was big enough in the first place to quietly handle the flow put to it).
 
to save from an added pump would it be okay to plumb my skimmer return as the feed line for an in sump RDSB my plan is to just set the bucket beside my CSS 220 and allow the return to jsut drain into the bucket not straight down though i would hook some sort of piping so that the water went horizontally into the bucket not vertically
 
yes... it is my preference too to reduce the number of pumps used. Thus, the inline (gravity fed) RDSB is a fine idea to me. It's best/better if the water is processed in some way (skimmer here) to reduce the amount of particulates it may get.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6351334#post6351334 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by trmiv
I have a 5g bucket lying around I was going to use, but those grooves on the side of the bucket up near the top, make it hard to drill for a uni-seal. The uni-seal is just too big, so I end up having to drill way further down, losing a lot of volume. Anyone seen buckets that don't have those grooves, but are still as strong?

My pictures don't do it justice, but I put my bulkheads right in the middle of those grooves near the top. With a little effort, a razor blade, and some side cutters I was able to make short work of those groves. You can trim them flush and therefore not sacrifice any bucket depth.
 
I second what Bill said. I just cut the grooves off where I put the uniseal. An exactoknife or razor blade should be able to cut the groove with minimal effort, and you only need to remove enough to make the uniseal fit.
 
I used a Dremmel and cut off the groves. It worked so very nicely, I love this tool. You can use the cutting tool and then use the sander to smooth it all out.
 
OK one or few questions :
1. the buccket design I see in this tread, all have inlet at the top and outlet at the top, wouldnt be better doing it inlet at the top, otlet at the bottom , with slower water movement, few drops per second.
2.If using silica send(not all of us leave near the oceans :( ), would not it leachd over the time silica in the system causing diatom bloom?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6353788#post6353788 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by boris MAC
OK one or few questions :
1. the buccket design I see in this tread, all have inlet at the top and outlet at the top, wouldnt be better doing it inlet at the top, otlet at the bottom , with slower water movement, few drops per second.
2.If using silica send(not all of us leave near the oceans :( ), would not it leachd over the time silica in the system causing diatom bloom?

1. no-- its been proven to work this way-- a slow flow would allow detritus to settle in the sand and be pulled in-- you want a relatively high flow throught the bucket--this is not designed to be a 'live" sand bed-- you only desire the denitrifying bacteria to be alive in it

2. the risks of silica sands have been greatly exagerated as have the nuisance factor of diatoms--yes they aren't pretty but they are part of the food chain-- I couldn't tell you if silica actually causes diatoms--I have diatoms in my aragonite sand tank. the beauty of this setup is that you can remove it in 5 minutes.

regarding the accessibility of aragonite-- you can buy it online (I bought 120 pounds in june)-- figure about $1/pound shipped to your door.
 
Thanks Spuds, I belive well prefiltered water(like the canister is used before the bucket) will alow slow trought the bad denitrification, were in first inches off layer the oxygen will be consumed by nitrificators and the rest of the bad will act like dentrificatio bacteria bad.
The set up would function like coil denitrators,similiar. I'm looking for opinions before seting up.
Aragonit sand is hard to get online from were I'm located :).
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6355368#post6355368 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by boris MAC

Aragonit sand is hard to get online from were I'm located :).

I didn't notice your location-- good luck whichever route you go--

I'm setting one up the next week or so... nitrates are creeping up in my new tank.... I will likely be using some fine "silica" based sand based on its price and availablilty where I am.... no southdown, yardright, or "good" old castle near me.... I checked.

I'm setting up a loop off my sump with a MJ1200.
 
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