DSB in a bucket for nitrate control
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Herpervet
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Perhaps Anthony can comment but I would think that the light is a relativley minor issue. After all how much of the total surface area would be exposed in a 20 gallon tank for example? Just the walls of the tank and the surface.
Algae growing might be an issue as their dead remains could build up over time and muck up the situation.
Regarding the dsb in a bucket idea:
Here is an idea I came up with although I am sure others have thought of it before me. (ever notice that truely original ideas are very rare....usually you can find someone who tried out an idea decades before.... I love to digress.....)
Anyway the idea was to set up a compartmented dsb in a grid fashion. Lets say 12 compartments. After a maturation period (1 to 2 years) you would simply remove the sand from one compartment every 2 or 3 months and replace with fresh sand.
12 compartments X 2 months= 24months.
So here is a way to maintain a dsb at an age of about 3 to 4 years effective age and perhaps avoid the eventual "crash" from severe nutrient build up.
This way you export the nutrient sink and get the whole benefit of a dsb.
There might not even be a need to pre-filter the water as you simply throw out the sand to export any retained sludge etc.
I may try out this method using the buckets in my 150 gallon rubber-maid sump. I think I can fit eight 5 gallon buckets in my sump and let the water simply flow over them.
My system is a 560 gallon main display with a 150 gallon sump and 500 gallon cistern for added "ballast" water.
The question is whether eight 5 gallon buckets of sand is enough for a system of this size?
Thoughts?
Algae growing might be an issue as their dead remains could build up over time and muck up the situation.
Regarding the dsb in a bucket idea:
Here is an idea I came up with although I am sure others have thought of it before me. (ever notice that truely original ideas are very rare....usually you can find someone who tried out an idea decades before.... I love to digress.....)
Anyway the idea was to set up a compartmented dsb in a grid fashion. Lets say 12 compartments. After a maturation period (1 to 2 years) you would simply remove the sand from one compartment every 2 or 3 months and replace with fresh sand.
12 compartments X 2 months= 24months.
So here is a way to maintain a dsb at an age of about 3 to 4 years effective age and perhaps avoid the eventual "crash" from severe nutrient build up.
This way you export the nutrient sink and get the whole benefit of a dsb.
There might not even be a need to pre-filter the water as you simply throw out the sand to export any retained sludge etc.
I may try out this method using the buckets in my 150 gallon rubber-maid sump. I think I can fit eight 5 gallon buckets in my sump and let the water simply flow over them.
My system is a 560 gallon main display with a 150 gallon sump and 500 gallon cistern for added "ballast" water.
The question is whether eight 5 gallon buckets of sand is enough for a system of this size?
Thoughts?
Anthony Calfo
New member
yep... as Herpvet thinks/thought:
lighting the DSB or not is a relatively minor issue... and we usually do not illuminate it as a practical matter.
one of the nice things about any such remote DSB is that without illumination from the display lamps, the remote DSB need not incur the "issues" (need for bioturbation) that we suffer in display DSBs for diatom growth on the sand, if nothing else.
No benefot and little harm/inconvenience to illuminate the remote DSB.
lighting the DSB or not is a relatively minor issue... and we usually do not illuminate it as a practical matter.
one of the nice things about any such remote DSB is that without illumination from the display lamps, the remote DSB need not incur the "issues" (need for bioturbation) that we suffer in display DSBs for diatom growth on the sand, if nothing else.
No benefot and little harm/inconvenience to illuminate the remote DSB.
captbunzo
Premium Member
I would recommend you check back to the first page and read about the second post. Anthony tells about a LFS who used a 55G aquarium to implement this strategy for about a 2000G system. Reduced nitrates to near zero.
I am going to have to work this into the tanks that I am involved with. Sounds like a neat plan!
It also occurs to me that for smaller tanks, an unlit HOT refugium or something like that could work well, also...
I am going to have to work this into the tanks that I am involved with. Sounds like a neat plan!
It also occurs to me that for smaller tanks, an unlit HOT refugium or something like that could work well, also...
captbunzo
Premium Member
http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/listings.subsections/sid/34
You don't need a lot of flow. The uniseals on the bulkheads page might not be a bad option...
You don't need a lot of flow. The uniseals on the bulkheads page might not be a bad option...
KEstep
Premium Member
Buckets
Buckets
I think I may have found a really good bucket to use for the DSB. My convern was possibly overflowing the bucket if the fittings were not right or if something were to somehow plug up the return line. However these buckets create a seal at the top and no leaks should happen. Just curious what you guys might think. Here is the link, they are the gamma seal buckets.
http://www.baproducts.com/pails.htm
Buckets
I think I may have found a really good bucket to use for the DSB. My convern was possibly overflowing the bucket if the fittings were not right or if something were to somehow plug up the return line. However these buckets create a seal at the top and no leaks should happen. Just curious what you guys might think. Here is the link, they are the gamma seal buckets.
http://www.baproducts.com/pails.htm
Herpervet
New member
captbunzo said:
I tend to feel the same way however if everything else is right then diatoms shouldn't be a problem. i.e. other nutrients will still be a limiting factor.
I think its been proven that silica doesn't automatically lead to issues with diatom blooms.
On the other hand there was an article (I forget where) that showed indeed silica does dissolve from the silica sand when it had been claimed it did not.
Either way many folks use it without problems apparently.
The beauty is you can always take it out.
Anthony Calfo
New member
I do enjoy being correct sometimes 
Very, very happy for you my friend!
Indeed... a DSB bucket is soooo cheap and easy to install. At worst, its harmless and not helpful for severe nitrate issues... and very little wasted money (compared to the oh-so-many other ways we waste money as reef-keepers on silly products, livestock without QT, etc.).
but for so many folks with typical bioloads... it really is a very helpful way to reduce nitrate simply.
Very, very happy for you my friend!
Indeed... a DSB bucket is soooo cheap and easy to install. At worst, its harmless and not helpful for severe nitrate issues... and very little wasted money (compared to the oh-so-many other ways we waste money as reef-keepers on silly products, livestock without QT, etc.).
but for so many folks with typical bioloads... it really is a very helpful way to reduce nitrate simply.
A.G
New member
Anthony, I became a stong believer in DSB.
I still can't believe it , after all that time struggling with elevated Nitrate it took me only 5$ to fix the problem?
trmiv,
I tryed to take some photos to help you with your DSB bucket.Nothing fancy.
<img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/AhmedGh/DSC00212.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com">
A.G
I still can't believe it , after all that time struggling with elevated Nitrate it took me only 5$ to fix the problem?
trmiv,
I tryed to take some photos to help you with your DSB bucket.Nothing fancy.
<img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/AhmedGh/DSC00212.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com">
A.G
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