luckybaker4
New member
Whoa whoa whoa, I thought Randy said that you only need 8 inches. I've read all 40 pages, but I must not remember the talk of 18-20 inches.
Is a bucket even that deep?
DSB in a bucket for nitrate control
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Whoa whoa whoa, I thought Randy said that you only need 8 inches. I've read all 40 pages, but I must not remember the talk of 18-20 inches.
Is a bucket even that deep?
luckybaker4
New member
I started re-reading all 40 pages and found this on the second page... He is reporting 0 nitrates.
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=5658034#post5658034 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by A.G
am using pump rated for 250gph.Sand is about 10-11" deep
luckybaker4
New member
An update from him, this is with 10"
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=5914990#post5914990 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by A.G
Hey,
Its been over a month now since I installed the DSB bcuket. I added 2 more fish to my system and stoped doing water changes to see how effective this thing is.
Nitrate : undetectable
Its really one of the best thing I have done so far to my 80g.
A.G
sorry, i meant to say 18-20 inches MAX
posted on top of page 39:
The 8" is the minimum depth that you want to start becoming effective. A DSB is technically 4" or deeper in tank, but you see better results at 8"+ minimum but you get diminishing returns after 18-20"
does that make more sense?
posted on top of page 39:
The 8" is the minimum depth that you want to start becoming effective. A DSB is technically 4" or deeper in tank, but you see better results at 8"+ minimum but you get diminishing returns after 18-20"
does that make more sense?
luckybaker4
New member
Gotcha, makes sense. I just bought a garbage pail last night for about 11" of sand and I was getting a bit worried 
I just finished reading all 40 pages and I deserve a t-shirt.
Took me a week.
Here is my FAQ for the thread.
Q. What if I ........?
A: Then you would ruin everything. Address it in another thread.
Q. Can I ..........?\
A. No you can't.
Q. I don't know if this was asked before but........?
A. Yes it was, read the thread.
Took me a week.
Here is my FAQ for the thread.
Q. What if I ........?
A: Then you would ruin everything. Address it in another thread.
Q. Can I ..........?\
A. No you can't.
Q. I don't know if this was asked before but........?
A. Yes it was, read the thread.
man this is a long thread, but a good one!
Ok Im going to try one of these buckets o sand on my 58g reef. Ive tried all i can, lots of live rock(up to about 120+ lbs now) macro algea and even rock rubble in the trickle section of the sump still getting nitrates in the 20's.
Now I have a few questions. I can get sand from the beach(mostly crushed shell's grains about 1-3mm) Can i use this sand? Can I just use this right away or should i rinse it out first? Should i get wet or dry sand?
Secondly, I have a carbon/phosgard reactor that is run off a maxijet 1200, can I run the bucket off the output of this?, seems like the output of 200ish gph would be enough to keep crud from settling out and the reactor before hand would catch 90% of it anyway, but I just want to make sure running it through this stuff isnt a problem.
And I never really saw an answer for this one, but how long is the average time it takes for these to start showing effects? 2-4 weeks?
and lastly, I would plan on changing it out evey year or so, would I have to totally trash the sand and get new, or could i rinse the sand out with freash water and reuse it?
thanks
Ok Im going to try one of these buckets o sand on my 58g reef. Ive tried all i can, lots of live rock(up to about 120+ lbs now) macro algea and even rock rubble in the trickle section of the sump still getting nitrates in the 20's.
Now I have a few questions. I can get sand from the beach(mostly crushed shell's grains about 1-3mm) Can i use this sand? Can I just use this right away or should i rinse it out first? Should i get wet or dry sand?
Secondly, I have a carbon/phosgard reactor that is run off a maxijet 1200, can I run the bucket off the output of this?, seems like the output of 200ish gph would be enough to keep crud from settling out and the reactor before hand would catch 90% of it anyway, but I just want to make sure running it through this stuff isnt a problem.
And I never really saw an answer for this one, but how long is the average time it takes for these to start showing effects? 2-4 weeks?
and lastly, I would plan on changing it out evey year or so, would I have to totally trash the sand and get new, or could i rinse the sand out with freash water and reuse it?
thanks
I don't think beach sand is a good idea at all, unless you are in some tropical area with very low population (I don't think Ga. qualifies).
People are basically filthy animals, and nearly anything we touch, is fouled from that point forward. I would not trust beach sand, we have already ruined it.
People are basically filthy animals, and nearly anything we touch, is fouled from that point forward. I would not trust beach sand, we have already ruined it.
kenbennedy
New member
beach sand
beach sand
even if the beach is remote and human trash free, there are plenty of animals on the beach that deposit their own little "presents," none of which you would want in your tank, I wouldnt want a bird pooping in my sand
beach sand
even if the beach is remote and human trash free, there are plenty of animals on the beach that deposit their own little "presents," none of which you would want in your tank, I wouldnt want a bird pooping in my sand
it's not about living things in the beach sand, it's about polution. stuff in the sand will decompose or leech, causing your levels to rise. the point of a DSB is to reduce levels. it's not good to add more into the system taht it will have to overcome
sand is cheap. You don't have to have any special kind. $5/bag play sand at HD will do just fine. you'd probably only need one bag...two at most for a 5G bucket
as for rinse and reuse, you have to worry about stirring up the bad stuff that stays at the bottom of a sand bed. here again, sand is cheap so you could just start over. Might even want to run the two simultaneously for a month or two so that the new bucket can get seeded and you aren't just removing all the anerobic bacteria at one time.
sand is cheap. You don't have to have any special kind. $5/bag play sand at HD will do just fine. you'd probably only need one bag...two at most for a 5G bucket
as for rinse and reuse, you have to worry about stirring up the bad stuff that stays at the bottom of a sand bed. here again, sand is cheap so you could just start over. Might even want to run the two simultaneously for a month or two so that the new bucket can get seeded and you aren't just removing all the anerobic bacteria at one time.
This thread was automatically split due to performance issues. You can find the rest of the thread here: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=896352
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