Idea for Nitrate reduction - feedback wanted

[jefathome]

One of the main ways that reefers can reduce nitrates in our systems is through the use of a DSB. Not everyone likes the look, has the space, or has issues with sand blowing everywhere becasue of high flow. Whatever the reason, I think that I have a novel solution.

DSB - Tubes

What if you filled some PVC tubes with sand and then drilled a series of holes in them to allow modest amounts of exposed surface area, but way less than what you get from a regular sand bed. Heck, you could even go 3D on this and make multiple layers.

Obviously a completely enclosed PVC tube (capped on ends) will not let ANY water/O2 in. If you drill a small hole then that allows a small amount of "exchange" at the site of the hole, but the further from the hole you go, the less O2 is avialble, and an Anoxic region forms. So by this theory, you could drill small holes at regular intervals to limit O2 exposure, build Anoxic zones and remove nitrates in a much smaller area than you would need iwth a regular DSB.

Thoughts?

I may play around with some prototypes so I can experiment with hole size and quantity. The trick is to have anoxic zones AND enough holes to allow adequate exposure.

 

[KarlBob]

Re: Idea for Nitrate reduction - feedback wanted

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15742093#post15742093 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jefathome
I may play around with some prototypes so I can experiment with hole size and quantity. The trick is to have anoxic zones AND enough holes to allow adequate exposure.

AND to have holes that allow water exposure but don't allow all of the sand to escape the tubes. After a couple of weeks, a bacterial film should build up that will help retain the sand, but when you first put this system in the tank, random drifts of current may pull some of the sand out.

Neat idea. Would you put this in a sump/fuge, or would you hide it behind/under live rock in your display tank?

 

[rickb]

Some dude did this and also made a drain and said nasty stuff started coming out after a month. I looked but cant find the thread.

 

[wayne in norway]

I don't think this is going to work very well. You need to get some water in and out else nothing much is going to happen, and diffusion thro' a few little holes ain't going to do much.

 

[jason21]

I had HIGH Nitrates for years,PUT Caluerpa in my sump and out a standard light bulb on it. 30 days later, nitrates at 0. Total cost = less than $20.00

 

[reefstew]

I agree with Jason, put the light on a timer to come on at night & go off the next morning. I also use egg crate to keep it away from the return pump.

 

[Jar*Head]

I also have high nitrates due to heavy load of fish so i put a DSB in my sump compartment and roughtly around 150lbs of live rock in 48x40 area with Caulerpa, Chaeto and Mangrove. In less than 3 weeks my NO3 read 0.00 per Elos NO3 test kit. My PO4 also drop as well.

 

[SpencerG]

I had HIGH Nitrates for years,PUT Caluerpa in my sump and out a standard light bulb on it. 30 days later, nitrates at 0. Total cost = less than $20.00

Ditto. I was fighting the dreaded hair algae for a long time. I put a sump in, along with some chaeto and a cheapo Home Depo clip-on light with a daylight CF twisty bulb, and voila! No nitrates! The hair algae is finally gone as well, and reefing is fun again. I also got a sand-sifting gobie, and the sand is white as a Destin beach in there. Two changes have made a world of difference.

You may want to go the algae scrubber route with chaeto or caulerpa instead - natural reduction of nitrate, phosphate, etc. and home to pods and other critters. Some hippy will probably figure out a way to recycle excess chaeto & caulerpa into something useful, like clothing or ultra-chic grasscloth.

That's the road easier taken. You may want to give your idea a shot - most of the methods we use have come about through trial and error. Good luck!

 

[KarlBob]

I also got a sand-sifting gobie, and the sand is white as a Destin beach in there.

I know exactly what you mean by that, having spent time in Galveston, Texas and coastal Mississippi.

A quick explanation for East- and West-Coast-dwellers: the near-shore water off the US Gulf Coast west of Destin, Florida is dominated by the unbelievable silt load of the Mississippi River. From Alabama to Texas, seeing your hand in front of your face underwater is a rare event. The sand is no cleaner than the water, usually smelling of petrochemicals and anaerobic decay. If you want bulletproof fish, the Gulf Coast is the place to find them.

 

[SpencerG]

Adding to KarlBob's insight, here's a visual tour starting in Mississippi:

Going further east, here's the coast at Dauphin Island, Alabama:

And, finally, you get to Destin, Florida:

The picture from Destin really doesn't do it justice - the sand is a brilliant white, and the water is turquoise and green. Awesome!

Even around coastal Louisiana and Mississippi, you can hit clear water after you go some miles out, and folks dive the rigs out there in addition to fishing.