Can we put sand back in our tanks???

Atticus · #1 10/27/2006, 02:10 AM

Here is a thread discussing DeNitrators. Anyone in Iowa using one yet? Anyone thinking about getting one?

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...&pagenumber=11

dascharisma · #2 10/28/2006, 09:58 AM

I installed one a few weeks ago on a tank I take care of. I am using the smallest Korallin unit on a 125 bb with a 30 gallon sump. The unit does reduce nitrate. I have no clue whether or not it will be a good long term solution for those battling nitrate, but I am happy to be able to test one without jeopardizing my own tank. My only current complaint about the unit is that air gets trapped at the top of the chamber. If you allow the trapped air to accumulate for a week, the unit would stop working.

It will be a few more weeks before I will know for sure if the small korallin unit will be large enough to handle a very dirty 125. In my opinion the rationale of using one of these units on a bb tank will dissapear if a large and expensive unit is necessary. Essentially in a bb tank the only purpose of one of these reactors is to make up the slack of an undersized/underperforming skimmer. I don't have any experience with these units in a tank with a sand bed.

Brad

matt the fiddler · #3 10/28/2006, 10:22 AM

I am testing a 1 gallon bottle with sand filled with a water supply to the top in my 75 gallon bare bottom. I know it is on the small side.. but I am testing. 2 weeks into it. My hair algae is all but gone after over skimming for a while.. we will see how this helps it hold up.

not bad for a max of a $15 investment.

I feed it from post skimmer water, that many times has gone through a sock.

FYI don't waste money on a comerical unit when a home one works as well, and you can pick your own size. Just fill a 5 gallon bucket with sand, run water to only the surface from a clean feed [filtered or post skimmered], and let enough current so there is no place for crap to settle, but not enough to stir it up.. as long as the bottom sand can't get oxygen, and the crap won't settle in it and rot- it will last years and drop the nitrates for probably up to 300 gallons.

matt the fiddler · #4 10/28/2006, 10:25 AM

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...hreadid=896352

dascharisma · #5 10/28/2006, 10:57 AM

Matt,
The Korallin unit that I installed uses a sulfur media. Are the results the same with just plain sand? In addition, the Korallin unit is recirculating. Is this a useless feature?
And just for clarification, what did you mean when you said, "2 weeks into it. My hair algae is all but gone after over skimming for a while." Did overskimming solve or cause your HA problem?

Brad

matt the fiddler · #6 10/28/2006, 11:06 AM

over skimming, barebottom, and cooking cured my hair algae.
i could not cook all my rock because of coral/ zoas on it- and that rock is 99% better now

I am trying the sand deal, as i still detect some nitrates. I dont' want any. I want full coral coloration form my corals [they are brown now].

in terms of reducing nitrates, you do not want recirculating! that will kill the process. The denitrifying layer works only in lack of oxygen. putting fresh water in will essentially feed fresh 02 to the unit- making it useless.

anything will do. normal sand, silicone sand. though the smaller particles the better. Silicone sand has sharp edges, and was not recommended as much as southdown, plus you loose the buffer potential of it. Also with this situation, you don' t need to stir it, or have it kept alive by creatures. you only really need the bacteria, and that will migrate into the bucket from a healthy tank.

that thread is a marathon read, but one of the best threads I have read in the last year on here.start back at the pre-split thread at the background. Much research is cited and eric B speaks a lot around the thread.

FYI- There was a petstore with a 4000+ system that filled a 55 gallon tank up with sand, and nitrates hit zero in a month or two.

matt the fiddler · #7 10/28/2006, 11:09 AM

oh yea- for mine, I used southdown from my old sandbed [has been dry for 2+ years].. I washed it out very well first.... There has been much succes with people doing this- many people report 0 nitrates for the first time after trying for years by sinking $1000s into big skimmers and other means. and the beauty is it only costs $15-$20

the key is to keep anything from settling in the top layer of this "remote deep sand bed".. thus post skimmer water, and keep enough flow in the surface of the bed to keep items from setteling, and going down to rot. The depth of the bed is the key, and it will wick the nitrates and process them in the darkness.

Does the media you used pull the nitrates via chemical reaction?

Atticus · #8 10/28/2006, 12:03 PM

Ok, quick clarification time....

Korallin sulfur reactor needs recirculation to funtion well as it uses a media to remove nitrate.

Sand buckets rely on denitrifying bacteria to lower nitrate levels and should not be disturbed. Denitrifying bacteria also requires a anerobic condition.

Another great option for denitrification is the RO tube method. You take a full 100 foot roll of RO tubing and run water through it very slowly. We used this method with our breeding setups. There are plenty of articles on this site in the breeding forum. This method is cheap and easy with very little area used.

matt the fiddler · #9 10/28/2006, 03:18 PM

double .. sorry

matt the fiddler · #10 10/28/2006, 03:20 PM

OK yea. there were people who were trying to use sand in reactors like the korallin or an old calcium reactor. in that thread i posted, and that was what i was thinking of.

So why pay $500 + media, when $20 [sand and a bucket will do the trick] a 12 inch deep sandbed will eat nitrates alive

more biology, less technology!

Covey · #11 10/28/2006, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by matt the fiddler
more biology, less technology!

You of all people

"75 black BB Aquacontrolled SPS, bullet II on a panworld 150, 2x tunze 6000, OM 4 way, 1 400W AB10K , 1 250W XM20K. sps and zoo tank with an 80x turnover"

Sand is evil. Long live Berlin.