DSB in a bucket for nitrate control - Page 6

Alan Strauss · #**126** 10/16/2006, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Alan Strauss
Ok I guess, last week’s reading was a flook, today Nitrate level was back up to 10. You all have said the RDSB would kick in after a few weeks. I really didn't understand last week’s readings; I thought that maybe the bacteria in the live sand had done its thing with the nitrates.

Alan

J_Geisinger000 · #**127** 10/18/2006, 06:23 PM

I just set up my remote dsb in a 5 gallon bucket for my 90 gallon bb

I used argonite reef sand (new not live)
how long till I start to see a drop in trates?

Alan Strauss · #**128** 10/18/2006, 06:48 PM

You set yours up about a week after I did. Mine showed immediate results but then back to where I started. From what I have read in the thread it should start showing up after 3 to 4 weeks. Yours will have to propigate some bacteria so mabe a little longer.

Alan

lakee911 · #**129** 10/20/2006, 11:17 AM

Has anyone tried a Fort-Pak container like the one shown here?

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/pro...uct%5Fid=11950

I've thought about trying one out, but I'm not sure how they would work out. The could probably be pressurized if you didn't want to gravity feed.

I'm not sure if there would be much to gain by not having any air in the container at all. I know incoming water would have DO but maybe it would help.

Jason

nautilus808 · #**130** 10/20/2006, 03:41 PM

I have a similar setup. There are pics of it on this thread about 2-3 pages back. I feel safer having a sealed system. I dont think the lack of air space would make any difference. With your container, perhaps you could but a bulkehead in the cap and connect a hose to the vent on the other end.

DrBDC · #**131** 10/20/2006, 04:13 PM

edit

Hella · #**132** 10/21/2006, 04:28 PM

Well now reading 46 pages over the last 2 weeks I will be installing a RDSB in a 20 long for my 125 reef with a 75 for my sump-fuge. Should end up with about 8-10 of sand and 360sq in so I should be looking good for my size tank. it will be getting flow from a Mag3 with only 2-3 feet of head on it with a spraybar. I also have the Lifereef VS3-60 skimmer to help.

Thanks to all of the guys that have been posting to this for the last year it has been very helpful

EnderG60 · #**133** 10/21/2006, 05:00 PM

Week 9 update

nitrates are back in the 30-40 range and now my phosphates are at .5mg/l

Since my nitrate problem started about 4 months ago ive lost my angle, my mandarine and alot of snails. every other peramiter in the tank is perfect all my corals and the rest of my fish seem great as far as i can tell.(aside from the lack of growth and sps turning unhappy colors)

I have been doing 30% water changes every two weeks, and there is no more detritus to blow off any rocks anywhere. Nothing seems to work...i simply cant figure it out.

Other info :
58g tank 400w 20k xm halide
120+lbs of rock in the tank and fuge
1 lb of cheato in fuge
about 30lbs of 3year old live sand in tank
Big custom made skimmer
mag 7 return
Maxijet 1200 and 900 with hydro for flow

Top off is RODI water(TDS 0) with reef buffer, reef trace and reef plus added by float switch

Water changes done with same RODI and Maramix tropic marine salt(that sweet german stuff)

vikubz · #**134** 10/21/2006, 05:53 PM

If everything looks good, maybe your test kit is old or inaccurate.

EnderG60 · #**135** 10/21/2006, 05:56 PM

nope tested it all with the stuff at work and got the same results

nautilus808 · #**136** 10/21/2006, 10:51 PM

High Nitrates would not kill your fish

euphylius · #**137** 10/22/2006, 04:42 AM

I had nearly zero nitrates, but problems with cyano. Some SPS corals did't have good coloration. Because of cyano I fed less and growth was slow.

Then I installed DI unit and RDSB. Now I'm feeding more, including microalgae.

Cyano are gone, coloration is good, corals are growing faster.

lakee911 · #**138** 10/23/2006, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by nautilus808
High Nitrates would not kill your fish

May not kill immediately, but how would you like to be stuck in a room full of smoke for the rest of your life? The stress can cause the fish to be more suseptible to other dieseases and shorten their life. Most people like to create the best conditions possible for their tank.

What are your nitrates?

Jason

EnderG60 · #**139** 10/23/2006, 09:06 AM

trates are 30-40 as listed above, and i know they arnt directly responsible for my deaths, but it didnt help. I know my angle died of a swing bladder infection, snails I suspect died due to lack of food(no alge but coraline and brown in the tank for a LONG TIME) but the mandarin im still at a loss over.

but either way, im still having a nitrate problem i cant figure out.

Spuds725 · #**140** 10/23/2006, 09:52 AM

Is your chaeto growing and your skimmer skimming good??

my guess is you have some deaths occuring in your rock (maybe you had some nocturnal hitch hikers that you don't know about)-- and this is feeding your nitrates-- if this is the case then they should pass eventually...

It wouldn't hurt to intermittently bump up your circulation and blow out your rock with a powerhead and see if you stir up anything into the water column to filter/skim out.

EnderG60 · #**141** 10/23/2006, 05:26 PM

cheato actually doesnt seem to be growing, I had it on a 24/7 lighting and just a few weeks ago set it to a reverse light cycle. I was thinking of adding some calurpa. Skimmer skims very well.

I blow off the rocks every water change, and nothing more then usuall "dust" comes off

96p993 · #**142** 10/25/2006, 05:23 PM

Thoughts on this please....

Thanks

vikubz · #**143** 10/25/2006, 07:14 PM

It needs to go to skimmer then to dsb. The main point is to avoid any detritus getting into the sand which would become a nitrate factory.

Mark

dstalfire · #**144** 10/26/2006, 10:04 AM

I just added 250 pounds of pulverized limestone into a 50 gallon basket. This is for my 175 gallon reef tank, and my question is how much flow do I want across it? I have around 500 gph over it now, is that too much?

nautilus808 · #**145** 10/26/2006, 01:28 PM

You want enough flow so basically nothing is settling on the sand. Hard to say if 500 gph is enough with out knowing the dimensions of the basket. Maybe a spray bar would help disperse the flow evenly.

matt the fiddler · #**146** 10/28/2006, 10:31 AM

"Fort-Pak"

i almost used mine. it will work fine if you are careful to engineer it. the plus is the screw threads allows you to put a nipple on the lid.

96p993 · #**147** 10/28/2006, 11:40 AM

So when comparing the RDSB to a Fuge does this make a fuge not needed anymore. Im not talking about the growing of pods and other little creatures for your tank. Im strictly talking about the consumption of the "bad" stuff....Yes that is technical talk!!

lllosingit · #**148** 10/28/2006, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by EnderG60
cheato actually doesnt seem to be growing, I had it on a 24/7 lighting and just a few weeks ago set it to a reverse light cycle. I was thinking of adding some calurpa. Skimmer skims very well.

I blow off the rocks every water change, and nothing more then usuall "dust" comes off

What sand did you use for your RDSB? Was it very fine, fine, medium, coarse???

EnderG60 · #**149** 10/28/2006, 12:41 PM

its pretty fine, not quite sugar fine, with some crushed shells mixed in

lllosingit · #**150** 10/28/2006, 02:34 PM

Depending how much crushed coral you have mixed in and how coarse the sand is will make a big difference, If it not fine enough then you won't have an anaerobic area needed to process the nitrates. DSB required fine sand to function, I don't see where this would be any different.
This may or may not be your problem.
EDIT: I tried finding an old article by R Shimek but had no luck, In the article he talk about the size of the substrate needed for a deep sand bed to function, Anyone else know where to find that information?

Quote:

Originally posted by EnderG60
its pretty fine, not quite sugar fine, with some crushed shells mixed in