I am setting up a system with an anaerobic chamber that can be operated wet, wet/dry, or aerobically if all fails. Does anyone have any experience with one. I have had a hard time finding detailed info on them. It will operate in a system with three twenty gallon tanks and a wet/dry filter.
Anaerobic Chamber, need info
- Thread starter CHOMPERS
- Start date
I'm not sure what you mean by an "anaerobic chamber", but a deep sand bed (DSB) does provide an anaerobic environment. You could do this in a tank, or here's a different idea..
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=595109
You could also try DIY a dinitrator ... although the feasibility of doing this is still being debated on MFK
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=595109
You could also try DIY a dinitrator ... although the feasibility of doing this is still being debated on MFK
Thanks for the info and the link. That is what I am looking for. I have the thing already installed and mostly plumbed. I have been culturing some bio-balls in a sealed container with the goo that I cleaned out of a filter. I will post some results here when it is up and running.
Thanks again,
Ron
Thanks again,
Ron
Although this is something that I've just researched and haven't done (yet) from what I know, it's important that the water entering the anaerobic chamber has no dissolved oxygen.
Do a search a coiled denitrator. The water is passed downward through many coils of thin tubing before entering the anaerobic chamber. Normal aerobic bacteric colonize the coils, performing their usual functions (ammonia to nitrite, nitrite to nitrate) which use up the oxygen. When the water enters the bottom of the chamber ... it's oxygen free!
Sorry for being a little long winded ... this is also something new for me so I'm also still learning
I've also been trying to do something like this as well. Someone posted the coil method before.
JardiniBoy: in that link you posted using the DSB method it doesn't mention anything about the water coming into the buckets having no oxygen. I think the point of the DSB is that the water right at the bottom of the bucket doesn't ever change so anaerobic bacteria is formed that way. I think in the case of using DSB to accomplish anaerobic conditions it doesn't matter if the water has oxygen in it. However if you use the coil method it is very important.
JardiniBoy: in that link you posted using the DSB method it doesn't mention anything about the water coming into the buckets having no oxygen. I think the point of the DSB is that the water right at the bottom of the bucket doesn't ever change so anaerobic bacteria is formed that way. I think in the case of using DSB to accomplish anaerobic conditions it doesn't matter if the water has oxygen in it. However if you use the coil method it is very important.
You're absolutely correct!
I'm sorry if what I said was misleading. The coil denitrator works as per above. A DSB needs moderate flow over it's surface of normal tank water. As the water seeps through the top layers of the DSB, the oxygen is used up by the aerobic bacteria. Further down, the anaerobic bacteria starts doing it's thing ... that's why it's important for DSB to be quite thick - at least 4", but preferrably more.
This is my sump for my 550 gallon, on the far right the water returns through 2" perforated pipe that is submerged providing extra aeration pre bio balls.
Hey Chompers...Seems your not alone.. Even I'm making one. Problem is mines so big and it takes 6-8 weeks to see any benifit...I'm just impatient.
Wish I could find tubing that was ruff on the inside (I tried sandblasting some, eh..) for the coil type de-nitrater, seems the aerobic bacteria would grow faster if it could get a better foot hold. Thought about using the recycled soaker hose. Maybe I could fill the tubing with tiny bioballs... anyway I got another idea for that one.
Don't understand the 'or aerobically if all else fails'?
Consider how nature does it in a sand bottomed stream.
Years ago (30+) I read that you could purify water if you just ran it over/thru a 100ft sand bed...wish I could find that reference now, but that was in the days of books.
Have you tried referencing sewage processing? After all thats what we're doing. Alot of it is proprietary stuff so you have to read manufacturers sites and add it all up.
And inhale...
