I don't have any container measurement against flow rate info for you but I've read that 3' high is what you need to have an effective ammonia degassing. It has a lot to do with flow rate of water. The lower the water flow the more effective it is as a "denitrator"(but NOT really a denitrator). The idea is to have enough time for the bacteria to change it from ammonia to nitrite and these process produces soluble gas that produces nitrates when disolved in water. That is where the slow flow rate comes in, there will be more air in the container and your aiming to have this gasseous product not to be dissolved in water but instead be blown off/degassed. That is why it is also important that your air flows through your container otherwise it will just be like a submerged media. I've read some experiments which resulted to low nitrates at low flow rates and when they increases the flow rate nitrates went up again. That is the disadvantage of wet-dry with the aim of using it as a "denitrator". it will have to be massive to be effective. It is NOT a denitrator because it didn't breakdown any nitrates it just prevented it from being produced and I don't think any enearobic bacteria or "nitrate eating bacteria" can ever ever survive in a wet-dry filter.
More Bio Tower ?s
- Thread starter DB junkie
- Start date
I actually built one about 5 years ago on my 4L X2W X3H acrylic tank that I built. The entire back of the tank from the top of tank all the way to the bottom of the stand (about 5' high) are 10 - 2" pipes running downwards filled with bioballs. Water overflows from top of tank and goes through a "canal", actually an aluminum shaped like a "U". and my 10 pipes are hooked up in the bottom of the U canal. This canal distributes the overflow water to the 10 pipes. Water trickles down inside the 10 pipes and the bottom of the pipes are hooked together by "T" joints then goes to my sump. I drilled holes in these pipes to degass nitric and nitrous oxide. I even have copper pipes about 1.5" long glued to these holes and slanted upwards so that the water trickling inside the pipe will not spill out. I even had the plan to have air pump tube inserted in these pipes to help in the degassing but for some reason I never got into it. It was an effective filter system that limits the nitrates.
I have always had some sort of extra airflow around my external open filtration...I do believe that's why the BakkI style shower, works so well...DB junkie;2711661; said:
Airstones couldn't hurt...
I always run air up through my towers as well.... But there's a big difference between "running some air" as in 4 18in Bubble bars, and "running a rediculous amount" as in 5CFM through 50-100 airstones.
I'm guessing bubble size is going to make a huge difference here as well........ Like actually using aqua culture grade fine mist bars as oposed to the cheapo chain store bars.......
Seems like there's a disadvantage for every advantage. Maybe I'll just go with a dozen AC 110s......LOL
I'm guessing bubble size is going to make a huge difference here as well........ Like actually using aqua culture grade fine mist bars as oposed to the cheapo chain store bars.......
Seems like there's a disadvantage for every advantage. Maybe I'll just go with a dozen AC 110s......LOL
