Isn't the point that no air gets to these bacteria so they become anaerobic and remove nitrtates, or am I thinking of something else? And also what would be some specific organisms you'd recommend for a freshwater remote deep same bed?ar0wan;4477289;4477289 said:
Remote deep sand bed for freshwater?
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For what it`s worth, $0.02 or less...
There is a reason these are predominantly used by "Reefers" and SW folk.
These guys would sell Granny if it could keep them from doing a water change.
Not saying it`s not applicable to the very large FW tanks, just that the more you get into the "nuts-n-bolts" of a deep sand bed, I think you will find easier methods to control nitrates exist.
There is a reason these are predominantly used by "Reefers" and SW folk.
These guys would sell Granny if it could keep them from doing a water change.
Not saying it`s not applicable to the very large FW tanks, just that the more you get into the "nuts-n-bolts" of a deep sand bed, I think you will find easier methods to control nitrates exist.
Well duhhhh regular water changes, that's a given. I'm talking about some type of system that removes nitrates more or less on it's own in addition to water changes, as no matter how many water changes you do, there will still be some amount of nitrate present.kallmond;4481120;4481120 said:
Yeah. I'm really sick of nitrates. I was test-running a nitrate coil but the snails I was using as bio-load crawled inside it and clogged it. *sigh* Plants don't seem to make much of a dent in all reality, either. Sand bed seems like 0 maintenance. Worth a shot, but I'm afraid of the toxic bubbles.
But if we aerate the water leaving the sand bed before returning it to the tank, it's all good. But how do we ensure that water actually gets through the sand to have its nitrAtes removed?
From what I've read, you just have to assume that the water is slowly diffusing throughout the sand, due to the fact that if it was flowing through any faster, there would probably be oxygenated water reaching that bottom, killing the anaerobic bacteria.knifegill;4481394;4481394 said:
Okay, after reading some sandbed literature, it seems most of it is geared toward having the sand bed in the tank itself. But I think it would be far simpler as a refugium. That would protect the snails and worms from predation while also allowing a degas period. This is really blowing my mind and I might try it instead of the scary denitrator coil. I already culture blackworm in light gravel so I could probably convert that 5 gallon tank into the refugium and use my sump overflow as a return.
How many inches of sand, really? I've seen 5.5" and I've seen 3". I would think 3" would be plenty, but could five inches house more anaerobes safely?
How many inches of sand, really? I've seen 5.5" and I've seen 3". I would think 3" would be plenty, but could five inches house more anaerobes safely?
