Denitrator?

[ShipMate]

the 3 to 4" DSB in my tank does not seem to be kicking in yet, the nitrate levels remaining elevated (>50). decreased feedings and addition of caulerpa to the sump didnt make any difference. rest of parameters are fine. I am now seriously considering a denitrator. either coil or block types DIY. Any advice/experience appreciated!

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One of those pumps must be hooked to my wallet..

[Ninong]

Hi ShipMate, welcome to Reefland! [img]/ubb/biggrin.gif[/img]

How long have you had your 3-4" deep sand bed and exactly what did you use to construct it? In other words, is it a very fine particle size sand? And have you added polychaete worms and such to keep it active?

Regards,

Ninong [img]/ubb/smile.gif[/img]

P.S. - Moved to Reef Aquariums forum.

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Irrational Exuberance!

[Ninong]

^

[MarkS]

I don't think that anyone will reply to this as long as it has a moved icon shown in the forum.

Mark

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How come when you talk to God it is called prayer, but when God talks to you it is called schizophrenia?

[Ninong]

You did.

[MarkS]

[img]/ubb/rolleyes.gif[/img]

Only because you were able to bump it up and you should not be able to do that with a moved post.....[img]/ubb/wink2.gif[/img] I figured that something is not right. Anyway....

Mark

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How come when you talk to God it is called prayer, but when God talks to you it is called schizophrenia?

[This message has been edited by MarkS (edited 05-21-2001).]

[Ninong]

Are you hearing voices again. [img]/ubb/tongue.gif[/img]

[MarkS]

OK, now replying to his post...

Merely adding caulerpa to a tank will not solve a nitrate problem. They absorb dissolved nutrients, i.e., nitrates, and feed off of this. You need to prune is from the tank to see any effect.

Also, how long has your tank been set up? This is probably just a part of the cycle and will disappear in a couple of weeks.

Another note. DSB's take up to six months or longer to mature.

HTH,
Mark

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How come when you talk to God it is called prayer, but when God talks to you it is called schizophrenia?

[MarkS]

Originally posted by Ninong:
Are you hearing voices again. [img]/ubb/tongue.gif[/img]

The effects of alcohol and power. Sad.

I mean in reference to Ninong. [img]/ubb/embarass.gif[/img]

Mark [img]/ubb/biggrin.gif[/img]

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How come when you talk to God it is called prayer, but when God talks to you it is called schizophrenia?

[This message has been edited by MarkS (edited 05-21-2001).]

[Ninong]

Originally posted by MarkS:
[img]/ubb/rolleyes.gif[/img]

Only because you were able to bump it up and you should not be able to do that with a moved post.....[img]/ubb/wink2.gif[/img] I figured that something is not right. Anyway....

Mark

Well, you figured wrong. Why wouldn't a moderator be able to bump up a post that was moved into a forum? And in case you hadn't noticed before, all moved threads have the same little "moved icon" whether they are moved into or out of a forum. The only difference is that when a post is moved out of a forum, it is usually closed in that forum.

This thread was moved INTO this forum. It is an OPEN thread.

Ninong [img]/ubb/biggrin.gif[/img]



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Irrational Exuberance!

[ShipMate]

In reply, my 'DSB' was done with a mixture of fine sand and crushed corals, plus top live sand from GARF. Worm critters were added from ISPF. Seems to be alive? (Some bubbles, tracks)
I do understand the caulerpa needs to be harvested periodically for nutrient removal. But I am concerned this might no be enough to lower the Nitrate load...?

Maybe the live sand needs a few more months to start kicking in...In the meantime the Nitrates hurt my animals (no or little growth, xenias very unhappy..)

This is why i thought about the coil Denitrator..
What do you all think/experienced?

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One of those pumps must be hooked to my wallet..

[Ninong]

I think that it is possible that if you have crushed coral mixed in with your fine sand, you could have an improper mix of sand bed particle sizes that could be trapping detritus. Also, if you purchased the product known as "GARF grunge," and spread this on top of your sand bed, that could also be a potential source of problems because it is too coarse and blocks the sand bed.

You might want to read some of the articles on sand bed compostion that have been written by Dr. Ron Shimek for a thorough treatment of this topic and the potential problems. I'll go get two links and put them in here for you in a minute. OK, here's one of the links: http://www.rshimek.com/reef/sediment.htm

Ninong [img]/ubb/biggrin.gif[/img]

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Irrational Exuberance!

[MarkS]

[img]/ubb/tongue.gif[/img]

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How come when you talk to God it is called prayer, but when God talks to you it is called schizophrenia?