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Bio filtration


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The whole point to my discussion on partial water changes was to high light that the permanent solution was bio filtration. It comes in many flavors. A five gallon bucket half full of Florida Crushed Coral will provide an army of work a bees. I say turn loose the power of the bugs. While not his biggest fan during his younger years, I find Ron Schimck to be an authority in DSB methods. When he reported bacteria populations doubling in thirty minutes, I saw the logic of "bug power".

La bonne temps roulee,

Patrick

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Yes, with qualifications.

If you put 1 lb of nutriants a week into a 20 gallon tank, it will not work. You must have sufficient volum to provide bio-filtration. There are many ways to do this. It depends on your existing set up to accomplish goals.

I have just this year started using a lagoon method of responsible reef keeping that was pioneered by IndoPacific SeaFarm in Hawaii in which he used no sulfide bacteria or partial water changes. In fact, at the Next Wave conference two years ago, I had in fact challenged him, just before he went on stage as one of the main event speakers. It made no sense to me. Why weren't the nitrates coming up? When biomass is in fact your nutrient sink and your biological filter at the same time. Nothing else makes sense. This is one form of bio filtration. You must limit your food input until system matures sufficient populations.

In a recent post on DSB, it was asked what was a remote deep sand bed. In the most utilitarian sense MarcV asked if a five gallon bucket half full of aroggonite would accomplish natural nitrate reduction. Yes. The complete nitrogen cycle with bacteria can only be accomplished in an oxygen reducing environment. Only live rock and DSB methods accomplish this.

to be continued

Patrick

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Getting back to NNR, it really doesn't matter where the bacteria are housed. They can be in a cannistar filter used as a denitrator or in the depths of sand beds as well as in live rock

With respect to a utilitarian RDSB, a five gallon bucket half full of arrogonnite will process ammonium and remove the end product of the nitrogen cycle. Nitrate is removed as a free nitrogen gas molecule. However, other nutrients are still in the water, detritus and phosphate. Prevent detritus from accumulating on this sandbed and clogging it up. I prefer to use the velocity of the water to carry particulate matter across the surface of the sandbed. Use a substrate that is smaller than 2 mm. I like Caribsea Special Reef Grade arrogonnite. The velocity of water across the surface is increased by maintaining the least amount of level across the sandbed. A filter sock on raw water can assist with detritus removal. I prefer to use a mud filter with a vegetable filter at this point. As water leaves the RDSB, it enters the first chamber of mud filter, bio balls break up detritus to allow it to be assimilated in the primeval ooze in the mud . In my mud filter of five years, the mud level has increased. I see anaerobic conditions immediately below the surface. Holdfast from fast growing Caulerpa are almond the mud as well as too many worms to identify. This is the incubator that feeds the reef. To continue removing nutrients from the water column requires macro uptake. I like fast growing Caulerpa that is ediable to the fish. At this point nutrient export happens with punning and removing. Nutrient recycling takes place when macro feeds the fish.

Depending on your bio load, you may not need multiple nutrient pathways. I like the added insurance.

Patrick

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