oolitic? anoxic? dsb?

[alleyesonme]

ok, i need some terms and theories explained to me. what is oolitic, and why do people say it is a good sand to have? why do you want anoxic spots? dosnt that mean that no oxygen and therefore no bacteria get in there? why is this a good thing? is it possible to have an undergravel filter with a dsb?

 

[tanker newbie]

well the oolitic and anoxic i cant explain cause i have no idea, but dsb(deep sand bed)i know a little about, i wouldent susjest that you have an under gravel filter for a deep sand bed because itll keep clogging up the powerhead, but even besdies that fact a dsb works a hell of a lot better than an undergravel filter anyday

 

[alleyesonme]

so does a dsb act as a filter system by itself?

 

[mithrax]

Not all bacteria love oxygen. Some hate O2 (called obligate anaerobic bacteria), some tolerate some O2 (called facultative anaerobic b.) the ones you need for proper conversion of nitrates to N2 and O2 gases live in areas that are O2 deprived. This is why you will see bubbles below the sand bed.

 

[tanker newbie]

live rock and live sand both help with filteration, but should not be the ONLY form of filteration, deep sand beds have been proven to reduce if not take away nitrates completly live rock also helps with filteration, most of us run live sand live rock and a filter and or a skimmer as well, with these as your filteration you shouldent have any problems controlling nitrates unless the tank is over croweded

 

[bobj]

The strict definition of oolite is limestone composed of rounded concretions. But in this hobby think of reef sand.
The deep sand bed consists of 4"-6" of argonite sand mixed with live sand. The live sand consists of a community including worm,clams,echinoderms, crustaceans,protozoa and bacteria. Ls is a biological filter. The worms cruise through the sand and eat the bacteria which cause them to reproduce. Included in the bacteria are heterotrophic bacteria which function under anoxic conditions and transform NITRATES into nitrogen gas. The worms also eat the detritus from the organisms in the tank.
If you combine this with live rock you could produce a self-contained reef enviroment that need only protein skimming, water movement, food and mineral supplements.
Now if you want and aggressive FO tank than you don't need the expense of ls or lr. But that's another story.

 

[bobber]

Oolitic also means the grain size(sugar fine). There are certain grain sizes that should be used for a DSB. Between 0.5mm and 0.062mm in diameter should be used. Most sand available will have the sizes listed on the bag. There is a ton of posts about the uses of a DSB or Plenum system on this board. Use the search engine and this should give you something to read for about 4 hours! HTH--Bob
p.s. I have switched from an UGF to LS and since the change, ny nitrates have fallen to zero.
[ June 05, 2001: Message edited by: Bobber ]

 

[bobj]

I agree with Bobber. Ls is a buzz-word in the salwater community. Your best bet is to do some searching and some research and make some informed decisions your own.

 

[alleyesonme]

ok, thanks you guys, this has been great!