Plenum?
- Thread starter j-man
- Start date
reeferx
Member
J-man -
There are not that many people here that do it or that could tell you much about it. Most will say DSB works just as well or some will say better.
When I asked similar questions a few months back a few responded and said they have them and they have been successful, but not many.
Most of the Garf tanks and all the 'Bullet Proof Reefs' are set up with plenums and going strong.
I may go this route on my next tank. Still trying to find all I can on it.
I did find this last night which is really cool. Enter your tank dimensions or pick the one that matches yours and it will tell you exactly how to build a plenum:
<a href="http://www.garf.org/bulletproofreef/bulletproof.asp" target="_blank">http://www.garf.org/bulletproofreef/bulletproof.asp</a>
There are not that many people here that do it or that could tell you much about it. Most will say DSB works just as well or some will say better.
When I asked similar questions a few months back a few responded and said they have them and they have been successful, but not many.
Most of the Garf tanks and all the 'Bullet Proof Reefs' are set up with plenums and going strong.
I may go this route on my next tank. Still trying to find all I can on it.
I did find this last night which is really cool. Enter your tank dimensions or pick the one that matches yours and it will tell you exactly how to build a plenum:
<a href="http://www.garf.org/bulletproofreef/bulletproof.asp" target="_blank">http://www.garf.org/bulletproofreef/bulletproof.asp</a>
h2o
Member
Measure the dimension of your tank, minus about 1" from length and width and cut the size of your eggcrate. the depth should be at least one inch underneath the eggcrate to the bottom. cut pvc pipes and use them as stands holding the eggcrate; also drill as many holes on those pvc pipes as you can to allow water movement. use plastic straps to tight pvc pipes together with the eggcrate.
put first screen around eggcrate; i wrapped it with the stand, like wrapping a gift box. First layer I used Seaflor Super reef Sand: TM 1.2-4.0mm diameter grain
(about 1" height), put on second screen on first layer sand and try tuck the screen below the eggcrate. Second layer i used Seaflor special Grade Reef Sand Sand:TM 1-1.7mm diameter grain size (another 1" height).
then i added Nature Ocean's live aragonite sand (another 2") and spread evenly and covered up and filled up the edges of the tank. (i like the look of smaller grain size of nature ocean).
a little time consuming but good experience, fast result: natriate 0 within a week. same as DSB? i think so. but if you are into reef hobby, this is quite a fun thing to do. at least i like it, but tell me to overhaul my tank and do it again, no thanks. DSB for my next tank.
put first screen around eggcrate; i wrapped it with the stand, like wrapping a gift box. First layer I used Seaflor Super reef Sand: TM 1.2-4.0mm diameter grain
(about 1" height), put on second screen on first layer sand and try tuck the screen below the eggcrate. Second layer i used Seaflor special Grade Reef Sand Sand:TM 1-1.7mm diameter grain size (another 1" height).
then i added Nature Ocean's live aragonite sand (another 2") and spread evenly and covered up and filled up the edges of the tank. (i like the look of smaller grain size of nature ocean).
a little time consuming but good experience, fast result: natriate 0 within a week. same as DSB? i think so. but if you are into reef hobby, this is quite a fun thing to do. at least i like it, but tell me to overhaul my tank and do it again, no thanks. DSB for my next tank.
nacl-h2o
Active Member
I use a Plenuim on my 72g and feel one works as good as the other when it comes to the plenium/DSB argument. I do think DSB's are easier and have considered using them on all new reef projects for that reason. The plenium was cheeper and I believe just as effective at nitrate control. I agree with H20 on setup but I used a old UGF base and used 1 1/2" PVC peices, either way will work fine.
richard rendos
Active Member
It actually works nothing like an undergravel system. In an undergravel, the key is flow through the gravel to get oxygen under the undergravel plate. A plenum is designed to be sure that there is no flow under the plate. This is where anaerobic bacteria grow and denitrify. I have used them in the past. I used 1/2" PVC couplers laying on their sides for spacers. On top of this, I cut eggcrate to the size of the tank. I covered this with nylon screen (like for windows). On top of this I used a 3 inch layer of Carib Sea Special Grade Reef Sand with a size of 1.2 to 4.0 mm grain. Next is another layer of the nylon screen to separate the layers. On top of this was a layer of Carib Sea Super Reef Sand with a size of .5 mm grain. This layer was about 2 inches. The top layer is stirred by your cleanup crew and the bottom layers don't get disturbed because of the screen.