Sand in the Sump???

[ryanbooton]

All right guys i have crushed coral in the tank. Can i put sand in the sump to help out on the nitrates? And how much will it help?

 

[twoods71]

If you are looking to reduce nitrates via the use of sand I assume you are talking about using a DSB in the sump.
I would say you could depending on the size of the sump.
Some of the problems I can think of however is the flow rate of your sump. Most have a fairly high flow rate that could stir up the sand a bit causing it to get sucked into the return pump cuasing all sorts of problems.
Your best bet IMO is to look into seting up a refugium with a low flow rate. You could also grow algae such as caulerpa in a refugium to help reduce nitrates.

 

[joerdie]

if you dont want to make a refugium and add another pump to the tank (IMO its worth it) you could build a phlenum and the water could flow through the bio-balls to the bottom and then up through the layer of sand. it has worked a couple of times for me.