STOP the delivery of nitrates

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vince-1961

Guest
Originally Posted by spanko
http:///forum/post/3120378
The original question about leaving all or most all of the dead matter in the display and not let it get to the sump is still a valid and IMO desirable way to go. With that the reduction of what is dead and decaying matter introduced to the system is also desirable.
My solution was to place a filter pad on top of a drip plate and change the filter daily. The drains from the DT dump the water on this pad, so any particulate matter too big to go through the filter pad, which is most everything, just stays on top of the pad.
Attachment 230517
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
this is fascinating to me. ive had my 55 up for about a year and half and have not yet cleaned the bioballs, however i do run a DSB and religiously do a 10% water change once a week.
One thing really has nothing to do with the other. If you do not impact your bio- balls with organics you should not need to clean them. You DSB are giving you a platform for denitrification due to the environment of anaerobic and aerobic bacteria in close proximity over an expanded area. The natural advection of your substrate is going to propagate areas of denitrification that have the best growth potential
That is what limits live rock in its denitrification. A small platform with limited layers to harbor anaerobic bacteria and layers of pore water to deliver nitrates
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by vince-1961
http:///forum/post/3120779
My solution was to place a filter pad on top of a drip plate and change the filter daily. The drains from the DT dump the water on this pad, so any particulate matter too big to go through the filter pad, which is most everything, just stays on top of the pad.
Attachment 230517
Why would you change your filter materiel dally? If you just turned off your return pump and adjusted the amount of food you introduced into your tank your filter pad on your sump would now become the prominent nitrification area of your tank. And not a nitrate factory, if that is what you are worried about. It is in the constant flow of ammonia from organic breakdown in your tank. The perfect scenario for nitrification
 
V

vince-1961

Guest
I change it daily so it won't get saturated. As you can see the tile to which the drain lines are connected just slides forward, so it's real easy and takes about 5 seconds. Then once a week I wash out the pads just by hosing them down. The amount of brown crud that comes out after just a day is amazing. Sometimes I think that filter is more effective than the protein skimmer.
As for aerobic bacteria or "prominent nitrification area of the tank" , you can see the man-made block of porous whatever-the-stuff-is ($50 purchase) above the water line just below the drip plate. I think that's probably the main workhorse, but just in case, there's all the D.I.Y. rock rubble in the remainder of the sump, plus the LR in the tank. So converting ammonia and nitrite to nitrate (nitrification?) is not a problem.
To get rid of nitrates (denitrification?), I got cheato, a DSB and weekly water changes.
To get back to the point of the thread though, I do not turn off any pump when feeding. What little bit of food gets sucked down the drains just lands on the filter and is removed the next morning.
 
V

vince-1961

Guest
Here are some recent shots, taken before I "un-aquascaped" in the process of re-plumbing the closed loop (to eliminate that ugly uptake pipe at the top middle of the DT and lessening the head to increase GPH).
Attachment 230561
Attachment 230562
I managed to break of of my two SCWDs on the closed loop, so here is what it looks like in it's "un-aquascaped" state while I wait on new parts to arrive......
Attachment 230563
Attachment 230564



 
calbert0

calbert0

Member
all of the powering on and off pumps seems like way to much time and effort to feed your fish... especially if you feed 1-3 times a day... i'd rather just not have to deal with bio-balls, to much work for not enough pay off
 
J

jetskiking

Guest
Originally Posted by NigerBang
http:///forum/post/3120137
Im with Henry also.. I thought that was a no brainer.. Whenever I feed the tank I turn my ReefKeeper2 into stand by and it shuts down all powerheads,skimmer and return..
BUT when it all powers back up and the uneaten food will be stirred up again although in a lesser form and BAM back down the overflow.. Granted probably less than normal but, it will still end up there..
To add on to this, I have my return and large powerheads programmed to shut off in feed mode on my reefkeeper also. I do keep a few smaller powerheads on just to help keep the food suspended.
 
nigerbang

nigerbang

Active Member
Originally Posted by calbert0
http:///forum/post/3126911
all of the powering on and off pumps seems like way to much time and effort to feed your fish... especially if you feed 1-3 times a day... i'd rather just not have to deal with bio-balls, to much work for not enough pay off
It takes me no time.. All I do is push a button and it stops... push it again and it starts or I can just wait the 5 minutes and it will start on its own..
 
J

jetskiking

Guest
Originally Posted by NigerBang
http:///forum/post/3126985
It takes me no time.. All I do is push a button and it stops... push it again and it starts or I can just wait the 5 minutes and it will start on its own..
Yep, same here except mine stays down for 15 minutes, Since I mostly feed frozen food with coral food in it, this gives my corals time to eat also.
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
The Vortech MP10 I have has a feed mode. Push a button, reduced flow for 10 minutes then back to the normal program.
 
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