Suggestion for a DIY RDSB w/o sump

garygb · 11/16/2007, 05:10 PM

Anyone have a deep sand bed that is not in a sump? If so, how did you set it up?
Gary

exoticaquatix · 11/16/2007, 05:33 PM

you would need to put it above the display tank and pump water up onto it. otherwise the container would have to be totally sealed. maybe a big acrylic box with a water/air-tight lid, a bulk head on each side and a big feed pump in the tank. you would end up putting the this RDSB where a sump would be in which case i would just get the sump.

-nick

garygb · 11/17/2007, 12:56 AM

Hi,
Thank you for those suggestions. I'm thinking that it might be easiest to have it higher than the display. I suppose a large canister filter with the media removed and lots of live sand could do the job; however, I don't know if that is feasible or not. I have a 50 gallon, currently with a DSB, but recently I've started to detect nitrates (in fact they were high (60ppm or so) before several water changes).

Thanks,
Gary

Lemmz · 11/17/2007, 07:45 AM

From what I have read you don't want to force water through the sand , you want the water to flow across the top of the sand just fast enough to keep anything from settling there. If the water if forced through the sand it wont create an oxygen free zone for the beneficial nitrate reducing bacteria to colonize.

garygb · 11/17/2007, 10:57 AM

Hey,

And thank you for the reply. I know that some canister filters (hydor) are made where the water comes in the top and then is "forced" upward through a column of filter media. if that column with the filter media were replaced with just sand, then the water would enter and exit at the top and no water would be moving up through the sand, thus the anoxic zone. However, the only canister filters I've ever had were rather small. I'm not sure how many gallons of sand are needed for a 50 gallon aquarium like mine.

larryl · 11/17/2007, 01:35 PM

There's a super-long thread about remote DSB here:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...hreadid=595109

You might want to contact ZenMan, he's local to our club and has been running one:

Larry

garygb · 11/17/2007, 03:40 PM

Thank you Larry for the pic and post. I will read all of that thread. Much appreciated.
Gary

chrismhaase · 01/02/2008, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by larryl
There's a super-long thread about remote DSB here:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...hreadid=595109

You might want to contact ZenMan, he's local to our club and has been running one:

Larry

Larry, is your water in on the top or the side? I would assume the top but just wanted to make sure.

Thanks,

Chris

chrismhaase · 01/02/2008, 08:24 AM

PS-- What type of bulkheads are those and where did you get those? HD or LOWES or a fish place?

not_sponsored · 01/02/2008, 01:47 PM

Those probably aren't bulkheads, I think they're part of the container. It would be pretty hard to screw them in without a wrench or hand on the other side.

Newlin · 01/02/2008, 07:17 PM

Here is my fuge, well at least it was. I have this plumbed into the return to the tank with a ball valve so that I can regulate the flow. there is a CPR overflow that goes to the sump. I did away with my sump today and I have 2 10 gallons under my tank, one is a fuge and the other is a return/skimmer area. I will get pics of that some day

.

Newlin · 01/02/2008, 07:17 PM

Here is my fuge, well at least it was. I have this plumbed into the return to the tank with a ball valve so that I can regulate the flow. there is a CPR overflow that goes to the sump. I did away with my sump today and I have 2 10 gallons under my tank, one is a fuge and the other is a return/skimmer area. I will get pics of that some day

.

Newlin · 01/02/2008, 07:17 PM

This was a repost so I will just add a little here.

This pic was before I put 5" of sand in it. There is now more than that cause I had extra when I took my other tank down.

11/16/2007, 05:10 PM	#1
garygb Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: los angeles Posts: 4,471	Suggestion for a DIY RDSB w/o sump Anyone have a deep sand bed that is not in a sump? If so, how did you set it up? Gary

11/16/2007, 05:33 PM	#2
exoticaquatix Registered Member. Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: baltimore, MD Posts: 536	you would need to put it above the display tank and pump water up onto it. otherwise the container would have to be totally sealed. maybe a big acrylic box with a water/air-tight lid, a bulk head on each side and a big feed pump in the tank. you would end up putting the this RDSB where a sump would be in which case i would just get the sump. -nick __________________ This dude either has two glass eyes or he's wearing his patch on the wrong sa-sa-sa-side. -Aesop Current Tank Info: 120gal 500w MH 10K XMs 30g sump, MSX-200 skimmer, vortech MP40w and Tunze nanostreams; 9 gal, 29gal FW planted tanks

01/02/2008, 07:17 PM	#11
Newlin Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Noble, Ok. Posts: 227	Here is my fuge, well at least it was. I have this plumbed into the return to the tank with a ball valve so that I can regulate the flow. there is a CPR overflow that goes to the sump. I did away with my sump today and I have 2 10 gallons under my tank, one is a fuge and the other is a return/skimmer area. I will get pics of that some day . __________________ Everything that I own is for sale, click my little red house for info. Local pickup only.

01/02/2008, 07:17 PM	#12
Newlin Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Noble, Ok. Posts: 227	Here is my fuge, well at least it was. I have this plumbed into the return to the tank with a ball valve so that I can regulate the flow. there is a CPR overflow that goes to the sump. I did away with my sump today and I have 2 10 gallons under my tank, one is a fuge and the other is a return/skimmer area. I will get pics of that some day . __________________ Everything that I own is for sale, click my little red house for info. Local pickup only.

01/02/2008, 07:17 PM	#13
Newlin Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Noble, Ok. Posts: 227	This was a repost so I will just add a little here. This pic was before I put 5" of sand in it. There is now more than that cause I had extra when I took my other tank down. __________________ Everything that I own is for sale, click my little red house for info. Local pickup only.

11/17/2007, 12:56 AM	#3
garygb Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: los angeles Posts: 4,471	Hi, Thank you for those suggestions. I'm thinking that it might be easiest to have it higher than the display. I suppose a large canister filter with the media removed and lots of live sand could do the job; however, I don't know if that is feasible or not. I have a 50 gallon, currently with a DSB, but recently I've started to detect nitrates (in fact they were high (60ppm or so) before several water changes). Thanks, Gary

11/17/2007, 07:45 AM	#4
Lemmz Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: middle of a cornfield, Il Posts: 158	From what I have read you don't want to force water through the sand , you want the water to flow across the top of the sand just fast enough to keep anything from settling there. If the water if forced through the sand it wont create an oxygen free zone for the beneficial nitrate reducing bacteria to colonize.

11/17/2007, 10:57 AM	#5
garygb Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: los angeles Posts: 4,471	Hey, And thank you for the reply. I know that some canister filters (hydor) are made where the water comes in the top and then is "forced" upward through a column of filter media. if that column with the filter media were replaced with just sand, then the water would enter and exit at the top and no water would be moving up through the sand, thus the anoxic zone. However, the only canister filters I've ever had were rather small. I'm not sure how many gallons of sand are needed for a 50 gallon aquarium like mine.

11/17/2007, 01:35 PM	#6
larryl Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Denver, CO Posts: 702	There's a super-long thread about remote DSB here: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...hreadid=595109 You might want to contact ZenMan, he's local to our club and has been running one: Larry

11/17/2007, 03:40 PM	#7
garygb Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: los angeles Posts: 4,471	Thank you Larry for the pic and post. I will read all of that thread. Much appreciated. Gary

01/02/2008, 08:24 AM	#9
chrismhaase Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 2,490	PS-- What type of bulkheads are those and where did you get those? HD or LOWES or a fish place?

01/02/2008, 01:47 PM	#10
not_sponsored Registered Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Hiding Posts: 341	Those probably aren't bulkheads, I think they're part of the container. It would be pretty hard to screw them in without a wrench or hand on the other side.