rudy Posted March 1, 2006 Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 How about product like Purigen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albert_dao Posted March 1, 2006 Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 DSB doesn't work in Canada. We don't have easy access to real live sand like they do in the states. Critters from live rock don't cut it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lukep77 Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 DSB does work. You can easily seed your sand with some that has come out of a established reef tank. Just ask for a cup or 2 from someone that has a tank that has been running for a year +. Or you could visit one of our local salt water stores and ask for a cup. I'm sure they would be willing to sell you some. In my opinion your best bet is to start slowly and work the DSB up. For example set up your equipment, sand, live rock and clean up crew, and keep a eye on your parameters. After about 6 months start adding critters that will live in the DSB. That way you can build up a population of pods, and worms. But you wont be able to add in any fish that will eat the pods or bristle worms, and what not, for awhile. And to be fully effective you absolutely need to put in critter's that will live in the DSB. You have to make sure that the DSB is being stirred up. Just my 2 cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F1sh Posted March 19, 2006 Report Share Posted March 19, 2006 (edited) I personally think that a cannister filter is the ultimate solution to filtration for nano tanks. Just fill it with LR and it will be no more of a nitrate risk than if you had a sump with LR. Live rock does not need any light to privide filtration. You may need a light source for photosynthetic organisms living on the outside of the rock, but not for the denirtrifying bacteria. Even if you had a light shining on the outside of the rock, unless it is shining right through it, 99% of the rocks mass is still in the dark. My cannister filter is illuminated but that is just because I also grow chaeto inside it. Only with a cannister filter could I do this: Cheers, - Chad I'd hate to 'stir up' the age old sandbed debate, but from what I've been reading lately, it seems that many people view DSBs as being the worst nitrate factories of all. They all seem to have success until they reach the two year mark and then they crash? I don't personally know but intuitively it makes sense to me - and anyone who has taken out a sandbed and seen how nasty it is on the bottom. And I think Albert is not the first one to raise the point that a captive sandbed lacks the diversity necessary to function properly. Even if you do start out with a diverse population of critters, there's not enough room for each to carve out a niche. Within a short time, one or two species have outcompeted all the others and you are left with a relatively homogenous sandbed. The recommendation is that you constantly update your sandbed with new additions in order to be successful. Edited March 19, 2006 by F1sh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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