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tankgirl · 12-02-2003, 10:35 AM

A great post by tdwyatt that I wanted to share;

DSBs DO process Carbon, the DO break it down to its final mineral ash, bacteria do play their role in doing the nitrates and they DO sink a goodly amount of the stuff we don't want in the water column. Heavy feeding will always load the water column with nitrogen, phosphates, DOM as fats, carbohydrates and proteins, and minute particulate materials (forgive me, but for the sake of discussion, reef AQUARIUM snow and I don't mean 2 little fishes product ).

We want these things that get the most of these organics to be larger organisms: macroalgae, microalgae (in the case of those that are fed on by snails), sea cukes and misc. nematodes, polycheates, etc. that are either capable of being consumed by higher organisms and turned into biomass, or are harvestable and exportable, which is what making the DSB work is all about : making the stuff we don't want exportable.

There are a large number of heavy metals that chemically bind or are in ionic association with carbonate sediments. All the divalent ions are capable of binding in the place of calcium to the carbonate in the sand bed, some form insoluble bonds, some are in equilibrium with soluble phases of the ionic forms. Phosphate is a good example: It forms a highly insoluble salt with calcium and precipitates out of solution, especially with Kalk additions, effectively removing phosphate as a source for nuisance algal blooms. The sandbed has no export or processing capacity for phosphate, so this substance builds over time, leading to potential mass release during substrate disturbances (like stirring the substrate). The only way of preventing a buildup of phosphate is to find some way of exporting it, either (can't believe I'm saying this) use an algal scrubber and harvest the microalgae, or use a refugium (my preference) and export the macroalgae.

DSB's do work, They work well when constructed correctly, established over time, and tended carefully. The trick is still in the details of out husbandry skills. We will need to watch them as we would a bathtub with a leaky faucet dripping into it, and we can't remove the plug. Much like this tub analogy, we can control how much stuff goes in, and we can bail water out over time to prevent it from overflowing (even to the point where we could take out some of the sand), but that is where we stand at this time. The sandbeds have limits, and although we can make them work and work well, there will come a time where they will need drastic measures to keep their functionality.
------------------
Also;
One of the worrisome things I've read;
Dr Rob is now saying DSBs work, but require regular replenishment of detrivores. But, he's also saying most commercial detrivore kits don't have sufficient variety in them for our needs.

Additionally, Dr Ron is saying that remote DSBs can't work.

12-02-2003, 10:35 AM	#14 (permalink)
tankgirl Reef Lobster Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: So. Ca Posts: 1,476 View Gallery Karma Komment	A great post by tdwyatt that I wanted to share; DSBs DO process Carbon, the DO break it down to its final mineral ash, bacteria do play their role in doing the nitrates and they DO sink a goodly amount of the stuff we don't want in the water column. Heavy feeding will always load the water column with nitrogen, phosphates, DOM as fats, carbohydrates and proteins, and minute particulate materials (forgive me, but for the sake of discussion, reef AQUARIUM snow and I don't mean 2 little fishes product ). We want these things that get the most of these organics to be larger organisms: macroalgae, microalgae (in the case of those that are fed on by snails), sea cukes and misc. nematodes, polycheates, etc. that are either capable of being consumed by higher organisms and turned into biomass, or are harvestable and exportable, which is what making the DSB work is all about : making the stuff we don't want exportable. There are a large number of heavy metals that chemically bind or are in ionic association with carbonate sediments. All the divalent ions are capable of binding in the place of calcium to the carbonate in the sand bed, some form insoluble bonds, some are in equilibrium with soluble phases of the ionic forms. Phosphate is a good example: It forms a highly insoluble salt with calcium and precipitates out of solution, especially with Kalk additions, effectively removing phosphate as a source for nuisance algal blooms. The sandbed has no export or processing capacity for phosphate, so this substance builds over time, leading to potential mass release during substrate disturbances (like stirring the substrate). The only way of preventing a buildup of phosphate is to find some way of exporting it, either (can't believe I'm saying this) use an algal scrubber and harvest the microalgae, or use a refugium (my preference) and export the macroalgae. DSB's do work, They work well when constructed correctly, established over time, and tended carefully. The trick is still in the details of out husbandry skills. We will need to watch them as we would a bathtub with a leaky faucet dripping into it, and we can't remove the plug. Much like this tub analogy, we can control how much stuff goes in, and we can bail water out over time to prevent it from overflowing (even to the point where we could take out some of the sand), but that is where we stand at this time. The sandbeds have limits, and although we can make them work and work well, there will come a time where they will need drastic measures to keep their functionality. ------------------ Also; One of the worrisome things I've read; Dr Rob is now saying DSBs work, but require regular replenishment of detrivores. But, he's also saying most commercial detrivore kits don't have sufficient variety in them for our needs. Additionally, Dr Ron is saying that remote DSBs can't work.