PB_Smith
Aquarium Advice Addict
For quite some time I have thought that many filtration configurations are backwards, often placing the biological filtration section before the chemical section.
In that configuration it puts a greater burden on the biological capabilities and in the end produces more nitrate as the end result of the nitrification process.
By doing as much chemical filtration as possible first, via chemical media and skimming, we reduce the amount of organic substances presented to the biological portion and the net end result is a lower nitrate level.
So in order to achieve that as much as possible I am going to re-configure my set-up as follows.
(red arrows show water flow)
so the water flows from the display through socks and is further filtered for particulates via a mag 5 fitted with a micron sleeve from the magnum 350.
then up through a foam block and a layer of Matrix carbon. That is a separate container inside of the main sump container.
Then it is pumped to the skimmer and reactors, all of which have the effluent going into the secondary sump.
The effluent from the skimmer will flow in from the bottom and the effluent from the reactors will enter through the top via a drip set-up filtering through a layer of pumice blocks.
From there it returns back to the main sump's return pump section.
I am hoping this will help reduce nitrate levels (even though they are undetectable, the amount of red hair algae in the refugium tells me different)
and improve the overall efficiency of the system.
Everything I need is actually already in place, all that I need to do is get another 1" bulkhead and drill a few holes, glue some PVC and done.
Any thoughts?
In that configuration it puts a greater burden on the biological capabilities and in the end produces more nitrate as the end result of the nitrification process.
By doing as much chemical filtration as possible first, via chemical media and skimming, we reduce the amount of organic substances presented to the biological portion and the net end result is a lower nitrate level.
So in order to achieve that as much as possible I am going to re-configure my set-up as follows.
(red arrows show water flow)
so the water flows from the display through socks and is further filtered for particulates via a mag 5 fitted with a micron sleeve from the magnum 350.
then up through a foam block and a layer of Matrix carbon. That is a separate container inside of the main sump container.
Then it is pumped to the skimmer and reactors, all of which have the effluent going into the secondary sump.
The effluent from the skimmer will flow in from the bottom and the effluent from the reactors will enter through the top via a drip set-up filtering through a layer of pumice blocks.
From there it returns back to the main sump's return pump section.
I am hoping this will help reduce nitrate levels (even though they are undetectable, the amount of red hair algae in the refugium tells me different)
and improve the overall efficiency of the system.
Everything I need is actually already in place, all that I need to do is get another 1" bulkhead and drill a few holes, glue some PVC and done.
Any thoughts?