New Tech or old Tech

[mdaniel2882]

So the purpose of a DSB or a Refugium is to reduce or eliminate Nitrate. The new Bio Media does this in a reactor and takes up virtually no room. Is there really a reason to run a DSB or Refuge? It seems to be a simple Berlin setup with a Bio pellet reactor, a carbon reactor and a GFO reactor would be the easiest way to go....any thoughts?

 

[Deep Seven]

One of the purposes of a Refuge is to give smaller organisms a place to reproduce without fear of predation. This helps supply the tank with a healthy balanced diet and critter population.

 

[thominil]

Well I'm going to assume that you will need to replace the media in that reactor at some point, which means extra costs on top of the reactor that is already more expenisve than a DSB in some cases. For some, cost may be an issue, and for others, they may like the idea of the natural DSB versus the reactor more. Just my thoughts.

 

[mdaniel2882]

One of the purposes of a Refuge is to give smaller organisms a place to reproduce without fear of predation. This helps supply the tank with a healthy balanced diet and critter population.

With a berlin system you already have LR in your sump. plenty of places for copepods to grow.

 

[mdaniel2882]

Well I'm going to assume that you will need to replace the media in that reactor at some point, which means extra costs on top of the reactor that is already more expenisve than a DSB in some cases. For some, cost may be an issue, and for others, they may like the idea of the natural DSB versus the reactor more. Just my thoughts.

at BRS you can get a reactor for 50.00. media for a year is about 75.00. I know it works everytime. there is no "how deep should my DSB be" I don't think cost is an issue and it is falling all the time.

How much space does a working DSB/Refuge take? I don't know about anyone else but stand space is at a premium in my system.

I just want to throw out that there are other options.

 

[melosu58]

Not all critters live in LR. Some must have sand or something fine. Also it might depend on personal pereference. Some folks like the look of a sand bed. Esp. a deep one.

 

[Fishguy2727]

Equipment can fail. Debris can clog media, pumps can randomly stop running, etc. Any of these can completely undo everything in your reactor and result in a crash. Any time you rely on any piece of equipment you are risking a failure.

Live rock removes nitrate. If you have adequate live rock with proper flow you don't need anything else. I see VERY few people using DSBs, but most will use a fuge. There are other benefits of refugiums, and if you have room in your sump you might as well use one, it definitely won't hurt in any way.

My tank had enough rock and proper flow that the rock removed so much nitrate that the chaeto in the fuge couldn't grow.

If someone has been running a nitrate removing reactor for years as the main method of denitrification and can speak for its effectiveness I would love to hear from them.

The definition of a refugium is a safe place, something that the display tank full of fish and other livestock that are happy to eat all those little pods is not. This is exactly why a refugium is physically separate from the display.