DSb,nitra-zorb ?

im about to turn my 2-3 inch sand bed to the full DSB 4-5, my nitrates are at 20 ppm steady never go up, go down after h20 change to about 10 ppm. i also picked up some nitra-zorb by KENT. to help with nitrates untill the DSB is active. iam going to be putting the dsb in tomarrow, so if i run the nitra-zorb will it affect the maturing of the DSB?, will it also affect my aerobic bacteria since it removes ammonia?

 

How well does the nitra-zorb work for you?

 

A DSB won't fix your NO3 problems That was their major selling point the last time around but just as with the previous few times the old natural ,NNR or DSB or what ever it will be called again in the future they will never be a low maintenance self supporting system . There are several easier and safer ways to rid the system of NO3's. Good luck with it and if you just want to have a DSB thats fine But don't expect it to rid your system of NO'3 and remember they require lots of work and restocking of sand fauna and water changes and low low bio load..

 

If you do a DSB I would recommend doing one in a 5 gallon bucket in line with your plumbing so that it can be removed and is easier to maintain...

There are plenty of people running DSB as a nutrient metabolizing mechanism... In fact several people that have PhD's and do nothing but devote their life to the hobby and the study of it...

 

Anthony Calfo on the subject:

(Using a bucket as a DSB) is a modest strategy and dependant on bioload of course. But so cheap to employ, and easy to remove if you don't like it.

My LFS finally tried this with a 55 gall tank full (nearly to the top) of sand with a good stream of water traversing the length of the tank. It was staggering how fast it reduced nitrates on a nearly 2K gallon system.

A 5 gallon bucket with a 60lb bag of sand filling it can do similar/remarkable work on say a 90-120 gallon tank. A larger plastic garbage can (kitchen size... 20 gall or so) with a couple hundred lbs of sand, etc.

The goal here is denitrification and buffering (if using aragonite).

There are not many other benefits... and not many risks either. Unlit and with a strong stream of water over it, its a fairly brainless application Cover it and keep it dark... there is little to maintenance to speak of for it. You can imagine that with the good water flow (key) or even mechanically prefiltered water... there is no way for this to practically become a nutrient sink, as the small fast volume of water cruising over it do not allow the settling/sinking of much solid matter over time.