bare bottom

[godzillaliu88]

i've read that SB helps to reduce nitrate nitrite.

some tanks with bare bottom, how to control the nitrate?

[subxero]

This is what I think,

1) You can control your feeding

2) Live Rocks

3) Install de-nitrator

4) powerful skimmer

[Qxnviolet]

From what limited knowledge i know about BB tanks, they employ high flow and water turnover rate to lift whatever wastes in the tank into the overflow. That prevents the wastes from breaking down, thereby controlling nitrates. Theres some pros and cons in employing a BB tank though, do a serch on the forum, theres lots of thread rdg this topic. For me, i still prefer a layer of sand, more natural and if you don't have sand, you won't be able to keep certain fishes.

[godzillaliu88]

de-nitrator.

some kind of nitrate reactor?

[Alvin Tan]

some reefers here do hav sky high reading for nitrate even though they are using the DSB....

personally..i have use both....n my current tank is barebottom...i hav no regrets...

my nitrate is less den 25ppm n i do not hav a denitrator.....anyway....all my fishes in the tank are tangs...so sure got some nitrate one lars...

[godzillaliu88]

your tank no corals?

FOWLR tank?

[Alvin Tan]

de-nitrator.

some kind of nitrate reactor?

de-nitrator is a piece of equipement that eliminates ur NO3 and to keep it at bay..

[Alvin Tan]

your tank no corals?

FOWLR tank?

bro....check out my tank thread....it is pack with corals....

[cci[RR]us]

Having a sandbed doesn't mean it will help reduce nitrate. On some setups the sandbed actually traps detritous material and these are not transported to the skimmer asap, contributing to the nitrate level. Most likely, the water flow is the cause of the nitrate build up.

[godzillaliu88]

other than high nitrate. wad abt the other factors like calcium n po4

??

[loster]

since i coverted my tank to BB, i have no p04 and n03 problem. both stay undetect

i also notice that i don't have to tune my Ca reactor so much now... meaning.. my CR don't have to work so hard to keep up with ca and kh for my BB. in the past, i have sandbed, and my CR runs very hard to keep up with my tank kh. and that time my tank only filled with 50% of sps of my current setting

[godzillaliu88]

oh. bro loster. i was thinkin abt askin u abt bare btm.

w/o sand bed. does that mean that kh n po4 will remain even with out reactors?

[loster]

you still need phos remover media to remove your p04 in the system. as to control n03 level, like what qxnviolet said, you need to employ high flow in your tank so as to suspend whatever wastes in the tank into the overflow than to sump and siphon them out. That prevents the wastes from breaking down, thus you are better in controlling n03. you need a good skimmer for BB too. and most BB tank like to skim wet

you still need to maintain your ca, kh and mg level with BB but you don't have to tune you CR to work so hard as to compare with sandbed. usually, BB is good for sps cos they need high flow and poor nutrient environment. if i just keeping lps, i will have sandbed. cos they don't have to be in the very low nutrient enviorment and lps don't like high flow

whether you uss DSB, SSB or BB, you still have to maintain your system clean. so that your fish(s) and corals can survive better and healthy

[Qxnviolet]

Yeap...totally agree with bro loster. Whatever system you choose, it'll always benefit from regular maintenance.

Hows the PT doing? Still dog-fighting with your YT?

[madmac]

I think one of the great points about BB is the control it affords you. Its almost as if you are fully in-charge of the system. You could keep SPS, softies, or LPS if you wanted to.

The control mechanisms you employ would be good flow, design, in such a way that what goes to sump goes thru the skimmer. The skimmer skims wet. Very little else is needed, of course not withholding what the corals themselves take out, those need to be replenished. So carbonates and Ca, and even Mg sometimes. What corals don't need you don't need to worry, as waste is removed before it can be broken down to nutrients. This theory holds in practice.

The bad part it there is no nutrient buffer/store. So your system tells it as it is... it doesn't lie. Slack for some and you'll immediate be informed. Some find this bad others ok, it depends.

[loster]

Yeap...totally agree with bro loster. Whatever system you choose, it'll always benefit from regular maintenance.

Hows the PT doing? Still dog-fighting with your YT? 

the pt is doing well... fatter now ya... it still dog-fight with my yt but not very serious... no broken fins at all... they just like to "quarrel" when they meet each other. may be the yt blame the pt for being in a "jail" in the deta box for a week

ya... madmac is right. with bb, you have better control of your nurtients... you are in change, not the system

[Qxnviolet]

Haha, thats cool....after you took my PT, my YT managed to kill a Clown tang and an ABT, no more thangs for me!