DSB install

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17 Jan 2013
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Randburg
When I first got my tank the installer had setup 3 baffles with ceramic rings, coral and granite stones. I battled to get my no3 below 20 so decided a DSB with algae would be worth a try. I first used the RO top up section of my sump which did not work due to a leak and put a circulation pump and air stone to het water through it. This started to yield some results so I chopped my sump up two weeks ago and created the traditional skimmer, DSB, return (left to right) with the addition of a ceramic ring baffle to kill the microbubbles.
The old sand was not enough it would only give me 5cm. I let the old sand sit for two weeks for the critters to get out from under. Using a piece of glass I then moved the sand over to one side over a couple of days (so I did not lose any of my valuable critters) then topped up the depleted area with new sand. I will remove the glass in two weeks.
I have some live rock with calupra from my other tank and put two warm white downlighter bulbs on a 18 hour reverse cycle. The waterfall from the skimmer section adds a lot of microbubbles which helps the algae grow like crazy.
The filter pad on top of the rings is to preserve the pod population until it gets large enough, I will then remove it so that they can be delivered into the display.

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nice to see a new DSB setup. They work, even if old school. With proper flow they are maintenance free.
 
I am not against the maintenance, I have 6 tanks and 2 fish ponds. I always lost track of how long it was since last changing the media when using other things like purigen and carbon. I don't keep a logbook for my fish tanks, this is retrieved for my beer brewing.
Apart from being a more natural way to do filtration, I think the DSB with associated wildlife looks cool. I lie on the floor and watch the critters crawl around sometimes. My wife commented a few nights ago that my sump "looks pretty", something she never said about the previous reactors.
 
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