DSB with CaCO3 and Aragamax

[Ocean Drive]

Hello my friends,
I want to hand a question about DSB.
What do you think about a sand bed composed by lower layer of CaCO3 (Calcium Carbonate) and the upstairs by Aragamax? The lower will be Calcium Carbonate 600 micron sized, different size of sugar size.
Thanks and greetings from Italy.
Carl

 

[bisck]

anyone knows CaCo3 sands?

 

[bc_slc]

I will leave this one to those that really know chemistry, but I will say - welcome to reeffrontiers.

Mat

 

[jetaero]

If you are reffering to using aragonite to as a sandbed, the product really does not produce very much calcium...

Reef tanks have a high pH which would not be proper for dissolving a substance, as well the substrate will eventually be covered in a bacterial film, which would prevent it from dissolving. A calcium reactor however, is able to achieve this by maintaining a stead, low pH.

Hope this is what you're looking for...
-Josh-

 

[Ocean Drive]

Thank you very much.
I know the pH effects on calcium carbonate, I know that it needs low pH than oolitic sands like aragonite. I want know you opinons about the denitrate effects with this solution.
Thanks again.

 

[Rod Buehler]

You wil get denitrifacation with and super fine sediments.. As long as anarobic bacteria has a chance to colonize. I like the simplicity of oolitic arragonite.

I am not a big beleiver of arragonite being able to buffer our systems, but I do beleive that it will disolve somewhat. The pH is quite a bit lower in a DSP than it is in the main water column.

 

[MikeS]

both are aragonite...

While the debate on grain size best suited for a DSB is out there, I think it safe to say that most (both DSB users and non-DSB users) will recommend against layering a DSB.

MikeS

 

[dnjan]

both are aragonite...

MikeS

Actually, both are calcium carbonate. All aragonite is calcium carbonite, but not all calcium carbonate is aragonite.

Agree with trying to avoid layering with different-sized particles. This can work in filtering applications with very careful control of particle sizes and particle size distributions, but in applications where there could be physical moving of materials (by animals from spagheti worms to gobies, etc.) this would be a waste of effort.

 

[Anthony Calfo]

Yes... I agree too. DO not layer the beds. Historically this does not work well. And you can get denitrification from various grain sizes and various depths.

If denitrification is your primary gol, you may want to look at finer grains (under 2mm) and deeper depths (over 10cm).

Perhaps better still, consider having a remote deep sand bed or bucket (RDSB). Please see my list if threads on this topic in the sticky atop this forum called "Fav links..."

The RDSB is rather cheap, easy and safe to employ (and remove if you need to later)

kindly, Anthony

 

[mofro]

similar question.

I am currently running a dsb composed of 12cm deep aragamax and caribsea arag alive oolite. I would like to add to this a RDSB, but due to financial constraints i cannot afford caribsea aragonite again. Would it be a wise choice to use ordinary beach sand (well washed of course) mainly silica. I have been advised against this, as apparently it will work against the aragonite and render the aragonite usless. Would CaCO3 of the appropiate size be an better option, or will this also lead to adverse reactions with my aragonite?
What is the max depth i can go to if i make a RDSB. (just cant go through that thread now)

 

[Anthony Calfo]

I like aragonite better for its buffering support and its round grain shape (oolitic) which leaves the bed more fluid and dynamic.

That said... using silica sand is no big deal. It will work well enough.

60-70#'s of sand per 5-gall. bucket does the trick per 90 gall of typical fish/coral bioload systems