Cell Pore users, feedback please.

Please excuse the cross post, I am trying to get a cross section response to
my query.

I purchased a couple of sheets of cell pore when it was first on sale all
those years ago, thinking I would use it in my then marine tank. I never
used it and it is still in the packaging it arrived in. I am now in the
process of planning my new aquarium and am wondering how best to use it. I
will have a sump where I will be placing a deep sand bed. My thought was to
place the sheets under the sand to act as an extra area for denitrification.
Does anyone have experience of using it this way?

Thanks

Mark
www.marksfish.me.uk

Without a way for the water to flow *through* the cell pore media,
there will be no nitrifying bacteria within it.......... Frank

Without a way for the water to flow *through* the cell pore media,
there will be no nitrifying bacteria within it.......... Frank

But surely you could say that about live rock and sintered glass materials?

The structures are so dense that mineral rich water will get to the
structure where the anaerobic bacteria will be able to survive. Isn't that
how the plenum and deep sand bed methods work, or am I missing something?

Cheers

Mark

The void space within the ceramic pore block is larger than the
prefered granular size media (below 0.2mm but above 0.050mm), for a DSB
(deep sand bed). The larger void space and SSA (specific surface area)
within the block is best suited for aerobic bacteria for decomposition
of organic material. In a DSB, nitrAtes are pulled down into the
Anaerobic bacteria level, 1.5 to 2" and deeper, by diffusion, where the
media's void space SSA should be much smaller than that of the cell
pore block - something such as "Miracle Mud" would be a much better
media for a DSB area within your sump. ........... Frank

Thanks for that Frank, much appreciated.

Regards

Mark

You building your own sump? ..............Frank

You building your own sump? ..............Frank

The sump has been built and I am having to modify it by adding an extra
chamber to enable the DSB to be built up. Unfortunately the person who built
it didn't listen to what I asked and the water flow is down, up, down, up.
Nothing major, the glass for the extra panel arrived yesterday, so when I am
ready to add the tank connectors and the other small pieces of glass in the
aquarium, I shall break open the silicon.

Mark

Filtering a sal****er tank has changed so much sence I had a sal****er
set-up - mine was fish only and filtered with an UGF, as were the salt
tanks in the store. Last year a friend asked me to build him a sump for
his salt tank. After a ton of homework I used the sump found here;
http://www.reef-eden.com/DSBs.htm , with a few small changes to make it
a little easyer to build. I used a 20 gal.all glass tank with a 10 gal.
all glass tank within it for the DSB. By the time I had it finished it,
he doubled the size of the tank, so I had to build a second sump. It
ended up working out great - he had a little trouble with the DSB media
in the first sump and had to do it over. The second sump was set-up
with Miracle Mud and to date has worked out great - now he has a real
fine sand in the first sump, he keeps saying he's going to remove it
and replace it with the Miracle Mud. He keeps saying when he sets up
his second sal****er tank, he wants two sumps under it also............
Frank

" Filtering a sal****er tank has changed so much sence I had a sal****er
set-up - mine was fish only and filtered with an UGF, as were the salt
tanks in the store.

Me too. I have had a couple of marine tanks in the past. I have managed to
find some details on a couple of them if you fancy a look. They are at my
page under the marine link, www.marksfish.me.uk, as well as my current
project.

Last year a friend asked me to build him a sump for
his salt tank. After a ton of homework I used the sump found here;
http://www.reef-eden.com/DSBs.htm , with a few small changes to make it
a little easyer to build. I used a 20 gal.all glass tank with a 10 gal.
all glass tank within it for the DSB.

I had a look at a sump from here http://www.melevsreef.com/sump.html. Mine
is basically a three foot tank with glass dividers in. In the first chamber
which has a flow under plate, I will put some egg crate at the bottom and
some bio balls in the chamber. The second chamber I will place a heater.
Third chamber I will put my Caribsea Aragonite fine sand to an initial depth
of 2" (I did consider Miracle Mud but the UK cost is a bit prohibitive) and
caulerpa culture. 4th chamber which was unnecessarily caused will be empty
and chamber 5 will have the return pump in it. Looks like I will be leaving
out the cell pore this time!!

Hopefully the structure goes into place in the next couple of weeks (fingers
crossed).

Thanks for all your input Frank.

Regards

Mark

Liked your site, tanks, and pond. You know, about the time you get the
pond area all done and *really* looking good, your pond isn't going to
be as large as you want. I've been there - done that, redid it, and
done it again. My age (or wife - flip a coin) is stopping me from
changing it again...
With a DSB of only 2" of sand, I wouldn't think it's deep enough to
change the nitrAte to gas (?). My understanding is that you need at
least 4 to 6"s, and then if the water flows across it to fast, it won't
work............. Frank