Can sump reduce nitrates?

[poormanisme]

i know deep sand beds are often used in marine setups for filtration. Could those same principles be applied in a freshwater sump with a deep gravel bed. I often see people post that gravel over a certain depth will contain anoxic pockets and this would be bad if a fish were to be exposed to it. But could it be done in a sump where a fish doesn't have access. And if so wouldn't the anoxic areas "feed on nitrates." I have no idea if it would work or not but it would be nice if did. Would give me a reason to get that nice 125 gal reaf ready tank I've been eyeballin':D Just wanted to know if anyone has tried something like this or if my reasoning is completely off, wouldn't be the first time,LOL

[RTR]

I have no experience with DSB in FW, but plenums do work in FW, so DSB could as well. I think plant sumps work more easily however, and help with more than just nitrates.

http://www.aaquaria.com/aquasource/veggie1.shtml


http://www.aaquaria.com/aquasource/veggie.shtml


http://www.thekrib.com/Filters/plant.html

HTH

[poormanisme]

Thanks RTR, excellent info. makes me wonder if a DSB with a bunch of floating plants like water sprite or hornwort would be even better. Im starting to like the idea of a sump more and more with every minute of research. :cool:

[RTR]

Sumps are extra expense and trouble to set initially, but if you do it properly in that, afterward they can be remarkably useful accessories. Originally I only used sumps only on large tanks (for W/Ds). Over the years I keep moving toward using them on smaller and smaller tanks. My current smallest tank + sump is a 30 with a 15 for a sump.