Moving Bed Bio-Film Reactor

[cichlid1409]

Where do you work??

http://ccag.tamu.edu/mariculture_flour_bluff/index.php

[peterp63]

That's awesome. I graduated from main campus in '05

[algarciajr]

Peter,

Does the moving bed bio reactor remove nitrates from the water, from what I saw online there is a separate step needed (denitrification stage) in order to remove nitrates?

[cichlid1409]

the way I understand it is that it is sloughed off and picked up by your protein skimmer.

[algarciajr]

the way I understand it is that it is sloughed off and picked up by your protein skimmer.

Is this a freshwater or saltwater tank?

[peterp63]

Mine is freshwater, Al. This filtration is very similar to any wet/dry filtering system. So, ammonia is converted to nitrites which is converted to nitrates. All by the bacteria colonies in your bio filter. Nitrates are removed via water changes or plant/algae consumption. This is just a badazz bio filter :)

cichlid1409 is right on the money. Old bacteria colonies are sloughed off as the media is circulated and allows for new, more robust, colonies to form. This is used in large scale water treatment plants and a lot of people with koi ponds also use this type of filtration. Mine is a bit "rigged", but it's doing the job. I came across this while trying to determine the best way to utilize the sump that came with this latest fish tank purchase.

I plan on using the same type of filtration for my 5' by 5' tank that I am setting up, but in a larger scale...