[I]@DaveJ wrote:[/I][quote="Remove DSB section... too small to be of any purpose said:
hum....I thought small was ok, since some people are just using 5 gallon buckets...You still think, it's a no go? Should i make the fuge section smaller and make the DSB area bigger? Or just bump the whole DSB idea?
I also did not think baffles would be needed on that side since there shouldn't be any air getting in. I guess there could be some from the frag tank.
So you think best option is to keep everything except DSB and add baffles there?"]
My opinion on the buckets is they act more as a sink and not a true DSB. You also have the ability to remove them from the system easily, unlike putting them into the sump. You need a certain amount of surface area for a DSB to function and 84 sq inches isn't enough in my opinion.
Here is a little reading on them... When Ron was a contributor on RC, every time the question of size came up anything less than 4sqft of bed was said to be a waste of sand and would act more like a sink than a true DSB. If your whole sump was 5" deep, it would be fine, but the one little corner, while it may not harm it, won't be useful.
http://www.ronshimek.com/deep_sand_beds.html
Put the baffles between the fuge area and the return... with a passover area from the simmer to the fuge (comb gates if possible) and drain into the skimmer area and from there into the fuge and then into the return section. Or split the drain line and feed both the skimmer and fuge at different rates to maximize the fuge activity (lower flow).
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