Where to start?......I guess the first question that I have is, does a deep sand bed remove nitrates. I’ve seen many applications of sand which include substrates within the display tank, partitioned in a refugium, and even contained remotely in a bucket. However, I’ve only seen anecdotal evidence of its effects in an aquarium. Below is a DSB that I’m currently setting up in order to measure specifically the effect a DSB would have on nitrate in my tank.
Let me know if there are any changes that I should make or things to consider regarding this approach. Other system details have been listed above and will not change.