Domolite lime and other lost arts...

[StirCrazy]

ok I am not sure about this so I am asking about it. with the lower regeon of a DSB there have been studies that have showen that it is lower PH than the water colum, now from the last 23 years of keeping planted fresh water tanks and trying out tones of different soiles ranging from kittly litter to laterdite, I have always had a4 to 6" bed in my freshwater tanks and although I think we get some of the same benifits in nitrate reduction as I get anerobic zones in my fresh tanks and no matter how much nitrate I add with my fertalizer I cannot get my nitrates in the tank above 0 ( I want it to stable out at 10ppm)
Now that I have explained the madness behind my thinking I am wondering if what is going on under the sand bed affects the water colume at all? why do I think this? well in freshwater tanks we add iron and phosfate ritch fretalizer sticks below the sand bed for root feeders. they desolve and feed the plants but I never have a high iron level or any phosfates in my water colume. now in a reef tank whare the PH is 8ish lets say the bottom of the sand bed is 7, in theory stuff that will desolve at 7.2 shold start desolving how fast do you have to replenish your sand bed? seeing that arganite desolves faster than dolomite it would take a lot longer for the same volume in dolomite to be desolved, which would in turn result in a slower rate of particles being released into the bottom area of the sand bed.
my theory is that as the elements are working there way throught the sand bed to towards the water colum, most will bond with other particles in the substrate and never make it to the water colum. in a sence the upper 3 to 4 " of the sandbed is acting like a filter causing most of the elements to precipatateout of solution befor it can reach the water colume. does this make sence? think about it,

if this wasn't happening you would never have to add kalk, run a calcium reactor or use stuff like ionic B. all you would have to do is keep replenishing your sand bed because at a ph of 7.5 I have showen that arganite will desolve untill it buffers to 7.8 ish in my exparament.

well I have more to say but I am going toleave this at that. this post doesent say which is better just gives some food for thought on what is actualy going on in a DSB. like I stated I have been running DSB and quasi DSB, for about 23 years now and this is something I have been thinking about for a long time, just with freshwater and not salt, but the mechanics are the same.

Please I want to hear your thought on this as it is just my theory and if you have evidence to prove it wrong then I stand to learn from it.

Steve