Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi BF,
I don't know anything about industry. The filter you describe might go anaerobic or not. If water has a chance to get some air at the top of each section, then I'd say it was not intended to go anaerobic, but may in places by coincidence.

The only time I have heard of the anaerobic idea being used at all is in marine aquariums. They will sometimes run without a UG filter, but just a bed of sand. The Anaerobic bacteria will build up in the sand. I don't know how long this has been a defined method, though.

My friend Anthony does heavy-duty research on this sort of thing, so I'd have to say that the full function of bacteria in an AP system/streambed/ocean/ecosystem is not understood. Different environments/micro-environments behave differently because of the bacteria they attract. What I found really cool is that anaerobic-with-iron will chelate the iron, while plain-anaerobic will off-gas the nitrate.

Here's Anthony, the RSG. I can't even pronounce the stuff he researches! http://www.stroudcenter.org/about/aufdenkampe.htm

Hey BF,

just Google "Deep Sand Bed Reef"

Just waiting for the sealant to cure on the pipe joints then will be running the RSG filter....kinda got interested in putting a kit together suggested by Tim (playing with that and not spending time on the RSG )