Ok guys Im going to live!!! I took my water in and had it tested and they said the nitrate level was about 12ppm... My test kit was messed up because I bought a new one and it is read about 40 ppm now in my tanks.... thank god!!!
am i the only one who feels like my nitrates will never be low?
- Thread starter jagsandpits
- Start date
12 ppm nitrate is still above EPA's standard of 10 ppm for drinking water. It should be OK for adults, since the standard was set for the more susceptable infant population. Public water is not allowed to exceed EPA standards. Do you use private well water? Some midwestern states have regional contamination of nitrate from years of fertilizer use in agriculture.
I can't believe nobody has mentioned buying/building a media reactor and turning it into a denitrification chamber...
...We do this where I work. Our recirculating aquaculture systems are waaaay more densely stocked than any home aquarium. Because we can only pump in about 150,000 gallons of water from our well per day, we have to clean the water we have by growing denitrifying bacteria (which are anoxic). Once you have the chamber filled with biomedia and set to the proper flow rate, you just need to add a carbon source such as vinegars, sugars, or alcohols. I have seen DIY models work in personal aquariums. They even sell safe carbon sources for reef tanks but I haven't tried them in freshwater. The water going into the denitrifyers can sometimes have about 200+ppm more NO3 than the water coming out! And it boosts your alkalinity in the process!
...We do this where I work. Our recirculating aquaculture systems are waaaay more densely stocked than any home aquarium. Because we can only pump in about 150,000 gallons of water from our well per day, we have to clean the water we have by growing denitrifying bacteria (which are anoxic). Once you have the chamber filled with biomedia and set to the proper flow rate, you just need to add a carbon source such as vinegars, sugars, or alcohols. I have seen DIY models work in personal aquariums. They even sell safe carbon sources for reef tanks but I haven't tried them in freshwater. The water going into the denitrifyers can sometimes have about 200+ppm more NO3 than the water coming out! And it boosts your alkalinity in the process!
Already some good info above...
True, the simplest way to think of it is: Bio-load in tank ultimately produces nitrates, water change removes nitrates (assuming low nitrates in the new water). But there's more to it than that, which is why there's no one-size-fits-all rule for water changes. De-nitrification can take place in your substrate, filter media, algae and bio-film, plants, etc. To what extent depends on a variety of factors, including type, depth, and/or gradients of O2 in substrate, type of media in your filter, how often you rinse your media (potentially next in importance to water changes), etc. etc.
Bottom line is if you delve into it the subject of de-nitrification is fairly complicated and a lot of factors go into it-- imo it's worth spending some time to do some reading on it. But probably the simplest factors to understand and manipulate are water changes, filter media (what kind, maintenance) and fast growing plants.
True, the simplest way to think of it is: Bio-load in tank ultimately produces nitrates, water change removes nitrates (assuming low nitrates in the new water). But there's more to it than that, which is why there's no one-size-fits-all rule for water changes. De-nitrification can take place in your substrate, filter media, algae and bio-film, plants, etc. To what extent depends on a variety of factors, including type, depth, and/or gradients of O2 in substrate, type of media in your filter, how often you rinse your media (potentially next in importance to water changes), etc. etc.
Bottom line is if you delve into it the subject of de-nitrification is fairly complicated and a lot of factors go into it-- imo it's worth spending some time to do some reading on it. But probably the simplest factors to understand and manipulate are water changes, filter media (what kind, maintenance) and fast growing plants.
+1
The reason that no one invests in denitrification filters for fresh water fish is that it is simpler and cheaper just to do water change. Salt water folks use denitrification filters a lot because making up salt water is both expensive and tedious, so they rely more on sophisticated filtration than WC. The same reason why hardly any fresh water folks use carbons, because water is cheaper than carbon. WC is the cheapest and most effective filtration for fresh water fish.
I notice that denitrificaton activities are already happening in my tank at depth in the substrate and underneath rocks. When I do WC, I notice air bubbles come up when I stirred up the substrate in thick area or underneath rocks. I believe the bubbles are either nitrogen or methane gas generated from denitification activities.
The reason that no one invests in denitrification filters for fresh water fish is that it is simpler and cheaper just to do water change. Salt water folks use denitrification filters a lot because making up salt water is both expensive and tedious, so they rely more on sophisticated filtration than WC. The same reason why hardly any fresh water folks use carbons, because water is cheaper than carbon. WC is the cheapest and most effective filtration for fresh water fish.
I notice that denitrificaton activities are already happening in my tank at depth in the substrate and underneath rocks. When I do WC, I notice air bubbles come up when I stirred up the substrate in thick area or underneath rocks. I believe the bubbles are either nitrogen or methane gas generated from denitification activities.
