Can anyone give me info on a denitrator and if what they claim is true? Aquaripure claims it will lower nitates by 25ppm a week so you don't need to do weekly water changes. Thanks Ken
Denitrator for stingray tank
- Thread starter SNAKEMANKk
- Start date
i read on some site that they eliminate water changes all together im curious on these dont understand how they work and at the moment too lazy to look it up
welcome to MFK
welcome to MFK
They're essentially worthless, the best way to eliminate nitrates is to change your water. The only thing that will get rid of nitrates are water changes, and plants, which will use the nitrates as fertilizer and release it as a harmless gas.
Deltec and Ratz make a sulphur bead denitrator and there are also alcohol based denitrators that do actually work, they require a very very low flow rate ( 4 - 5 GPH ) but will remove the nitrate from that volume, they work anaerobically and require a dosing pump or a very fine valve adjustment from a t-piece off your canister filter.Josh said:
Also the discharge is very acid so needs buffering back up otherwise you have wild pH fluctuations.
There are NO products on the market that eliminate water changes because even if you get rid of the products of the nitrogen cycle you still have to freshen the water to replace the minerals etc used up by the plants and fish.
Steve
For our purposes, they are far more trouble than they're worth. Stick to water changes and add plants to reduce nitrates.
I am new to SW keeping and my nitrates are high, I have been doing water changes, not working so well. Also, I am just getting fresh water from the ocean, is that ok?
What kind of plants do I need for 125 SW? thanks Hedda in Hawaii
What kind of plants do I need for 125 SW? thanks Hedda in Hawaii
SNAKEMANKk;153697; said:
i had an extensive look into thse a while back. and as kod said. they DO NOT elimnate water changes as changing water removes all sorts of nasties , freshens current water and replaces nutrients and minerals.
denitrators do work however . and do reduce nitrates. the amount will prob depend on the volume of water and the size of the denitrator .
the sulphur ones seem to be easier to maintain and cheaper . or there is the nitrate reductor type alternative which can be fed by a number of different ways inc alcohol , or denniballs ,, denibals are a one time use that feeds the bacteria for aprox 12mths if i remember correctly so no need for repeated feeding like with alcohol or other alternatives.
. i think i even saw some DIY denitrator plans on this site when i was originaly looking .
denitrifying bacteria work anearobicly ( no oxygen ) as far as i know the bacteria use no3 in place of 02 when consuiming whatever food source , ie sulphur or denniballs.
ive used a sulphur version in the past with good results and have used a diy sulpher version also with good results.
--- one point to note is that teh sulphur can reduce your ph so you might want to consider following a sulphur chamber with a calcium carbonate chamber to get the ph back in order.
i would recomend keeping up with water changes whilst using this and not as a means of reducing water changes.
-- info is based on what ive read and my own personal experiences.
hope it helps.
No way to replace Water Changes..
like they said..
Even if you remove nitrates, you have to worry about Dissolved Organic Compounds, Dissolved Solids, Nutrient Levels, etc, etc
like they said..
Even if you remove nitrates, you have to worry about Dissolved Organic Compounds, Dissolved Solids, Nutrient Levels, etc, etc