Nitrate Filter - too good to be true?

[henward]

http://www.aquaripure.com/intl/index.htm

ok, the bain of our existence as fishkeepers no matter how good the filter is NITRATES.
we need to remove this weekly or as much as possible.

this product link claims that it will completely negate the need to remove nitrates in the tank - wc will only purely be for trace elements in the tank.

It says tha it will remove nitrates even in big set ups.

ihas anyone used this?
it claims many things, has testimonials that can be faked.
But you canot advertise a product such as so and not have anything to back it up...maybe unless you are in asia - i find that consumers guarantees rules dont apply to most of south east asia.

anyways.
would like feedback!
cos if this works, then iw ill buy one today!

 

[Noto]

A lot of reefkeepers use denitrators. I haven't tried one, but I just can't get my mind around how they are supposed to work. The bacteria that convert nitrate to N2 are anaerobic, so the denitrator must completely deoxygenate your water, pass it by the anaerobes, then return it to your tank. If it is actually doing this at a reasonable rate, then it seems to me the O2 levels in your tank could drop dangerously low.

I suggest an algal denitrator ("scrubber") as a more reasonable option: http://www.algaescrubber.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=36. Plants and algae consume nitrates without the need for deoxygenated water. Plus, you don't have to feed them vodka.

 

[fishbum]

Is that the same company that sells the water that both fresh and saltwater fish can live in?
I don't think anything will ever replace clean,fresh,water.

 

[henward]

yeah. well in theory. nitrates is the only thing that needs be removed.
but in saying that..... what else is there that filtration cannot address right?

but if it works it works. you cant fight sc ience i guess.
hence wondering if anyones tried it and it works
but all feedback taken into account

 

[fishbum]

yeah. well in theory. nitrates is the only thing that needs be removed.
but in saying that..... what else is there that filtration cannot address right?

True.I know the river that feeds the water filtration plant in the city I live,and I must say,filtered water is good water!

 

[Toby_H]

The theory is... water moves VERY slow through a filter... Aerobic bacteria uses up ‘all’ of the oxygen… thus allowing deoxygenated water full of nitrates move through media which is filled with anaerobic bacteria.
　
From the reports I’ve heard, they are exceptionally difficult to establish and even harder maintain.
　
This is what it says about removing nitrates “even on big set ups”…
　

Aquaripure's filters are designed to completely eliminate nitrates even in fairly well stocked tanks that accumulate nitrates at a rate of up to 25-30 ppm (parts per million) a week.

　
And would you trust any website that suggest…
　

How can an Aquaripure save me money?

For the freshwater planted tank, if your tap water is hard or alkaline then it shouldn't be used for water changes and you would have to buy distilled water (that has pH of 7) for about $1 a gallon.

 

[SupeDM]

Denitrators do work and the science is very good behind them. Now for the bad part. In a closed system like our aquariuns they are so hard to adjust that they can do more harm than good. The first part is to match the flow rate to the size and capability or the denitrator. If this is done inproperly then the Denetrator can actually reverse the process of nitrification and pour ammonia back into the aquarium. Basically it needs to eliminate the oxygen then convert the nitrate to Nitrogen gas and oxygen then discharge the water. If it keeps the water longer than it takes to do this then another type of bacteria can colonize and create hydrogen sulfide which is toxic to fish. If it still hasnt discharged the water it can then form another type of bacteria that uses the hydrogen sulfide as a food source then converts it back into ammonia and nitrite which we know is toxic. We as fishkeepers have better things to do than spend time trying to mess with this when a water change is so much easier and faster.

 

[Noto]

But aerobic bacteria only use oxygen while they are metabolizing food...so you would have to have a certain number of aerobes, maintained by a certain level of waste, for them to deoxygenate the water that is moving through at a given rate...so, if your feeding or stocking level is too low, or you skip a feeding, the water going through the filter will not be deoxygenated. The question then is- are the anaerobes in your filter facultative or obligate? If facultative, they will survive but do nothing to your nitrates; if obligate, they will all die.

It just doesn't add up.

 

[mr.reef24]

not worth the money you can get the same results with good aquarium husbandry and water changes of 5-10% weekly save your money

mr.reef24

 

[cvermeulen]

The science works. JohnPTC has a huge denitrator he set up on his mega tank. However, as others have said, it's more finicky and a lot less autonomous than the aerobic filtration in your tank. If I were to build a denitration system it would use sulfur instead of 'sugar water' or just go with the algae scrubber concept.