Nitrate filters/denitrators

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T

Thatdude

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Aug 22, 2009
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New York
Fortunately their neighbors like to feed on Nitrites (a good thing) and excrete Nitrates. This is far less toxic to fish and can be controlled by periodic water changes although certain types of algae are known to eliminate it and filtration systems exist that take advantage of this to almost eliminate the need for water changes
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Saw that quote in the filtration 101 thread stickied at the top. I assume it refers to Nitrate filters such as

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewI...in&idProduct=KL9111&IdCategory=FIFRISDN&tab=5

http://www.midwestaquatic.com/PRODUCTS/denitrifier.htm

http://www.aquaripure.com/


I did a search on denitrators all I got was a few threads were someone asks about the topic and the thread is then derailed by people posting irrelevant information and avoiding the entire question.

I want to discuss commercial denitrators in depth.

-Do They lower and keep nitrates down to 0 as promised?

-Do they "ALMOST eliminate the need to do water changes?"

-If they work, yet water changes remain necessary, what exactly is in the water besides Nitrates that need immediate removal and how often should the water be changed with a denitrator?


P.S These threads in most fish forums tend to have a few people who say the commercial denitrators are a scam, but then praise the DIY version. Let's avoid that contradiction, it makes no sense.
 
I have not used any commercial denitrators and cannot offer any input there. However, one thing that water changes remove (besides nitrates) is fish pheremones. When fish are stressed, aggressive, sexed up, etc. they put out pheremones. These affect the way other fish behave. Excessive buildup of pheremones can be stressful to fish. Water changes also add trace minerals to the water, which is important if you have plants.
 
I was just looking at these the other day. Hopefully someone with some experience with these chimes in.
 
You would think with all the fuzz about nitrates people would really want to remove them...

People do want to remove them it’s one of the main motivations people have for doing water changes. Though nitrates at reasonable levels are relatively harmless to fish and even at high levels are only harmful in the long term. The reason I suspect most people don't have denitrators is that you can control nitrates cheaply and easily through water changes for freshwater systems. Many people use nitrate levels as an indicator of when to do water change as it is fairly easy to measure nitrate levels though nitrates are not the only reason to do water changes. As already mentioned here water changes also remove pheromones that build up, add minerals and trace elements to the water and removes contaminates that are on your skin when you reach into the tank. These items are much harder to measure so most people just use nitrate levels as an indicator of when to do water changes. Since people are doing water changes anyway it’s not worth the hassle and cost for the average hobbyist to set up a denitrator. Marine tanks on the other hand require more work and are more expensive to do water changes on and that’s why items like protein skimmers, deep sand beds and other nitrate removal equipment are so popular.
 
I can't justify paying that much for the sole purpose of removing nitrates when i can do WC and do the same for pennies
 
There lies the fallacy.


The time and expense it takes to do weekly water changes takes a much higher toll on the hobbyist then the $250 it takes to buy a denitrator. I am aware that many here have learned to like performing water changes, and it might be hard to move on from tradition. However, when you have posters using 2 FX5 filters and a AC110 on a 100 Gallon and are contemplating on buying another filter, I don't think the cost of the denitrator is the main factor.

It seems to me that if nitrates can be kept at 0, pheromones and the other micro containments don't play enough of a role to still do water changes more then once every few months.
 
Im going to check into these, 250 is not bad. I did notice mention of the DIY can someone shed some light on this?
 
The DIY algae scrubber is an effective means of removing Nitrates also phosphates and algae very well once it is broken in and built properly.
 
I think the first two products you listed are only for saltwater setups. I could be wrong though.
 
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