DartzMan Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Like many FishKeepers, we all try to control Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate, not to mention PH and Hardness..... The last process of the cycle is Nitrate which is normally removed by water changes.... I am a fish Keeper that over stocks a tank with Africans to eliminate agression and also give me a colourfull tank...... However water changes are 40% each week After reading many MANY forums, I am learning about Denitrator Coils, Aquaripure Denitrator and now the Seachem Nitrate Filter Media that helps remove or reduce Nitrate levels...... Do they all work? I want to enjoy my heavily overstocked aquaruim not be a slave to it..... Apart from reducing fish stocks to 1 or 2 what is the BEST process using the products above to elimitate water changes , except top ups...or reduce water changes to once a month Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Using these products doesn't eliminate then need for water changes, but help reduce nitrate levels. I dont know if they work, I have never had a problem with Nitrates in my tanks. Over stocking tanks with fish can be offset by using adequate filtration and IMHO is a better alternative to using chemical products in your tank Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DartzMan Posted April 15, 2008 Author Share Posted April 15, 2008 Using these products doesn't eliminate then need for water changes, but help reduce nitrate levels. I dont know if they work, I have never had a problem with Nitrates in my tanks. Over stocking tanks with fish can be offset by using adequate filtration and IMHO is a better alternative to using chemical products in your tank Josh adequate filtration is not a problem, I turn over 2000L per hour.. in 3 foot tank.. however, adiquate filtration will only help in certain areas of filtration , ie, mechanical, Bio, Changing Ammonia to Nitrite and Nitrite to Nitrate etc...If you are suggesting adequate filtration then you would lean towards the Auaripure? Standard filters dont remove Nitrates.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carduz Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 I think seachem matrix does remove nitrates. need to double check on this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DartzMan Posted April 17, 2008 Author Share Posted April 17, 2008 I think seachem matrix does remove nitrates. need to double check on this Cheers for that... I just checked their website and it seems it does help to eliminate Nitrates etc........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malloy Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 Yes, Seachem Matrix submerged will help remove nitrates because it has areas inside the "rocks" that don't have good access to oxygen. This is the environment needed for Pseudomonas and Clostridium to breed, these are the bacteria responsible for converting your nitrates into nitrogen gas which will just vent off the surface of the water. I love Matrix and kinda go overboard with it, but you can't have too much bio-filtration (especially for an overstocked tank). I run a seperate canister filter full of it on a 4' tank slightly overstocked and my water changes are monthly at best...the water quality is fine, they breed like mad in there and all. As a few others have said, you still gotta do water changes But with this added level of biofiltration, you shouldn't need to do as many as often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Dave Posted April 26, 2008 Share Posted April 26, 2008 How often do you have to replace the Matrix? Does Purigen reduce nitrates? Thanks Old Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eaglebarret Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 I didnt have any luck with matrix as a nitrate remover, nor purigen. However i have been having success with seachem denitrate. What i did was put it in a canister with a small pump to pump the water through the canister.(400l per hour. by the time you put the pump to the slowest setting and it runs through a canister full of media, the flow is quite slow.) This has reduced the need for me to do regular massive water changes. Now i just do regular small changes. HTH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motorman Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 Nearly all Media will remove Nitrates when the flow is really slow I have been using Purigen in a FBF for years and I have no readings of Nitrates except for straight after a feed but within a few hours its gone again The main problem with eliminating water changes is your losing minerals and nitrients from the water You can use products like Seachem Cichlid trace to replace them without water changes From everyone I know who is using this product they find the fish are more colourful and generally breed with larger broods Brad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CThompson Posted April 28, 2008 Share Posted April 28, 2008 Seachem Denitrate works provided it is set-up as instructed. Principally this means a clean slow flow of water through an enclosed space (ie separated from O2). Denitrification does not remove the need to W/C however. It is true that any media can work as a denitrate media provided water flow is slow enough as what the denitrate bacteria needs is the same as anaerobic bacteria needs - a surface area. But Seachem Denitrate due to its small size and "tight packing" nature its size lends it to, is an ideal media for denitrate removal because you can fully pack the enclosed area - getting more surface area into same available space (less gaps). Its size (similar size as kitty litter) also helps to prevent channeling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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