Chemical filters

[DarthOcellaris]

I'm about to purchace these products: http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=SC3193
http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=SC3155

to help with my nitrates and a slight yellowing of my water. I'd like to get some opinions before I do so.

 

[minireefer]

I use both items.The Denitrate has help me bring down the nitrates somewhat it my small tank.It will exhuast itself turn into biomedia if left in your tank for to long.Basiclly it will temperaly help.My water is always clear so I believe the carbon is really good stuff.I drop it in my HOB filter.

 

[DarthOcellaris]

Thanks Jasen!! Nice to hear that someone uses it and gets good results. I suppose, you could give away the expired de-nitrate to someone needing a bio-filter, huh? I have a dsb and LR as mine so I certainly don't need any more LOL

Do you mix both together and put a bag in the HOB?

 

[Chris]

I use a refuge to keep my nitrates at 0, and carbon to keep the water clear myself.

 

[DarthOcellaris]

I have a 'makeshift' fuge...it's basically just some cheato in my wet/dry where the bio balls used to be. I plan to do what Fishman did and turn a 20 gallon into a nice sump/refuge :D

I figure, for now, chemical relief is my only saviour LOL

 

[fishman]

How many fish are in the tank ,are u using a hand-on filter and how much water movement do u have ? Over feeding fish and additives will cause high nitrates.Tap water will also cause them. These high levels are caused by waste u have more waste than the bio filter in your tank can consume.Your live rock and substrate being your bio filter .Live rock is mother natures gift to to the reef keeper.Shame that gift cost so much.Let your live rock work for u by breaking down the waste.The caulpa or chaeto will remove it even more.But the macroalgae has to be harvested .When it fills the refuge u pull 75% out and let it grow again .When u remove the macroalgae u are removing the nitrates .Those products will remove nitrates a little for a short time only,and do not leave it in after it is exhausted that will make another bio filter.U only need one bio filter (live rock) and u want it as strong as possible.

 

[Chris]

Also my refuge had a 6 inch DSB which will contain anaerobic bacteria that convert nitrates to gas which then escape the system causing no harm.

 

[bkv1997]

Nitrate is the by product of having LR.

When your fish emit waste it is in the form of ammonia. The bacteria in your LR convert this to nitrite and then to nitrate, which is a lot less lethal than ammonia in the fish tank and why everyone wants LR.

With that said though very few things remove the actual nitrate itself. Water Changes, Deep Sand bed, Algea (calurpa/Cheato) those can remove the actual nitrate.

The best defense against nitrate is to don't over feed and to have a high quality protein skimmer (Some believe you can overskim, I personally do not) to remove the waste before it has time to start the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate cycle.

Without actually ever having a refugium I would like to know if anyone actually knows what size refugium is needed to effectively remove nitrate?
Example:
10% of tank volume for lightly stocked tank
50% of tank volume for medium stocked tank
100% for heavily stocked tank.

I have looked for similiar information on the web and have been unable to find this information, I suspect that while having a 4 gallon refugium on a 125 gallon tank defenitly doesn't hurt, I wonder what percentage of nitrate is it actually extracting?

Any thoughts?