Complete Denitrification, a dream?

[sen5241b]

My nitrates have been at approx 15 for the last couple months and I want to get them below 5. I have a 29G BioCube with approx. 25 lbs of LR. My real issue here is not getting nitrates down to normal levels, but getting them down near zero.

Do protein skimmers remove nitrates? I've heard they remove "dissolved proteins".

Do refugiums remove nitrates solely because they have LS and LR?

Has anyone seen a noticeable drop in nitrates after putting chemipure in?

Experts with big tanks: How do your nitrates typically test?

 

[nudy6969]

do water changes, thats how i get mine down.

 

[daugherty]

i change 10 to 15 gallons every week. every thing is at 0

 

[kimoy]

with your size tank I think it is hard to get it down. it is quite difficult to maintain levels in a tanks smaller than 40. IMOE

 

[hotimportknight]

A refugum will not get rid of nitrates or phosphates or anything alone, but the stuff you keep in it will. A nice big chunk of chaeto will do you good. Since I got some in my fuge I haven't registered a nitrate in over 5 months. A skimmer would help keep the nitrates down a little due to getting rid of the excess proteins in the water that could build up.

 

[yote]

A skimmer removes the dissolved proteins before they can break down and cause ammonia.
A refugium will use the cheato or what ever to help export nitrates and phosphates.
Everything in my 75 tests at zero.

 

[Bifferwine]

Yote is right, a protein skimmer will definitely help, and macroalgae uses nitrates as a fuel, like food.

 

[reeffreak]

Protein skimmers will help remove the nutrient before it can become nitrate.If you truly want to keep nitrate at zero than consider a refugium with a DSB,live rock and macroalgae.My original 75g. never showed any nitrates and after the transfer to my 210,there still no detectible nitrate.All in all,its been over a year now and still no nitrates.

 

[simpleman]

Stick a little chaeto in the one of the filter compartments of your nano (the one furthest away from the pump). That's what I do, works like a charm. Also make sure you don't overstock your tank!

 

[McCrary]

It is going to be hard to find a cheap, effective protein skimmer for your 29, so most just skip it. Protein skimmers are great for larger tanks with sumps, but with smaller tanks water changes are going to be more effective as long as they are done regularly. A 5 gallon bucket filled with sand that has a hole drilled on either side so water can flow gently across is supposed to be a nitrate killer. Calfo as a nice thread on RC about it. But you might be feeding too much, this is how most nitrate problems can be easily solved, just cut back on feedings.

 

[billy71]

I have a natureef denitrifier and i have 0 nitrates i daont have to as many water changes

 

[Rcpilot]

My tank is in my avitar. 30g high with a DSB in the tank. CPR large HOB refugium with a DSB and cheato. The refugium has a built in skimmer that works awesome. I have never registered even so much as a spec of nitrate on my tests. ZERO!!

Everyone says it's hard to keep a small tank stable. The only thing I ever had trouble with was my pH and alkalinity. I finally got a handle on it and I dose every other day for that. All parameters are right where they should be.

I change about 6g of water every Sunday using RO/DI water and Oceanic salt mix. Thats 20%. I'm NOT changing water to control nitrates. I've gotten lazy before and let my tank go a month without a water change. The only thing that suffered were my corals didn't grow or look as vibrant. Probably from depletion of trace elements. Nitrates are always zero. I just change 20% because it seams about right for my tank.

IMHO, if you want to get rid of nitrates, run a DSB and cheato. Use 2lbs of rock per gallon. It works. I have 61lbs of rock in my 30g tank. You will go broke buying salt if you try to control nitrates with water changes.

Lets say you have nitrates of 15 and you have a 40g tank. You'd have to change 20g just to get nitrates down to 7.5

Now you will have to change 20 MORE gallons to get them down to 3.75

Anybody want to change 40g of water in their 40g tank in less than a week? :shock: Not me.

 

[Bifferwine]

Check this. I've been doing 30 gallon water changes every day or every other day for the last 2 or 3 weeks. Been battling nitrate problems that are due to tank neglect (I hadn't done a water change or even tested my water since September). NoobDeBiff has been helping me greatly, but the problem is 30 gallons is only 10% in my tank.

I don't even want to say what my nitrates were at when I finally did test them a few weeks ago.

My RODI unit has been running 24/7 for the last three weeks. I believe I will singlehandedly be responsible for any sinkholes that open up and swallow cars in Tucson over the next few years.

 

[sen5241b]

Nitrate Update: During a water change, I picked up a piece of rock and shook it. A cloud of detritus came off it. The 'out of the box' BioCube 29 just doesn't have enough flow to keep the rocks clean. I'm turning the back chamber 2 into a little refugium with LR and chaeto. Will also add more flow and maybe chemipure.

 

[McCrary]

Biff- Try not feeding as much, doing water changes isn't usually a very effective way at getting rid of nitrates because they come back so easily. Try locating the source. If you are going to have to feed so much as to have nitrates, which sometimes happen in heavily stocked tanks, there are commercial denitrators that would be good for the job.

 

[daugherty]

I don't even want to say what my nitrates were at when I finally did test them a few weeks ago.

if you tested your water and did at least monthly water changes this would not have happened.. just had to say it....

 

[yote]

if you tested your water and did at least monthly water changes this would not have happened.. just had to say it....

GETTER JAMES:mrgreen:
Biff you gotta admit,he's right.:D

 

[daugherty]

i had to it was to easy. biff could have used that three hundred in salt over a couple months instead of a week.

 

[daugherty]

I only test once a month or every two months but i change 10 to 15 gallons of my water every week.

 

[daugherty]

Bifferwine;77528]I kinda only test if I suspect there's a problem going on...[/quote]

Geez you all make me feel like such a slacker! Even since I set up my new tank, I've only tested the params once. Is it cycling? WHO KNOWS!!!! :mrgreen:

this is from a poll in sept 2007