everyones thought on a biodenitrator

[Shooter7]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9888570#post9888570 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by trottman
or you could just do water changes

Considering the amount of time he's been running SW tanks, I imagine that approach has already been tried and didn't satisfy the situation.

 

[JxMetal]

On a large tank are your nitrates actually going to be measurable?

If you're doing biweekly water changes and have cheato in the sump you should be fine.

I have those things and a couple clams. 1 large 7" and one 4"

i haven't had any detectable nitrates in months.

I guess I'm just not seeing the reason for needing a denitrator.

 

[trottman]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9888696#post9888696 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Shooter7
Considering the amount of time he's been running SW tanks, I imagine that approach has already been tried and didn't satisfy the situation.

In that case, there must be a major flaw with the system. or he keeps putting stuff in there that is dying. Or he has A lot of large fish (too many for the system to handle obviously if you are observing consistant high nitrates)

why not buy a large squamosa for less than $100? i got a squammy when it was like 4 inches for under 50 i think. i have had it a year and it is probbly 7-8 inches. they take out nitrates.

 

[trottman]

Holy Crap! i just read his little tank thing that is below his posts!

he must have lots of huge fish to have nitrates with BB, ozone, and that large ammount of water and the large skimmer!!!

that should be the cleanest tank on earth. unless you have like 4 large vlamingis, or a really dirty fish. Please inform us about where the trates are coming from

 

[JxMetal]

Confuses me too.

All I can think of is
1. New tank (but it's not)
2. 75 fish
3. 15 tangs
4. Tap water for top off (doubtful, since he knows what good equipment is)
5. Doesn't do water changes (even on my 30 gallon my nitrates were 0 once it was established, and I did water changes like bi-monthly)
6. Old lights/too long of photoperiod (but that wouldn't raise nitrates)
7. Sponges in the system for mechanical filtration.


I'm out of ideas.

 

[spooda420]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9888810#post9888810 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by trottman
Please inform us about where the trates are coming from

If I knew that, I would make the necessary adjustments.

 

[spooda420]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9888837#post9888837 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by JxMetal
Confuses me too.

All I can think of is
1. New tank (but it's not)

Nope been up for 4 years

2. 75 fish[/B][/QUOTE]

eight that I can remember.

3. 15 tangs[/B][/QUOTE]

three

4. Tap water for top off (doubtful, since he knows what good equipment is)[/B][/QUOTE]

nope a decent RODI with 2ppm of the nasties going in.

5. Doesn't do water changes (even on my 30 gallon my nitrates were 0 once it was established, and I did water changes like bi-monthly)[/B][/QUOTE]

18% monthly (approx 45gallons)

6. Old lights/too long of photoperiod (but that wouldn't raise nitrates)[/B][/QUOTE]

I replaced them around 4-5 months ago

7. Sponges in the system for mechanical filtration.[/B][/QUOTE]

nope, filtration is skimmer, 300 lbs of LR, ozone, chaeto.


I'm out of ideas.

Yeah me too... Screw it Im buying the XL one, right now.

 

[trottman]

all i can say is that there is a flaw in your system somewhere.

do you use frozen foods? do you feed a lot?

mabe your corals are spawning so much that it is having negative affects on the tank!?

 

[JxMetal]

Is 300 lbs. too much rock? Only if you don't have enough flow IMO.

You need to have enough flow going THROUGH the rockwork to make sure there's no settling of poop and stuff.

 

[thatguy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9894342#post9894342 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by JxMetal
Is 300 lbs. too much rock? Only if you don't have enough flow IMO.

You need to have enough flow going THROUGH the rockwork to make sure there's no settling of poop and stuff.

Obviously the problem is someone pooping in the tank. :lol:


Sorry, couldn't stop myself.

 

[spooda420]

i dont feed alot, I do feed frozen food as a "treat" a couple times a month, but only 2-3 cubes. I have about 37x( about 4440 gph) turn over in the tank.

the flaw is that I have nitrates in a BB tank with an oversized skimmer, and I run ozone, I keep my orp about 390. Perhaps I need to add another Tunze and run the reactor.

Thats the only thing I can come up with...

 

[trottman]

nah, its probably something simple.

 

[chadfarmer]

BB tank is the problem


that is what i believe sand plays a big role in nitrogen cycle

 

[inwall75]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9895099#post9895099 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chadfarmer
BB tank is the problem


that is what i believe sand plays a big role in nitrogen cycle

I've run DSB tanks as well as BB tanks. Still do in fact. I agree, sand DOES play a role in the Nitrogen cycle. So does live rock, so does every surface in your tank. Take a gander at this.....denitrification can occur at merely .029 micromoles. You can actually look through the denitrification taking place on your tanks front glass once a biofilm is created.

Sand also plays a role in the Carbon cycle, the Sulphur Cycle, and the Phosphorus Cycle, along with many other issues.

I respect you Chad but telling someone to add sand rather than finding the root cause is like telling someone's friend to hit them in the head as hard as they can with a 2 x 4 to stop a headache. Both will stop the problem, but whatever is wrong still exists and I feel that the best course of action is to find out what's wrong. I'm embarassed that it took me so many years to figure out to never eat chocolate nor strawberries. Both always resulted in a migraine headache.

 

[Shooter7]

I'm embarassed that it took me so many years to figure out to never eat chocolate nor strawberries. Both always resulted in a migraine headache.

Hey, this sounds like fun. Curt, I'm coming over this weekend with a chocolate bar and a 2x4.

 

[trottman]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9895099#post9895099 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chadfarmer
BB tank is the problem


that is what i believe sand plays a big role in nitrogen cycle

Ahah! but with so much rock and not that many fish, and so much water and equipment where are the nitrates coming from?

 

[inwall75]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9895400#post9895400 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Shooter7
Hey, this sounds like fun. Curt, I'm coming over this weekend with a chocolate bar and a 2x4.

LOL Dave....you think you're the only person with this thought???

 

[inwall75]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9895412#post9895412 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by trottman
Ahah! but with so much rock and not that many fish, and so much water and equipment where are the nitrates coming from?

I don't know. It might have already have been answered on the thread but RC was down for me most of the day.

Chris,

How often do you clean your rock? Believe it not, nitrates can come from "too often" or "not often enough". There's a balance there.

 

[spooda420]

I blow it off 1x a week, and when a do a WC... maybe 2x a month... I think that i need to bump up the flow to 60-80x not my mere 37x. i already bought it the midwest aquatics XL model. Hopefully this will eliminate the problem...

my whole goal is to rid the tank of HA and excess nutrients. I just want a nice tank to admire and not screw around with the tank any more than what I have to....

going back to the nitrates, i know 20 ppm is not bad, but i cant find a source, as far as running a dsb, been there done that. I dont like the dirty look in a tank, I personal believe is that eventually it will fail and when it does the tank will crash. Its just a matter of time. I have tried remote DSBs and a fuge with 6" of sand still had the nitrates.

 

[JxMetal]

My guess is still -

Lot's of rock means lots of dead spots in the middle. Must be some detritus settling in there where you can't blow it off the rocks.