Help with reducing nitrates in reef tank

[andreasch]

Hello friends,

I just setup my first reef tank and have it working only one week now. I used dry rock and now is in the process of cycling. I bought almost all the equipment i need (i think) but the only thing left is that i didnt get anything for reducing nitrates (btw is it nitrate or nitrite ? ) . So i wanted to see your opinions on what to buy for that. Shall i go for a denitrate reactor? The guy who helped me setup the tank suggested me this "TMC V2 Bio React 1000 Pellet Reactor. ( https://www.h2oaquatics.co.uk/filtration-skimmers/tmc-v2bio-react-1000-pellet-reactor ). What is your opinion about it? Is it a good solution to go for?

Thank you guys

 

[mcgyvr]

Between the bacteria that will grow in the tank and performing water changed you don't need anything else (at this point)..
I would simply suggest getting into a routine water change process of 20% every 2 weeks..
Adapt/adjust as needed..

"IF" you find you need to do something extra (after a few months of it running) then I might suggest liquid carbon dosing (vinegar/vodka,etc...) I find that to be far more effective/easier than biopellets..

 

[Happyschneider]

Nitrate <> Nitrite. What you have in your tank is a biological system of bacteria or at least eventually you will have. Come of these bacteria help you to get rid of all the ammonia that is produced from fish poo, food left overs and other sources of decomposition in the tank. This ammonia is then used by the bacteria for energy and as a byproduct, Nitrite is produced and released into the water. This nitrite this then eventually gets used by other bacteria that use it to gain energy themselves. They further oxidise it to nitrate which, again, gets released into the water. Now, if you have a lot of anaerobic areas in your tank (areas where there is only very little dissolved oxygen in teh water), you will establish bacteria that use up that nitrate and form nitrogen to gain energy. That nitrogen then is lost through gas exchange. This is very roughly what happens during the nitrogen cycle in your tank. This is what you need to know to understand what you are testing when you test for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. In a fully functioning tank, you normally don't measure any ammonia nor any nitrite as there are enough beacteria that immediately oxidise those compounds. Nitrate is a different thing as these bacteria don't have as many places to establish in our tank and the areas they are, the exchange rate is relatively slow.

Before you start investing in technology to get ridd of nitrate, let the tank first cycle and see if you need nitrate export to begin with (maybe you have only very little fish and therefore most nitrate will be used by corals and bacteria). The other question is also, if you only need to export nitrate or if you also have elevated levels of phosphate. There are different possibilities to export both at the same time.

Some possibilities are algae scrubbers, algae refugium, skimmers, vodka/carbon dosing etc.

All this information is only top-line and should just help you to start researching in the right direction. I'm still in the beginning of my own setup but if I can help you as a sparing partner for ideas, feel free to drop a line and I am happy to share my thoughts.

 

[lpsouth1978]

The easiest way I have found to reduce Nitrate has been the good old Chaeto filled refugium. I have tried carbon dosing and biopellet reactors, but was either underwhelmed (reactor) or it was to much work. With chaeto, i just have to be sure there is a good light over it and remove a large chunk of it from time to time as it grows.

I combine this with my weekly 10% water changes and my system in nearly Nitrate free.

 

[reefteaser]

I've had good results from using a large Marinepure block in the sump for my 115gal mixed reef. I started a second 30gal Fusion in my office and filled the rear chamber with the small blocks. Both tanks are at or near zero nitrate for over a year now. Nitrates spiked a bit after I changed out my substrate from .2 to 5-10 (color on the test hard to differentiate), but came back to .2 in a few weeks. The tank tested from 10-20ppm nitrate before adding Marinepure. Tank maturity may have also been a factor. The Fusion tank has always been zero, but with a light bioload.
I installed an algae scrubber on the big tank 2 month ago, as algae has always has always been an issue there no matter the nitrate level. I tried to establish a cheato refugium, but it didn't grow well, and hair algae became a nuisance in my sump. It has become necessary to harvest more often and my algae in the tank seems lighter and thinner. I'm also finding some of it in my socks. Dino, Cyano, or whatever the hell kept cropping up in my sand has also started to dissipate.
Proponents of algae scrubbing claim it will eventually replace all my other filtration, we shall see.

 

[reefteaser]

Oh yeah, I tried using biopellets for a year, but took it out. I never saw any real results, and continually had to adjust and clean it. It was supposed to be a "œset and forget" method, and I used a good recirculating reactor, but in the end I removed it and repurposed the pump for the algae scrubber.

 

[steamman]

NOPOX worked great for me. Both nitrates and phosphates are undetectable after a couple weeks. I feed the tank like a madman. I have fat happy fish with all the food they get.