how to remove nitrAte??

[Cavafish]

Hi

I have always had high nitrate readings in my tank and even the use of the juwel green nitrate removal sponge doesn't seem to do much - what else can I do??


many thanks

cava


Edit: sorry, not an emergency - thought I was in chat forum sorry mods )

 

[smithrc]

water changes (make sure your tap water's nitrate leves are lower than the tank)
if that dosnt help try plants.

 

[SirMinion]

Our tap water is at 60ppm - any ideas?

 

[technium]

I think if your tap water is high you could do water changes with 50% tap water and 50% RO Water. This is what my LFS suggested when I had a problem.

Good luck

T

 

[The-Wolf]

You ca add a hagen green-X phosphate remover.
Get the large pack rather than the teabag ones
here is a pic of what to look for

This pack should last 9 months, remove the bottom
course sponge from the filter and replace with the
phosphate tube, bending it in the middle so it fits.

 

[CFC]

The best nitrate removing media i have come across so far is KENT nitrate sponge granuals, when used in a canister filter as the third stage of the filtration this product really does give good results, i now use it on my 3 main tanks where due to fish size and stocking the nitrates rise quite rapidly.

http/shop.store.yahoo.com/animalworldnet...ennitspon2.html

 

[rvm]

My only concern with using these products is what happens when they've adsorbed as much as they can? do you end up with a massive nitrate spike?
If you don't get this problem, then I think I'll start using them on some of my tanks too!!

 

[enchanted]

Personally I'm not sure a mechanical filteration process would be a good option unless you are prepared to replace the media on a regular basis, have spares on hand, and watch your nitrates closely. My reasoning is that eventually the media will wear out and if you are not watching you will end up with Nitrate spikes.

If I were in this situation i would look at Plants or R/O water. A few fast growing plants such as Hygros, Repens, etc... would use those Nitrates up and resolve the problem. R/O water would eliminate the problem at the source which would resolve it for you and you wouldn't have to worry about it.

 

[CFC]

Plants are not always a option with some fish, in tanks containing large cichids or herbivors plants will quickly be destroyed and their remains will just add to the nitrates.

The KENT nitrate sponge needs to have 1/2 the media changed every 3 months, if it isnt changed it cannot release toxins back into the water column but its ammonia adsorbing properties will stop and the media will just become part of the biological filtration.

 

[SirMinion]

So.. let me be sure I'm understanding this right.. the KENT doesn't actually remove the nitrate, but instead absorbs ammonia so that it cannot be converted into nitrates. Have I got that right?

If so, then it's all well and good for preventing high nitrates, but what about getting rid of them if you already have them and water changes don't help?

There's no where around here that does RO water to my knowledge.

Oh, and our tanks are already heavily planted.

 

[CFC]

The KENT nitrate sponge granules work on two fronts, first by adsorbing some ammonia from the water to remove it from the nitrogen cycle before it can be converted to nitrite/nitrate and secondly by creating a stable enviroment which anerobic bacteria can form which lower nitrates by converting them to nitrogen by scavenging the oxygen from the NO3.

 

[enchanted]

You can buy an RO system that does 55 Gallons a day for about $100 USD (that should be less than 100 pounds in the UK).

All you would need to add would be a 55 Gallon barrel of some sort for storage then just rotate your water changes to sync with available R/O water. And, to help lower the usage of R/O water you could run 50/50 with tap water.

 

[babyfish]

Use a nitrazorb in the water for your water changes overnight.... then recharge in salt water for two hours and it's ready to be used again....

You can also put it in a filter(I use a small internal... easier to get it out and recharge).....

 

[SirMinion]

You can buy an RO system that does 55 Gallons a day for about $100 USD (that should be less than 100 pounds in the UK).

Not an option, enchanted.
Although the hardware is inexpensive enough, my water usage is metered and I pay for it by the litre used.
There's no way I can afford to run all that water down the drain. It would be more cost effective to buy bottled water!
________________________

Thanks for the info on KENT, CFC - now that I understand how it works I can see how effective it would be.

Now my only concern is the free nitrogen dissolving in the water to make nitric acid and lower the water pH.

________________________

I tried Nitrazorb, babyfish. It made no difference whatsoever

Thanks for all the suggestions eveyone, and apologies to technium for hijacking his/her thread.

 

[enchanted]

Where do you figure you would run water down the drain? An RO system uses a membrane to pull the various items out of the water. It does not wast any water.

Here is a good explanation of how RO systems work. They don't waste a drop of water....

http/www.simplydiscus.com/library/water_.../ro_parts.shtml