Nitrate Removal

[New Boy]

Anyone know whether API nitra-zorb or tetra nitrasafe is better at removing nitrate?

Cheers
Andy

 

[Underwurlde]

Better than what?

How's this for an idea: Instead of spending $$$ on chemical additives which can only accumulate in your tank, why not do as everyone else & simply do a weekly water change. Afterall, this is what a weekly water change is for.

Andy

 

[Bignose]

I agree completely with Andy (Underwurlde). And, I'd just like to add live plants are another choice. The plants both consume nitrate if there is nothing else, and consume ammonia meaning that the ammonia doesn't go through the bacterial cycle and get converted into nitrate. Live plants are a much more natural solution than chemicals.

 

[New Boy]

guys, don't mean to sound rude but I think you should find out a bit more before you have a go. My tap water already has over 50 ppm when it starts so even with 100% water changes it's not going below that level and I can't keep plants with my rift valley set up. I've been a member of this site for years and this is the first time when I've been annoyed by any responses I've received. Anyone out there that can give me some genuine useful advice?

 

[The-Wolf]

firstly, both the above posters have given you sound and useful advice.

secondly, a non-planted tank should be fine with upto 50ppm of NO3 so I wouldn't worry about it,
unless you have fish that are sensitive to NO3 of course.

thirdly, if you are that concerned about the NO3 levels in your tap water consider using a water filter or RO unit
or even buying RO water and use that to change your tank water.
one water change via filtered/RO water to one with your tap water should keep the NO3 to a level you are happy with.

finally, if you really want/need to go down the chemical route then both products do the job as efficiently as each other
so the choice is really yours.

 

[New Boy]

Thanks The-Wolf. I tried an RO unit but it sent my water rates through the roof and I just would like to get nitrates lower as I don't think it can be good for the fish long term but I appreciate your reassuranes on the 50 ppm.

It wasn't so much the advice that I was frustrated by but rather the tone. Comments like 'how's this for an idea' and ' do as everyone else' are simply rude and patronising. I complete a 25% water change twice a week and was offended by the implication that I have high nitrates because I'm lazy and am not doing water changes.

Cheers
Andy

 

[k.o.d]

Not sure if you can still get them, but a Nitragon unit may be what you want, they remove nitrate from mains tap water, and are rechargeable ( by running salt water solution through them )

I wouldnt worry too much about nitrates at 50 ppm, I change 40% of the tank water 3 times a week and can still never get the nitrates below 60-70 ppm, that's because of the rays and arowana constantly eating

 

[fry_lover]

Better than what?

How's this for an idea: Instead of spending $$$ on chemical additives which can only accumulate in your tank, why not do as everyone else & simply do a weekly water change. Afterall, this is what a weekly water change is for.

Andy

how do you know he's not already doing good water change's? Your post did have an underlying assumption he isnt. But i hate presuming as "assume" can make an ass out of u & me LOL,

good advice here, but i kind of see where Andy (New Boy) is coming from though, but its sound advice and no harm done, no offence Underwurlde and i wasnt going to make this point considering people i respect including you have felt all is well in the thread, but i am sure you guys are open minded enough to handle my take on it.

As for my take on the actual issue LOL, am i right in thinking these additives for nitrate removal only work in "certain" conditions regarding the level of available oxygen in the tank? Bet theres loads of info on the forum already about this though

As for Nitrate in the tap water being 50 mg/l where do you live (London i read your profile), the legal max is 50mg/l i believe?, but then again if you raise it with the water board that yours is at the legal max and you want some reassurance, once you tell them you tested it with a fish testing kit, they will fall off their chair laughing, thats how i felt when i phoned my water company LOL, and i can see where their coming from, nitrate test kits are pretty hit and miss sometimes (in my experience), escpecially with results over the 20-40 mg/l region (colour charts tend to get hard to read for me anyway). Actually my concern was that i had 0.25 mg/l nitrite in my tap water.

I am in this thread, as it wasnt long ago my Nitrate tap water seemed to hover around the 40 mg/l mark, but it seems to be 10-20 these days. I have heard of "seasonal variations" with nitrate in tap water, but i think my tap water has behaved itself from a Nitrate perspective for over 2-whole summers now and about 12 months total. I live in North London.

I do feel for Andy (New Boy), as if your tap water is high in Nitrate its damn frustrating trying to get tank levels down, as even if you can satisfy yourself the levels are not harmful to your fish, there is still something inside most of us that drives us to reduce all this readings to as low as possible (where is for an obsessive complulsive like me!)

But also like Wolf said it aint neccesarily an issue, readings in the 50 mg/l region and nitrate can be made out to be an "evil" sometimes when as far as i am aware the available research doesn't back up claims that some make, insisting nitrate needs to be below 50mg/l and perhaps never even getting above 20 mg/l!!! Some exceptions may be certain identified sensitive fish as Wolf said.

But i for one, will still waging the war against Nitrate as far as i can.

My Community Planted has readings as low as 5mg/l sometimes, but my Cichlid tanks hover at 40-60mg/l

I personally would spend my available fish budget on products other than short-term, quick acting nitrate removal, unless you were going for a longer term solution such as RO or something.

 

[Underwurlde]

Ach, sorry about that. If it was read as being rude, so be it, but wasn't meant as such.

If a mention as to why nitrates were a problem for you was in the OP, then any responses will be more accurate.

Andy

 

[rdd1952]

One of the problems with the nitrate removal media is that they will become saturate and either need to be recharged or replaced. As The Wolf mentioned, filtering the water and removing it before it goes in the tank would be the better option.

 

[fry_lover]

by the way, i got a brand new Juwel Nitrate "removal" sponge recently for free, still in original packaging, tried it in one of my Juwel Jumbo filters, i test for nitrite weekly to fortnightly anyway (yes i know its probably excessive to do this in stable tanks!)

Anyway, these sponges are supposed to work for up to 6 weeks according to Juwel then you replace, well its about week 9 or 10 now, and none of my nitrate readings over the past 9-10 weeks have indicated that this sponge makes any difference to nitrate levels in the tank and i know this tank well and its normal nitrate readings (300 litre tank)

All other variables kept same in 9-10 weeks, no new fish, no fish out, same feeding routine, same water change routine, same nitrate results (despite sponge being in there) in CORRECT part of the Jumbo filter according to Juwel guidelines.

Am glad i got it for free, was dubious about it anyway, but glad i tried it.

Was actually gonna do a thread along the lines of "can i keep my juwel nitrate sponge in as a normal filter sponge" as it might as well have some damn use!!!!

However, dont base your decision of this product just on my experience, but i know i wont be paying out £10 per 6-weeks for a Juwel Nitrate Sponge,

 

[Musho3210]

refugium, grow some plants that will do well in you tank condtions in a sump. Its how many salwater people do it, dont see why freshies cant do it.