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Thread: DIY "Anoxic Filtration System" eliminates nitrates? Anyone tried this?

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    Registered Member Luke in Phoenix's Avatar
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    Default DIY "Anoxic Filtration System" eliminates nitrates? Anyone tried this?

    This system seems to have come about from pond filtration where it is not feasible to change thousands of gallons of water but the pond still needs clean water for koi fish.

    It has been adapted for aquariums as well and is supposed to eliminate nitrates, phosphates and other items. Has anyone tried this DIY filter?

    I would really like to try it but don't have the space in my sump right now because it is full of an algae scrubber. Maybe on my next aquarium build I could add space...



    Links with more info:
    http://www.mankysanke.co.uk/html/anoxic_filtration.html
    http://anoxicfiltrationsystem.blogsp...to-anoxic.html

    If this is the first you've heard of this, keep going past the kitty litter and it is very interesting! LOL



    Dr. Kevin Novak has a ton of videos about it on YouTube with a Discus aquarium (which he calls "disc" instead of discus which seems really funny to me).

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    Default Re: DIY "Anoxic Filtration System" eliminates nitrates? Anyone tried this?

    funny you ask ...just back from town and grabbed a bag of kitty litter , it has only clay , the size of the granules looks fine . it was not that easy to find !
    there's everything out there , grass , paper , lots of clumping , organic and gluten free ! Next step will be testing the granules to see if they dissolve .
    if they don't , I'm thinking about setting up an anoxic basket in a small test tank and see how it evolve in regard of ammonia , nitrite , nitrate , ph
    using household ammonia as in the start of a fishes cycle ...safety first , the gang is happy and I don't want to mess with that

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    Registered Member Luke in Phoenix's Avatar
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    Default Re: DIY "Anoxic Filtration System" eliminates nitrates? Anyone tried this?

    Awesome! Please share your results! I hope your results are above expectations.

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    Registered Member Pardal's Avatar
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    Default Re: DIY "Anoxic Filtration System" eliminates nitrates? Anyone tried this?

    Definitely, interesting keep us update.
    Breeding , interest and goals Wilds Heckels and Cuipeuas and a few Domestics pairs with occasional fry as well as Angels fancy Plecos , corys and shrimps.

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    Silver Member Willie's Avatar
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    Default Re: DIY "Anoxic Filtration System" eliminates nitrates? Anyone tried this?

    The process to eliminate nitrate is scientifically described as denitrification. You can get the detailed chemistry via Wikipedia. There's no harm trying, although I want to point out two caveats:

    1. Koi are far more tolerant of nitrate than discus, > 15 ppm
    2. Denitrification is a reduction reaction, which occurs far slower than an oxidation reaction (which is what happens during biological cycling NH3 -> NO2 -> NO3).

    What ever happens, I wouldn't recommend this as an alternative to doing water changes in a discus tank. It might work with Africans.

    Good luck, Willie
    At my age, everything is irritating.

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    Homesteader Paul Sabucchi's Avatar
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    Default Re: DIY "Anoxic Filtration System" eliminates nitrates? Anyone tried this?

    But if you have an algae scrubber why do you need a de-nitrificator as basically the two do the same job? Also de-nitrification is a fiddly process that can go awry. I use scrubbers in my mbuna tanks and they do the job but, as said above, discus are more demanding for pristine water quality (not just in regard to nitrates and phosphates but also organics and microbial population that scrubbers/de-nitrifiers do not address) so I do daily water changes.
    Last edited by Paul Sabucchi; 11-11-2017 at 05:23 PM.

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    Registered Member 100fuegos's Avatar
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    Default Re: DIY "Anoxic Filtration System" eliminates nitrates? Anyone tried this?

    You guys should read about this anoxic method. BAsically there is no "nitrification" the way we know it. There is no oxigen and no KH consumed during the process. It is a very interesting and opening mind read.

    Please do, you all will be wanting to build one of those short after.

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    Default Re: DIY "Anoxic Filtration System" eliminates nitrates? Anyone tried this?

    Quote Originally Posted by Willie View Post
    The process to eliminate nitrate is scientifically described as denitrification. You can get the detailed chemistry via Wikipedia. There's no harm trying, although I want to point out two caveats:

    1. Koi are far more tolerant of nitrate than discus, > 15 ppm
    2. Denitrification is a reduction reaction, which occurs far slower than an oxidation reaction (which is what happens during biological cycling NH3 -> NO2 -> NO3).

    What ever happens, I wouldn't recommend this as an alternative to doing water changes in a discus tank. It might work with Africans.

    Good luck, Willie
    thank's for the educational tip ...assuming positive results , I see it as a filtration addition to prolong water quality

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    Registered Member Luke in Phoenix's Avatar
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    Default Re: DIY "Anoxic Filtration System" eliminates nitrates? Anyone tried this?

    What type of clay only kitty litter are you going to try?

    I've seen the this recommended kitty litter on Amazon but heard somebody say they stopped baking it so it doesn't dissolve in water...
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...=AZW1F1HSXKLY6

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    Registered Member Luke in Phoenix's Avatar
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    Default Re: DIY "Anoxic Filtration System" eliminates nitrates? Anyone tried this?

    Quote Originally Posted by Paul Sabucchi View Post
    But if you have an algae scrubber why do you need a de-nitrificator as basically the two do the same job?
    Don't get me wrong, I love my algae scrubber. I think it's absolutely amazing but it's not perfect. This could be a supplement to keep even better water and possibly reduce the quantity of needed water changes even further while keeping healthier discus. I agree with others though that this would aid to "reduce" the quantity of water changes not eliminate. How much reduction would be different for each tank and the filter's effectiveness. Cheers, Luke

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    Default Re: DIY "Anoxic Filtration System" eliminates nitrates? Anyone tried this?

    Quote Originally Posted by Luke in Phoenix View Post
    What type of clay only kitty litter are you going to try?

    I've seen the this recommended kitty litter on Amazon but heard somebody say they stopped baking it so it doesn't dissolve in water...
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...=AZW1F1HSXKLY6
    He Luke , I can't tell what "type " of clay this litter is made of , but the granules just look like dry clay , at least in color . out of the bag it needs a good rinse
    but the half a cup I've been soaking since friday is not melting , litter granules are holding their shape . So it looks like a lucky bag , next the laterite .....
    Andre

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    Registered Member Luke in Phoenix's Avatar
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    Default Re: DIY "Anoxic Filtration System" eliminates nitrates? Anyone tried this?

    I was just at walmart today and saw this baked clay litter. 25 pounds for $3.98. Wow, that's a pretty cheap diy project
    Baked Clay1.jpg

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    Homesteader Filip's Avatar
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    Default Re: DIY "Anoxic Filtration System" eliminates nitrates? Anyone tried this?

    I haven't got time to read the whole article or watched all of their videos but I think they are referring to a kitty liter made of "Diatomaceous earth " . Its a baked clay product with similar properties to L.E.C.A products or laterite.
    Planted tank enthusiasts and Bonsai hobbysts use the diatomaceous earth clayballs and reffer it as Kittydama (name for a cheap alternative of the expensive Akadama soil ).

    I have watched a video of a sump filled with baskets of kitty liter and a pump underneath them to push water through the baskets .
    I just don't understand how an oxygen depleted area can be achieved with a material as porous as the kitty liter and a pump pushing water and aerating on top of it ?
    If the main purpose is to create an anoxic area , area without any oxigen in it , shouldn't be more appropriate if we just use a deep sand bed ?

    This sump on the video seems to me like any other sump filter , but just filled with kitty liter instead of other bio filtration materials.

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    Registered Member Shaun's Discus's Avatar
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    Default Re: DIY "Anoxic Filtration System" eliminates nitrates? Anyone tried this?

    I switched my sump over to an Anoxic filter with 3 BCB's. Its been up an running almost 4 weeks (Nov 12th to be exact) Nitrates in tank 5ppm at any given time. Tank is 90g and sump is 30g.
    I have 6 Discus now that are between 4 and 6" apart from a stunt
    Things I will point out, Discus have increased activity and are more lively, any algae that did appear in the tank is very quickly now in retreat, especially plant algae.
    Water clarity is amazing.
    Nearly all my previous biomedia has been removed apart from a few blue bioballs and a small bag of matrix, thats almost 90% less of what was in there before the BCB's
    There is no carbon, and I have taken out all the purigen as well.
    The tank has never looked better and there is still 3 to 4 weeks still to go before the system has completely kicked in.

  15. #15
    Registered Member Luke in Phoenix's Avatar
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    Default Re: DIY "Anoxic Filtration System" eliminates nitrates? Anyone tried this?

    Quote Originally Posted by Shaun's Discus View Post
    I switched my sump over to an Anoxic filter with 3 BCB's. Its been up an running almost 4 weeks (Nov 12th to be exact) Nitrates in tank 5ppm at any given time. Tank is 90g and sump is 30g.
    I have 6 Discus now that are between 4 and 6" apart from a stunt
    Things I will point out, Discus have increased activity and are more lively, any algae that did appear in the tank is very quickly now in retreat, especially plant algae.
    Water clarity is amazing.
    Nearly all my previous biomedia has been removed apart from a few blue bioballs and a small bag of matrix, thats almost 90% less of what was in there before the BCB's
    There is no carbon, and I have taken out all the purigen as well.
    The tank has never looked better and there is still 3 to 4 weeks still to go before the system has completely kicked in.
    Thanks for sharing. What were your nitrates before the BCB baskets?
    Please let us know how it progresses!
    Last edited by Luke in Phoenix; 12-05-2017 at 09:44 PM. Reason: Spelling

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