Do Denitrators Work?

[Sweetmule]

Sorry if this has been covered but I searched the site and couldn't find anything very current. So - are denitrators effective at reducing nitrates without offsetting side- effects? I was looking at Korallin and Aquamax denitrators.

I have an African Cichlid tank now that runs a nitrate level ranging from 15ppm after water changes to 35ppm after a week - with a sump and a canister filter. I am leaning toward starting a discuss tank, but I would need a much better system for water quality as I am not able to commit to anything more frequent than weekly water changes.

[Willie]

If you're not able to do more than weekly water changes, you should reconsider raising discus. These are very different than African tanks.

Willie

[pitdogg2]

100% agree with Willie

[fljones3]

100% agree with Willie

Agree.

[14Discus]

Two sources of nitrate reduction I know of are.....
Aquaripure
and
Santa-Monica Filtration

I'm using both of them currently although both are new setups. The SM units are already growing algae after a mere week. The Aquaripure takes a few weeks to get going w anaerobic bacteria. And...yes, I do my WCs too. The only water parameter still needing assistance is my nitrates. If you go this route, be sure to oxygenate the water well in the tank. I do my best not to overfeed the fish and I have 1150gph filtration in my 75g Discus tank. No side effects w these so far as I know. My water is super clear, clean, w good KH, GH, and pH, w NH3 and NO2 at zero, but.......the nasty nitrates keep too much on the high side, thus the two nitrate reducers added. Just thought you would like to know.

[Filip]

I haven't use them my self , but I've read positive reviews about denitrators all over the net from many discus hobists .
If you can't do more than one WC and maintenance a week I suggest you start with larger size 5" discus and understock your tank i.e. 10-15 gallons per discus without other fish nor substrate bottom .
The problem is that there are other things in water that can bother discus except Nitrates and you cant relly solely on nitrate level to determine water quallity .

[Paul Sabucchi]

Discus are a different kettle of fish!
I have two mbuna tanks, algae scrubbers in them work a treat and the fish are happy, I do a 2/3 wc every fortnight and nitrates never go above 10
With my discus since I have had them over a year ago I do a 2/3 wc every night.
Two things to consider:
- It is not just nitrates that negatively affect discus, there are other factors such as desolved organics, bacterial counts an God knows what else
-Discus, particularly while they are still growing, require water more pristine than other speciesof freshwater ornamental fish.
Thete are also other ways of removing nitrates, such as Seachem De-nitrate or Biohome media. They are all more or less effective but no substitute for changing a lot of water often

[14Discus]

Here is a pic of my surf 4 unit after the first week. Btw.....this is the result with half the light area covered w a black cloth and w only half the light output plugged in as the start-up directions tell me to do. Yesterday I removed the cloth and plugged in the other half of the light. If I can grow algae in my sump that consumes nitrates to grow, then my water nitrate levels should drop and less algae should grow in the tank as available nitrates in the water as a whole are lessened. Yes to all the other posts......WCs are indeed needed as well. I'm just trying to make my water even better for my fish.

[Sweetmule]

Two sources of nitrate reduction I know of are.....
Aquaripure
and
Santa-Monica Filtration

I'm using both of them currently although both are new setups. The SM units are already growing algae after a mere week. The Aquaripure takes a few weeks to get going w anaerobic bacteria. And...yes, I do my WCs too. The only water parameter still needing assistance is my nitrates. If you go this route, be sure to oxygenate the water well in the tank. I do my best not to overfeed the fish and I have 1150gph filtration in my 75g Discus tank. No side effects w these so far as I know. My water is super clear, clean, w good KH, GH, and pH, w NH3 and NO2 at zero, but.......the nasty nitrates keep too much on the high side, thus the two nitrate reducers added. Just thought you would like to know.

Thanks - that is helpful. I will check out those two.

[Sweetmule]

Thanks - I was planning on going with larger discus. Assuming a 90 gallon tank, I was going to go with 6 and a few dither fish. I would really like to have a sand bottom though.

[Sweetmule]

Discus are a different kettle of fish!
I have two mbuna tanks, algae scrubbers in them work a treat and the fish are happy, I do a 2/3 wc every fortnight and nitrates never go above 10
With my discus since I have had them over a year ago I do a 2/3 wc every night.
Two things to consider:
- It is not just nitrates that negatively affect discus, there are other factors such as desolved organics, bacterial counts an God knows what else
-Discus, particularly while they are still growing, require water more pristine than other speciesof freshwater ornamental fish.
Thete are also other ways of removing nitrates, such as Seachem De-nitrate or Biohome media. They are all more or less effective but no substitute for changing a lot of water often

Great advice - thanks. I haven't considered algae scrubbers for my African tank. I was actually thinking about a sulfordenitrator for the African tank as well.

[Sweetmule]

Here is a pic of my surf 4 unit after the first week. Btw.....this is the result with half the light area covered w a black cloth and w only half the light output plugged in as the start-up directions tell me to do. Yesterday I removed the cloth and plugged in the other half of the light. If I can grow algae in my sump that consumes nitrates to grow, then my water nitrate levels should drop and less algae should grow in the tank as available nitrates in the water as a whole are lessened. Yes to all the other posts......WCs are indeed needed as well. I'm just trying to make my water even better for my fish.
Attachment 119816

Wow - that is stunning! On your two denitrators, did you run the output line directly to the tank or into a sump?

[14Discus]

Thanks.
With the Aquaripure (anaerobic bacteria culture canister), the drip outlet hose goes directly into the tank. With the surf 4, I have it sitting in the sump towards the outlet end which is just abt directly into the tank.

Imho, sand is fine if it is thinly distributed on the bottom. My Carib Sea Super Natural sand is 3/4" deep and I vacumn it each time I do a WC.

Btw......admin.......how does one get the image to be not sideways?

[Altum Nut]

Btw......admin.......how does one get the image to be not sideways?

Pic has been rotated as requested.

...Ralph

[14Discus]

Thanks Ralph.

Actually, I posted the wrong pic. Should have been this for algae in the Santa-Monica surf 4 scrubber.
IMG_1803.jpg