yukoandk

Hello!

I have an empty 55gal tank which will house my goldfish and koi in a near future. I got Eheim classic 2213 as a primary filter so far. I would like to use De-nitrate somehow, hoping to keep nitrate level under control once the tank gets going. The manufacture suggests a flow late of 50gph or less, and I am contemplating on how best to achieve this. A smaller Penn Plex Cascade canister perhaps, since the description mentions it has flow-rate control valves...

Does anyone know how to use De-nitrate effectively or have ideas?

I saw somewhere in this forum about using De-nitrate stacked with other bio media, creating an oxygen deprived environment as the water flows farther through a filter. That makes sense, but as we all know goldfish are messy, and I'm dreaming of a super efficient filtration system.

Big reason I am being so picky about nitrate is because right now my four goldfish and a koi are living in a 6gal tank, and boy did I learn so much about fish keeping since I casually decided to pull out this little tank from the basement. It took me 3 month to cycle this tank with daily water changes to keep ammonia/nitrite low. At one point we had a power outage that broke the motor of the original eclipse filter system--I can laugh about the tiny "bio wheel" now--but that was a good thing. I got a miniature Rapids canister and loaded it with Matrix, and eventually and finally my nitrite reading was zero. I seem to like Seachem products because of the scientific approach to their marketing. I've added a couple of bubble filters filled with De-nitrate a few weeks ago, and the verdict's not out yet on its performance. I change the water twice a week now a days to keep the nitrate reading at around 20.

Long story short, I have a feeling it will be a little easier with a 55gal tank, but I'd still like to be on top of things. Because I love my goldfish and koi! My son starts high school after the summer, so they are my babies now. They are like puppies but they pee (don't know if they actually do) and pooh (a lot) in the water they live in.

Thank you for taking time to read my post. I would appreciate any ideas or suggestions. I would also love any comments.

Lucy

Welcome to Fish Lore
I've never used De-nitrate, is it supposed to keep the nitrates down? As you know, water changes will keep nitrates down but also replenish oxygen and beneficial minerals.
Be interesting to see if you have any luck with it. Keep us posted.

Glad to hear your goldies are getting the 55. It must be tough keeping the water in check with 5 goldies in a 6g.
Really though, koi should only be kept in ponds. Too small of a living area can easily stunt their growth. They can get really big.

Good luck and post some pics when you get things up and running.

Tony G.

echoing lucy, kois need atleast 1000 gallons per koi as they can grow well over 2ft

Shawnie

Hi yukoandk and welcome to fishlore!!

lucy gave great advice and I deleted your other thread which was the same but added in the SW section...theres no need for 2 threads as the SW section members can see it also and you are not asking about SW fish ...sometimes we dont like the advice members give, and thats ok, but to post again somewhere else isnt going to help your situation ...good luck!

harpua2002

Welcome.

I am very skeptical when it comes to products that claim to reduce nitrate. As others have said, the tried and true way to accomplish this is through water changes. Even if the product does work, however, it won't do anything to reduce dissolved organic compounds in the water. It's healthier for the fish to just change water.

yukoandk

Hmm... dissolved organic compounds... Yes, I completely understand. Nothing will replace water changes. My intention is not to slack on water changes but to avoid nitrate spikes that is very harmful to my fish. I also understand this nitrate phobia of mine stems from my fish being subjected to the said spikes in their tiny home. Thank you, though.

My koi, now 2" long, has moved to the 55gal tank because he was going crazy tearing everything up in the 6gal. Now koi will have to cycle the tank along with six feeder goldfish I adopted from my boyfriend's tank. My boyfriend had gotten these feeders to cycle his community tank despite my plea not to get them explaining it was eminent they would grow out of all his tank mates, and then he wouldn't know what to do with them. So here we are.

I've decided to use the Eheim 2213 with De-nitrate since it arrived with a pair of cut-off valves which should allow me to reduce the flow. I will have the next size up of Eheim 2215 as a primary filter. I chose Eheim for their large media capacity. When the 2215 arrives next week, I will tweak around with the filters, get the tank going good, and soon all my fish will live happily... for a little while if not ever after

Shawnie

nitrate spikes will not happen if the proper tank size is kept for our fish, if we dont over feed and overstock, and with good water maintenance ...nitrates are usually an easy fix when they rise where as ammonia/nitrites are not...dont be misled that using that product will make the simple tasks be any easier

im not sure how happy the fish babies will be , as cycling with fish is very hard and very stressful...I hope things work out for you !