I wanted you all to see what denitrate looks like in a reactor after 2 months...

Hello gang.

This is what a denitrate reactor looks like after two months of running! I have two of these on my 75 gallon and they keep my nitrate at bay (and with plants!). Actually, usually when I do water changes, it adds more nitrate! It still works! That looks like feces literally, in the floss. Heh.

 

I want a denitrate tower, I think it would be great!

My nitrates always climb up to 120 with 50% weekly water changes.

 

How would you go about cleaning that without losing most, if not all of the anaerobic bacteria?

 

Well, if you ever actually want to get started let me know, I will tell you what I have found to work great. So far for me, it has needed maintenance about every 3 months and it keeps nitrates below 20 ppm at all times. They fluctuate between like 0-20.

The anaerobic bacteria are inside of it, and as long as nitrate is controlled- you do nothing with it, no matter how dirty it gets.

I meant to also say that it works as a great water flosser too, heh.

Plus, it doesn't really stink that much surprisingly... The bacteria use the feces for nourishment. And because you want slow flow you can keep their home clean and use it to floss the water well!

You see those bubbles? My guess is that is nitrogen gas that has accumulated

 

Just a question are you using Seachem denitrate? Most of that sludge is produced by the aerobic bacteria growing on the outside of the media, the anaerobic bacteria consume the waste produced by the aerobic. It shouldn't smell as it just a smaller canister filter with a slow flow rate.

 

This is true. But the sludge can literally be unbroken down poop + bacteria. Bacteria almost always have a smell because of the gases they can produce. Just look at it in terms of how much feces stink. That's a similar thing in the reactor... Its caused from bacterial breakdown of waste. Either way, its still not strong.

Also my guess is that there is so much bacteria within that thing and my flow is only 30 gph that even on the outside- that oxygen is fairly low- especially further up the container...

When water enters the container there is only 8 ppm of oxygen. This would suggest that at some point, all oxygen is utilized. http://ciese.org/curriculum/waterproj/bod/

I actually even add a little of seachem matrix to encourage the aerobic bacteria to convert to nitrate at the bottom and to use all of the oxygen that would otherwise be leading up.

I looked up online and most nitrifying bacteria cannot survive under 2PPM of oxygen. So, the aerobic bacteria once they bring it to 2PPM, then the anaerobic take over. To give you a perspective of how much denitrate it took me on my heavily stocked 75G aquarium- it is about 5-7Liters of it. Soon, I will have to replace one of the reactors because it is getting too clogged/ aka the anaerobic bacteria have used most of the space.

each one lasts about 3-4 months, then you trash the denitrate- but it is money well spent! for sure! I wouldn't have it any other way! Actually it saves money on not having to more often- get the new water ph right and everything.
I know it is about time, because I am at 20PPM nitrate and that is about the highest it has been.
However, my tap has up to 30PPM nitrate in it so, it has to deal with that too

 

How exactly does this stuff work? I had posted about a youtube video I found on how to make your own reactors for really cheap using common plumbing parts and such, but I'm still a little bit lost on just what the reactors do. If you use something like this, does it completely replace the 'waterfall' type aquarium filters? Also, if this is removing ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates from the water (everything a normal filter does, right?), and is taking up the place of the biofilter/bacteria, then when you change out the media (the denitrate?) every 3-4 months doesn't that mean you have to recycle your tank again?

 

How exactly does this stuff work? I had posted about a youtube video I found on how to make your own reactors for really cheap using common plumbing parts and such, but I'm still a little bit lost on just what the reactors do. If you use something like this, does it completely replace the 'waterfall' type aquarium filters? Also, if this is removing ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates from the water (everything a normal filter does, right?), and is taking up the place of the biofilter/bacteria, then when you change out the media (the denitrate?) every 3-4 months doesn't that mean you have to recycle your tank again?

A Reactor can not replace your HOB filter it will not move enough water to properly filter your aquarium. Reactors are specialized filter to remove different things. Now a nitrate reactor using denitrate from seachem requires a much slower flow of water through it with 40 G/hr being the most you want flowing through it. The media is very porous all the way through. Beneficial Bacteria grows on the outside of the media and uses up the oxygen in the water in the reactor and creates Nitrates then a strain of anaerobic bacteria forms inside the media and consumes the nitrates converting them to Nitrogen gas which gases off the surface off the water. The slower the water the faster the anaerobic grows. You need to replace it after it gets gunked up. The other type of nitrate reactor consist of a long length small tubing coiled inside a larger pipe with water dripping slowly through it. The easiest way to maintain nitrates is water changes and make sure your bioload is not bigger then the tank can handle. There are times when you need more nitrate removal. A Pothos plants with the roots in the tank is also a very good nitrate remover plus it looks nice.

 

Yea. Big fish like Clown loaches are nitrate producers. I need the extra help. A pothos is entirely insufficient.however otherwise great advice!

 

A Reactor can not replace your HOB filter it will not move enough water to properly filter your aquarium. Reactors are specialized filter to remove different things. Now a nitrate reactor using denitrate from seachem requires a much slower flow of water through it with 40 G/hr being the most you want flowing through it. The media is very porous all the way through. Beneficial Bacteria grows on the outside of the media and uses up the oxygen in the water in the reactor and creates Nitrates then a strain of anaerobic bacteria forms inside the media and consumes the nitrates converting them to Nitrogen gas which gases off the surface off the water. The slower the water the faster the anaerobic grows. You need to replace it after it gets gunked up. The other type of nitrate reactor consist of a long length small tubing coiled inside a larger pipe with water dripping slowly through it. The easiest way to maintain nitrates is water changes and make sure your bioload is not bigger then the tank can handle. There are times when you need more nitrate removal. A Pothos plants with the roots in the tank is also a very good nitrate remover plus it looks nice.

So is this different than a canister filter? They look about the same =P The canister filters I've seen use volcanic rock for the bacteria to grow on.

 

Yes, I still have my canister filters, because the flow is only about 30-40 gallons per hour. May be if it were only in a 10 gallon, then I would not use any additional filtration. The reactor is to remove nitrate, and reduce the required water changes because of nitrate. It also helps to polish the water. So, I think to use this you either want a very small tank (10-20 gallon) or large tank (75), but you can use it on middle sizes, but you just need a canister too.

 

Right now I have the 'waterfall' type filter, but eventually I'm wanting to make a canister filter and reactor for the nitrates, so just studying up on them =)

 

Also here is my other thread on additional ways, but, the primary goal of this is for plant health, not nitrate removal. I use both methods.

 

So is this different than a canister filter? They look about the same =P The canister filters I've seen use volcanic rock for the bacteria to grow on.

Matrix and de-nitrator is basically the same thing it just has smaller internal pits then matrix.