Brightwell Aquatics Xport NO3 - Dimpled Brick ?

[427HISS]

What's your thoughts on their older to this newer bio-filtration ?

• Utilizes NanoIntelex Technology to create an enhanced, "ultra-activated" material with the capacity to outperform conventional denitrification media by over 300%

• Open structure and high surface area results in superior flow-through characteristics and filtration efficiency.

• Higher efficiency relative to conventional media results in smaller space requirements to achieve equivalent denitrification.

• May be employed to rapidly decrease nitrate in even the most heavily-stocked systems.

• Eliminates the need to perform water changes that are carried out for the express purpose of decreasing nitrate in an aquarium system.

• May be used in conjunction with Xport-BIO and Xport-PO4

• Surface area over 10 times as high as any competing products (many times hundreds to thousands of times as high)

• Wicks water and stays wet for days after a pump fails, allowing bacteria to remain alive much longer and be ready when a system upset is repaired.

• We can dope it with sulfur, ferric oxyhydroxide or almost any other material to facilitate bacterial growth or remove pollutants

• It contains coral aragonite powder to buffer pH and provide for bacteria life longevity.

• We can make it in almost any shape and size - to fit a specific filter system.

• http://www.marinedepot.com/Brightwe...ia-Brightwell_Aquatics-BW01765-FIFMBO-vi.html

 

[bif24701]

What's your thoughts on their older to this newer bio-filtration ?

• Utilizes NanoIntelex Technology to create an enhanced, "ultra-activated" material with the capacity to outperform conventional denitrification media by over 300%

• Open structure and high surface area results in superior flow-through characteristics and filtration efficiency.

• Higher efficiency relative to conventional media results in smaller space requirements to achieve equivalent denitrification.

• May be employed to rapidly decrease nitrate in even the most heavily-stocked systems.

• Eliminates the need to perform water changes that are carried out for the express purpose of decreasing nitrate in an aquarium system.

• May be used in conjunction with Xport-BIO and Xport-PO4

• Surface area over 10 times as high as any competing products (many times hundreds to thousands of times as high)

• Wicks water and stays wet for days after a pump fails, allowing bacteria to remain alive much longer and be ready when a system upset is repaired.

• We can dope it with sulfur, ferric oxyhydroxide or almost any other material to facilitate bacterial growth or remove pollutants

• It contains coral aragonite powder to buffer pH and provide for bacteria life longevity.

• We can make it in almost any shape and size - to fit a specific filter system.

• http://www.marinedepot.com/Brightwe...ia-Brightwell_Aquatics-BW01765-FIFMBO-vi.html

Like LR but more effective and efficient per volume. I use MarinePure, good stuff!

 

[Hooloovoo]

I was just looking at this product the other day, and was intrigued. I went and looked at the reviews in BRS though, and notice about eight different people saying that the block just disintegrated into sand within their sump after a couple of weeks. Not sure if all these people were doing something wrong with the product, or if it is an unavoidable problem with the way that it is manufactured.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Do you have a nitrate problem? I personally think other options are better ways to reduce nitrate.

 

[Hooloovoo]

Do you have a nitrate problem? I personally think other options are better ways to reduce nitrate.

What is your preferred method of reducing nitrate?

I am actually having a little issue with it at the moment because of something stupid I did when I was setting up the tank. I did a fishless cycle using ammonium chloride to feed the bacteria growth. The tank had already been running for a few weeks with nothing in it but cured dry rock. After adding the recommended amount of ammonium chloride and testing for ammonia, I got no reading. No nitrite either.

The next day, I decided to add a second dose (stupid mistake #1) with the same result. The ammonia test kit I had (Salifert) didn't really cover the range I was supposed to be measuring according to the package directions though, so I found a different test kit (Seachem) that did cover that range and ordered it off Amazon. The new kit still read 0 ammonia, but by the time it arrived I kind of expected the cycle to be over anyway. I decided everything was good, but I did not think to go back and check nitrate until later (stupid mistake # 2). When I did, it was reading 50 ppm. So apparently I have a very healthy population of bacteria that converted all that ammonia I added into NO3 very quickly. Now I need to get rid of the excess nitrate.

I have replaced just over 10% of the total water volume of the tank each of the past two weekends. After the second water change, I was down to 25 ppm (Salifert). I am also running chaetomorpha algae in my refugium hoping it will take up some of the NO3. It has tripled in size since I added it a few weeks ago (from tennis ball to grapefruit size), but the water changes are the only thing that I have seen have a measurable impact on the nitrate readings so far. I also started running GAC in my reactor. There was a big bloom of brown and green slime algae to start off with, but is has mostly subsided and given way to hair algae. Even the GHA seems to be looking a little less robust now, but I am getting some really ugly looking long thin strands of it.

At the moment, the only thing I have living in the tank is a pair of Ocellaris sp. clowns. I also have a tang in QT that will be added to the DT tomorrow. Hopefully he will enjoy some of that GHA. No corals yet. I am setting up my coral QT on Monday, so I still have some time before I start adding any to the DT. I'm hoping to have all my tank parameters stable and in a desirable range by then.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

There are lots of good ways to reduce nitrate and I like using several at a time because they remove variable amounts of phosphate. Most recently I was using macroalgae, lots of live rock, organic carbon (vinegar) dosing, skimming, and GAC.

I discuss them in detail here:

Nitrate in the Reef Aquarium - REEFEDITION
https://www.reef2reef.com/blog/nitrate-in-the-reef-aquarium

 

[bif24701]

There are lots of good ways to reduce nitrate and I like using several at a time because they remove variable amounts of phosphate. Most recently I was using macroalgae, lots of live rock, organic carbon (vinegar) dosing, skimming, and GAC.

I discuss them in detail here:

Nitrate in the Reef Aquarium - REEFEDITION
https://www.reef2reef.com/blog/nitrate-in-the-reef-aquarium

That's my system exactly. In fact, I add potassium nitrate when NO3 starts getting low.

 

[radiata]

I was just looking at this product the other day, and was intrigued. I went and looked at the reviews in BRS though, and notice about eight different people saying that the block just disintegrated into sand within their sump after a couple of weeks. Not sure if all these people were doing something wrong with the product, or if it is an unavoidable problem with the way that it is manufactured.

I'm a bit shocked with the disintegration issue. I had assumed it was made from sintered glass, much like like the Siporax product. What is it???

 

[jason2459]

I'm a bit shocked with the disintegration issue. I had assumed it was made from sintered glass, much like like the Siporax product. What is it???

It's ceramic just like Marine Pure

How much Aluminum will it leach? Let's guess

 

[Hooloovoo]

It's ceramic just like Marine Pure

How much Aluminum will it leach? Let's guess

The claim being made is that their product is chemically hardened rather than being fired, and that this means there is "zero chance of leaching aluminum". That chemical hardening process is apparently to blame for the disintegration issues. I had a chance to speak with the Brightwell reps about this at Reef-A-Palooza Orlando. They stated that there was a bad batch that occurred because an employee failed to add the right amount of hardener, and that they were offering replacements to those who were affected. I do not have the expertise to evaluate the veracity of these claims. Just passing them along for others to evaluate for themselves.

 

[jason2459]

The claim being made is that their product is chemically hardened rather than being fired, and that this means there is "zero chance of leaching aluminum". That chemical hardening process is apparently to blame for the disintegration issues. I had a chance to speak with the Brightwell reps about this at Reef-A-Palooza Orlando. They stated that there was a bad batch that occurred because an employee failed to add the right amount of hardener, and that they were offering replacements to those who were affected. I do not have the expertise to evaluate the veracity of these claims. Just passing them along for others to evaluate for themselves.

I have a high mistrust for their marketing and sales. We will see as I am testing the product out now. It is a new block. The first block I got is eroding away as we speak in my sump. The dimples fall apart extremely easily.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/h...-leach-lets-guess.247034/page-19#post-3770999

 

[Hooloovoo]

I have a high mistrust for their marketing and sales. We will see as I am testing the product out now. It is a new block. The first block I got is eroding away as we speak in my sump. The dimples fall apart extremely easily.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/h...-leach-lets-guess.247034/page-19#post-3770999

Might want to contact them and see if they will send you a replacement, and see if that replacement does the same thing. They portrayed it as a one-off problem with a certain batch, but who knows? Most of us don't have the wherewithal to test out manufacturer claims and post our results to the forums, so I really appreciate guys like you who do.

 

[becks]

Yeah I have one and it allowed me to stop dosing nopox to maintain my nitrates, I've had it around 6 months I think and no sign of deteriorating, how long the sulphur lasts I'm not sure???

 

[jason2459]

Yeah I have one and it allowed me to stop dosing nopox to maintain my nitrates, I've had it around 6 months I think and no sign of deteriorating, how long the sulphur lasts I'm not sure???

My plate is fine. Just the dimpled block has issues with the dimples. With any of them if you break or crack any part of them they will become much more susceptible to rubbing off, eroding, crushing, etc.

The block I'm testing by itself right now is a brand new block.

 

[becks]

Yeah that's what I have the block with dimples

 

[schooncw]

Any updates? I have had 3 in my 120 for 2 weeks.

 

[jason2459]

The one I have in a bucket certainly leached a lot of Al and Si.

 

[schooncw]

That's the first time I have heard that.

 

[jason2459]

That's the first time I have heard that.

It's not a very good test right now other then I'm going to see if GFO can remove the Al. But I have in the works to do a better test to see as well. Both brightwell and Marine Pure state their products will NOT leach Al. I've found it to be highly probable and almost unmistakably so that both do in fact put some kind of Al into the water.

So, I will have another round of testing to validate my previous observations.

 

[jason2459]

Here's more on it and where I'm tracking.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/how-much-aluminum-will-it-leach-lets-guess.247034/page-21

My threads never move fast but I always update them eventually especially with these tests as they are over a period of time.