Reducing Nitrates

[omerseymen]

Hi guys. I have been checking my nitrates for 2 weeks but it has been the same as 50*.
How can i reduce the nitrate in my aquarium?

Are De-Nitrators worth to buy? (for example SeaChem- Denitrate) And should i buy a media reactor to use a denitrator?

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

Sounds pretty hard to do. lol

Well yes, lol. I always try to stay away from chemicals though because in most cases it is not natural... I always go for the more natural route if there is one, but that's just me.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Well yes, lol. I always try to stay away from chemicals though because in most cases it is not natural... I always go for the more natural route if there is one, but that's just me.

I meant it more in the humorous sarcasm sense that every part of your body is always touching a chemical.

There's no escaping that its a chemical world filled with lots and lots of natural chemicals, as well as a few man made ones, although reefers rarely dose those their tank. The only unnatural dosed chemical that I can think of is the algaecide in Algaefix and some medications such as fluconazole. .

 

[tuscani]

Effect of Water Changes Calculator

Aquarium calculator; Estimate the effect of repeated water changes on the concentration of a given substance.

www.hamzasreef.com

 

[Bigal1106]

I have a 180 gallon, I did a 50% water change and the nitrates were in the 50’s still. I’m thinking of doing vodka dosing. Has any one done it here ?

 

[JustJoan]

I have a 180 gallon, I did a 50% water change and the nitrates were in the 50’s still. I’m thinking of doing vodka dosing. Has any one done it here ?

I have reduced my nitrates by dosing NoPox. It is methanol. I dosed until my nitrates were down closer to the level I wanted. I did see bacterial blooms twice. It also looked like coral snow. And I still am fighting cyano in my sump. Funny thing that it doesn't go into my display, but stays in my sump.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I have reduced my nitrates by dosing NoPox. It is methanol.

NOPOX is not primarily methanol. It is mostly ethanol (as in vodka) and acetic acid (as in vinegar). It contains much smaller amounts of isopropanol and methanol, which I believe are there to prevent drinking and taxation (e.g., they denature it).

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I have a 180 gallon, I did a 50% water change and the nitrates were in the 50’s still. I’m thinking of doing vodka dosing. Has any one done it here ?

Vodka dosing? Sure. I have, as have hundreds of Reef2Reef members. I personally prefer vinegar, but this thread may be helpful:

NEW Vodka and Vinegar Dosing Charts

The reasons I'm updating the Vinegar and Vodka dosing charts are two-fold: 1. The ramp was unnecessarily slow. There was no perceived benefit to such a tedious ramp, and it led to reefers quitting because they thought carbon dosing didn't work. 2. The ramp did not scale up correctly...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[djf91]

All the methods listed work. I think ideally though, eventually, you want your nitrates to be reduced by anaerobic bacteria. This is known as denitrification. Reducing nitrate to n2 gas, which then bubbles to the surface and leaves the system. The denitrification bacteria take time to establish themselves. You will need to provide anaerobic areas for this to occur.

 

[djf91]

The Nitrogen Cycle: Part Three (Denitrifiers)

Perhaps it is a poor choice of words to say that ones tank “is cycled” in the past tense--as if the keeper no longer needs to monitor and control

www.algaebarn.com

 

[blazn]

I have a 180 gallon, I did a 50% water change and the nitrates were in the 50’s still. I’m thinking of doing vodka dosing. Has any one done it here ?

I had NO3 at 75+ and then added a DIY denitrification reactor utilizing vodka dosing and now I'm able to completely control my NO3 level. Currently, I'm maintaining a 10-12 N03 level with 4ml vodka/day on a 120+ gallon system. The reactor I built is based on the 'Donovan's Nitrate Destroyer': https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/poor-mans-nutrients-control-donovans-nitrate-destroyer.302685/. I highly recommend it.