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Phosphate and nitrate level reduction


lis9090
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Hi experienced reefers!

 

i am a marine greenie here looking to start my first reef tank.

some stats of my tank:

106Gallon (5 ft tank )

ammonia and nitrites : 0

nitrates : 40 :(

phosphate : 20 :(

tank has been running about 4 months now( diatom bloom phase is more or less over, now having some green algae on the rocks and glass.

can anyone advice if i shld use rowaphos combined with a denitrator (sulphur) to remove phosphate and nitrate? 

Or have anyone tried nitra-guard bio cubes before? Would tat be more useful than roawphos and sulphur? 

Or a ats or fuge is the way to go?

thank you and look forward to your replies!

Tank residents : 

bicolour blenny

scooter blenny

majestic angel

fox face

powder brown tang

scorpas tang

naso tang juv

2 skunk shrimps

1 sally crab

1 boxer

11 damsels(frm previous tank owner)

1 turbo snail

1 nassarius and 1 cerith snail

1 chocolate chip starfish

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A suitably sized sulfur denitrator is very effective to reduce nitrates. The initial cycling process is troublesome unless you have an ORP meter. Generally, it tends to lower the tank pH a little because the effluent is pH about 7+

For phosphate removal, its very easily handled using rowaphos. Personally i prefer to use a reactor for it (eg. Two Little Fishies Phosban 150 reactor) so that the flow rate can be tuned up/down depending on the system phosphate levels. If done properly, the phosphate levels should reach the correct levels within a few days.

For refugium to work, you will probably need a fairly large refugium to grow cheato (eg. 50% of your sump volume). A nice example is the Triton display tank at Sims Avenue. 

ATS works but again, it needs to be suitably sized to maintain water quality. You probably need several large water changes to bring it down from 40ppm to let's say 5ppm

 

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A suitably sized sulfur denitrator is very effective to reduce nitrates. The initial cycling process is troublesome unless you have an ORP meter. Generally, it tends to lower the tank pH a little because the effluent is pH about 7+
For phosphate removal, its very easily handled using rowaphos. Personally i prefer to use a reactor for it (eg. Two Little Fishies Phosban 150 reactor) so that the flow rate can be tuned up/down depending on the system phosphate levels. If done properly, the phosphate levels should reach the correct levels within a few days.
For refugium to work, you will probably need a fairly large refugium to grow cheato (eg. 50% of your sump volume). A nice example is the Triton display tank at Sims Avenue. 
ATS works but again, it needs to be suitably sized to maintain water quality. You probably need several large water changes to bring it down from 40ppm to let's say 5ppm
 

Hi thanks for ur reply :) i see.. i saw that fresh and marine has this product call nitra-guard bio cubes that can remove both nitrates and phosphates.. sounds like a win win. But the thing is i m afraid to work with bacteria cos i wouldnt wan a cyano bloom or smth.. though i do have a uv sterilizer working for the tank currently. But at the same time as what u said.. sulphur raises tank ph.. so both have its pros and cons.

Ok i will use phosphate reactor with the rowaphos :)
Now need to find a better way to remove nitrates.

Thinking dymax denitrator which uses bio balls to grow bacteria


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3 minutes ago, lis9090 said:


Hi thanks for ur reply :) i see.. i saw that fresh and marine has this product call nitra-guard bio cubes that can remove both nitrates and phosphates.. sounds like a win win. But the thing is i m afraid to work with bacteria cos i wouldnt wan a cyano bloom or smth.. though i do have a uv sterilizer working for the tank currently. But at the same time as what u said.. sulphur raises tank ph.. so both have its pros and cons.

Ok i will use phosphate reactor with the rowaphos :)
Now need to find a better way to remove nitrates.

Thinking dymax denitrator which uses bio balls to grow bacteria


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Sulfur lowers tank pH (not raise)

 

These Dymax denitrator balls wont do much for a large tank like yours. IMO, it will be wasted money.

Biopellets (aka carbon dosing), large ATS or sulfur denitrator would probably work better.

 

 

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/mysliceofnature/

 

 

 

 

 

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Sulfur lowers tank pH (not raise)
 
These Dymax denitrator balls wont do much for a large tank like yours. IMO, it will be wasted money.
Biopellets (aka carbon dosing), large ATS or sulfur denitrator would probably work better.
 
 

Hi sory yeah i mean lowers ph * which is what we dont want. Currently using seachem marine buffer will tat help if i were to buy the sulphur denitrator? Thanks again. Thinking of buying a second hand deltec denitrator.

Large ats - thinking of using the big ikea container to diy


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Do you run a skimmer?

You need this to export your nutrient fast

6.5 * 2 * 2 + 3.75 * 1.5 *1.5,(Decomn on 14/9/08)
4*2*2 + 2.5*1.25*1.25 (Decomn on 1/8/09)
5*2*2 (Fully LED light system, 140 3 watt SSC leds with 60 degree lens)(Decomm)
2.5*2*2(Fully LED Light System,96 3 watt SSC leds with 60 degree lens)(Decomm)

5*2.5*2(LED only)

Eheim return 1 * pump

1 HP Daikin compressor with cooling coil
2 Jebao OW40, 1 ecotech MP40,
1X6085 Tunze wm,

1 CURVE 7 Skimmer

  1 DIY 80 led control by Bluefish mini 

1 radion XR30W G2, 2 Radion XR15G3

Sump area lite by 5 ft T5 , 6 * SSC 3 watt red LED for refugium

1 Full spectrum E27 led light

1 CR control by bubble count

Start No Water Change since 1st Dec 2016

Add new 2.5x2x 1.5 ft 

 nLekOfpYts.jpg
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