London nitrates

AbbeysDad said:

I thought of RO or RO/DI but decided against it. First, there's the cost - good systems aren't cheap. Then you need a minimum of 50psi to force water through the membrane. My well system is on a 20/40 relay so I'd need an additional pump. Then there's about 4 gallons of waste water for every gallon of filtered water. My water is mid-range for hardness so I never see calcium deposits in/on anything. Last, for all but acidic soft water fish, there's the additive cost to put minerals back. So for me, as in my post, the best solution was to simply remove nitrates with the Nitra-Zorb resin.

Click to expand...

That waste is very off putting.

jonnyc88 said:

Other 2 options on my radar are Seachem Matrix and Denitrate. Good reviews and doesn't need constant recharging.

Click to expand...

Seachem Matrix and De*Nirate are pumice - a type of lava rock. Like live rock in SW, the micro pores in the pumice stone is supposed to support anoxic or anaerobic bacteria to convert nitrates into nitrogen gas. I tried for two years to make this happen with no success! (again, read My Nitrate Fight)

AbbeysDad said:

@BumblePrime - I don't know about the UK, but most municipal water systems here in the US are around 80psi. Rural home well systems are much less.

Click to expand...

Is that a regulatory mandate or just how things are across the pond.

AbbeysDad said:

Seachem Matrix and De*Nirate are pumice - a type of lava rock. Like live rock in SW, the micro pores in the pumice stone is supposed to support anoxic or anaerobic bacteria to convert nitrates into nitrogen gas. I tried for two years to make this happen with no success! (again, read My Nitrate Fight)

Click to expand...

Fair enough I've mainly seen positive Amazon reviews and they guy below seem to have good results, although his setup may be marine.

edit : Just read the link you've posted. Have a look at my link below. Apparently there are recommended flow rates recommended for denitrate/matrix.

I need a bio media anyway for my top basket so might get Seachem Matrix to see if it will help control my Nitrate. My tap water comes with about 15ppm Nitrate so my Nitrate is always around 20ppm mark.
Lots of algae growing on the leaves on my plants, both my Nerrite snails can't get to them

.

I'm looking into RO systems, birthday coming up soon!

I'm the meantime I may let these cabbages go wild and let them bring down nitrates:

mhancock said:

I'm looking into RO systems, birthday coming up soon!

I'm the meantime I may let these cabbages go wild and let them bring down nitrates:

View attachment 117509

Click to expand...

That’s lovely. Shame I can’t have floating plants due to the flow.

jonnyc88 said:

That’s lovely. Shame I can’t have floating plants due to the flow.

Click to expand...

Really? Won't the flow just push them to one end then they'll sit there? You can see where this has happened on my tank.

mhancock said:

Really? Won't the flow just push them to one end then they'll sit there? You can see where this has happened on my tank.

Click to expand...

I've never tried frogbit or duckweed only salnivias. They get swirled around the tank and pushed to the bottom. Most start to rot or get stuck in the filter. It's just a bit of a pain for me.
Floating plants are very good to control Nitrate, so you are on to a winner here

I'm going to try Seachem Matrix biomedia to see if it helps. My top media basket is rather empty at the moment anyway as I've removed the carbon.

Not sure if it’s the Seachem Matrix or the fact that I’m treating my tank but on the second day of adding Seachem Matrix my Nitrate tested lower than usual(would say closer to 10ppm instead of 20ppm), even with regular feeding.

jonnyc88 said:

Not sure if it’s the Seachem Matrix or the fact that I’m treating my tank but on the second day of adding Seachem Matrix my Nitrate tested lower than usual(would say closer to 10ppm instead of 20ppm), even with regular feeding.

Click to expand...

Looks like a great product - be interested to see how it effects your readings after a week.

I've purchased a small RO unit (100GPD) that should be more than enough for my tank, which is 190 litres.

Three questions, though:

1. I had some intersting advice from a new LFS, which was to use max 75% RO and the rest tap water in order to keep some hardness in the tank so that pH is controlled. That makes sense to me. I'd be grateful for other thoughts, though, particularly from others living in areas where the tap water is circa 40ppm Nitrate.
2. If the RO is as slow as I've been led to believe, I'm wondering about putting it directly into the tank and letting the heaters in the tank slowly bring the temperature up.
3. Am I correct in thinking that I do not need to treat the RO water with Prime?

Many thanks,

Mark

1.

mhancock said:

I've purchased a small RO unit (100GPD) that should be more than enough for my tank, which is 190 litres.

Two questions, though:

1. I had some intersting advice from a new LFS, which was to use max 75% RO and the rest tap water in order to keep some hardness in the tank so that pH is controlled. That makes sense to me. I'd be grateful for other thoughts, though, particularly from others living in areas where the tap water is circa 40ppm Nitrate.
2. If the RO is as slow as I've been led to believe, I'm wondering about putting it directly into the tank and letting the heaters in the tank slowly bring the temperature up.
3. Am I correct in thinking that I do not need to treat the RO water with Prime?

Many thanks,

Mark

Click to expand...

1. After you set up the RO unit and do the first flush of the system as instructed. The PH should be in the same region as the tap water. It will remove impurities but the PH is basically the same.
2. Your tank is roughly 50G (if my off the cuff math serves me correctly) you will need to aerate the water and add equilibrium to the water to replenish the beneficial minerals that the ro process strips out. Adding directly to the tank is a really bad idea.
3. I'm not certain or which RO system you have. I have a 3 stage RO DI system that removes chlorine. It might be worth checking what stages of filtration you have.

I hope some of the above helps

Thank you for your reply,

It's also three stage filter, here's the blurb:
• Stage 1 5-micron polypropylene sediment pre-filter to extract suspended materials such as sediment, rust, insects, and other particles down to 5 micron. (Replace every 6 months)
• Stage 2 Granular Activated Carbon (GAC). Reduces Chlorine herbicides, pesticides, volatile organic chemicals (Replace every 6 months)
• Stage 3 With a rejection rate (up to 98%) TFC (Thin-Film composite) The highest quality membrane will reject a wide range of total dissolved solids (TDS). (Replace approx. every 18-24 months subject to use)

Yes, it's about 50 US gallons (or 42 UK gallons, it's a shame they are not the same!). There are two airstones running continuously so hopefuly lots of oxygen coming in.

So in terms of minerals, which you've mentioned, and hardness, do you agree with the advice I was given about keeping 25% tap water in the tank?

@seangee would be the poster I’d ask about U.K. RO stuff.

jonnyc88 said:

I'm going to try Seachem Matrix biomedia to see if it helps. My top media basket is rather empty at the moment anyway as I've removed the carbon.

Click to expand...

Matrix is merely high priced pumice stone. Those seeking value should explore General Pumice Products.

jonnyc88 said:

Not sure if it’s the Seachem Matrix or the fact that I’m treating my tank but on the second day of adding Seachem Matrix my Nitrate tested lower than usual(would say closer to 10ppm instead of 20ppm), even with regular feeding.

Click to expand...

It takes 6-8 weeks or more* to culture anoxic/anaerobic bacteria that converts nitrates into nitrogen gas. *and I could never see any affect on it lowering tank nitrates~ (Even with the micro pores in the pumice, anoxic/anaerobic bacteria is a challenge in the highly oxygenated environment of the FW aquarium.