Nitrate Filters

[Fatty]

Your opinoins please!

Sorry if it's already been done..

 

[Lynden]

Nitrates per se are not really harmful to a tank. However, they can/do indicate other problems, such as a dead fish somewhere or a die-off of some kind polluting the tank. So a nitrate filter is mostly useless. Spend your money on a good phosphate remover, such as a fuge or granular ferric oxide.

 

[Fatty]

Nitrates per se are not really harmful to a tank. However, they can/do indicate other problems, such as a dead fish somewhere or a die-off of some kind polluting the tank. So a nitrate filter is mostly useless. Spend your money on a good phosphate remover, such as a fuge or granular ferric oxide.

I didn't think corals liked nitrates?

 

[Matthew5664]

Nitrates are a good indicator of die off in your tank however; in a fully stock reef tank the NO3 spike will be dealt with by the nitrate filter should one occur. However a large die off is usualy the sign of something bad in the tank and this you should spot using your 'reefkeeping eyes'

If keeping some of the hard to keep SPS corals then maintaining a NO3 level below 5ppm may require a water change of X amount periodical which may be unfeasible.

The use of a nitrate filter to control the slow build-up of nitrates in a heavy stocked reef tank in not a bad thing, if fact I have recently bought one myself.

Take for e.g.:
A reef tank with a monthly build up of 20ppm NO3. Now a 20% water change will reduce the NO3 to 16ppm. Then next month you have a NO3 level of the last month’s leftover (16) plus your monthly build-up (20) which is 36ppm. Again using a 20% water change will leave you with 28.8ppm NO3. If we calculate this for a 12 month period by month 12 a build-up to 93.12ppm NO3 is evident.

This is only an example however you see my point. NO3 filters have there place in a reef tanks kit.

 

[SkiFletch]

Yeah, unfortunately it's not a clear cut yes/no answer. They're a good idea if you have problems controlling them naturally and cannot for some reason use biological means of control like a refugium. I'd view them more as a last resort to the problem of nitrates. Remember though, as Matthew said, nitrates are really only a problem with the more sensitive organisms in our hobby like some tricky SPS, nems, and shrimp. Most everything else does fine with moderate levels of nitrate (20-40ppm).

 

[Fatty]

Thanks for the replies, some good stuff there, I never actually thought 20ppm was acceptable!, so it's good to know it shouldn't cause to many problems. I like the idea of the sulphur reactors with the carbonate media, so the nitrate is replaced by re-mineralised water a bit like a tiny calc reactor. I guess those with Nano reef tanks with fish would possiblly fall in the bracket of needing to use a nitrate filter more often than not.

Thanks for the example Matthew.