Denitrators
 

Anyone uses Denitrators ?

Yup, they're called liverock and sandbeds :razz: If you have a reef with adequate rock and a sandbed, you should have no nitrates. If you do, you need to look at your feeding and stocking levels.

I looked at building a Denitrator (don't know why I just looked at it) it looks like a pain in the butt, plus after talking to a few people I found out that often the bacteria will die off and leave you with a system that needs to be restarted. When people use a De nitrator, they feed it alcohol but in tiny quantities, I've still not figured out why for sure but I assume it's the sugar etc.
Brads right, sand bed, live rock, reasonable stocking levels should = no need for denitrator.
Marine aquarium? or Marine reef aquarium magazine has a great article this month about sand beds and how it's been proven that most nitrification occurs with in 2 inches of sand, no need for deep sand beds now?? Hows that for stiring up some ditrius.

Doug

Doug, I have about 2" or less in my tank and my nitrates are undetectable. So yes, I agree with that article.

Is it possible to slowly remove a DSB? Mine is not sugar sand or anything, its actualy crushed coral.. but its about 4" in depth in some places and I would like to lower it. Can I just slowly siphon it out on water changes. Take a bit out every time?

Thanks

Chad

Brad I had about 2 inches (don't tell anyone) but I also had a DSB in my refugium so I just assumed the DSB was taking care of all the De nitrification. Now I guess I'll set up my refugium just as a place for some peppermint shrimp and macro algae.

Doug

a proper sugar sand will conduct denitrafacation in a depth as little as 1". generaly the larger the grain size of your substrait the more depth you need.

Steve