denitrator

[jstrawn]

Hello, I make denitrators and my website is www.aquaripure.com I would like to post this thread to answer any questions, criticisms, etc. that anyone might have regarding denitrators, my website, or my product. Given the responses to the EcoAqualizer thingy I feel that I may have my work cut out for me. However, I am here in person to answer any questions. I have been perfecting this product for nearly two years now and its operation is based on sound scientific principals. Keep the flames down please.

[Condiman]

We try not to flame anyone anyways how dose one of those things work cause I have never seen one?

[Condiman]

Duhh I should have looked at your site first. Interesting device.

[jstrawn]

Since no one has any questions I will expand a little on the denitrification process. First, huge industrial denitrators are used in waste water treatment facilities throughout the world to clean the water you drink. Second, the process is much more common in nature than you might think. Your large intestine for example acts secondarily as one big denitrator. That’s right, as you read this anaerobic bacteria are hard at work in your gut breaking down nitrates. The proof of this is the products of anaerobic metabolism are nitrogen, carbon dioxide, methane, and hydrogen sulfide. In humans, this is commonly known as “gas” or “farts.” These byproducts are no more harmful to fish than to you. You breathe in this gas mixture everyday and it is completely harmless in small quantities. If you were in a room full of “gas” that didn’t have oxygen in it you might die of suffocation though. That’s why you roll down the windows to let the “gas” escape and fresh air in. This is also why the water coming from a denitrator is aerated. In any tank with decent water flow there is absolutely no danger to your fish. I hope I have demonstrated that the denitrator is safe. It is in fact based on sound biological principals. Ha Ha … sorry, I just had to let that one out ... :lol:

[MikeS]

what is inside the denitrator?

Mike

[jstrawn]

A denitrator must contain some type of filter media which will harbor aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. While I don't want to specify exactly what type of filter media that is in Aquaripure's denitrators (you wouldn't expect Col Sanders to give away the secret recipe would you?), all I will say that the filter media in Aquaripure's denitrators have a much greater surface area than the bioballs found in many denitrators. Bioballs were designed primarily for aerobic bacteria and are not the ideal medium for denitrators.

[MikeS]

A denitrator must contain some type of filter media which will harbor aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. While I don't want to specify exactly what type of filter media that is in Aquaripure's denitrators (you wouldn't expect Col Sanders to give away the secret recipe would you?), all I will say that the filter media in Aquaripure's denitrators have a much greater surface area than the bioballs found in many denitrators. Bioballs were designed primarily for aerobic bacteria and are not the ideal medium for denitrators.

Of course I would not expect you to give away a secret :-D

However, I'm a fairly cautious reefkeeper by nature, as I think many of my fellow reefkeepers are....I'd probably want to know what's in the "secret recipe" before I simply hooked it up to my tank.... :wink: That's just me.... :-D

How does your denitrator compare to a denitrafying Deep Sand Bed (DSB) performance-wise? This is the method I use to keep nitrate under control, along with routine water changes. What advantages would you say your denitrator has over a DSB?

Mike

[Macbeth417]

I still have yet look at your site, but I would like to assure people that coil denitrifiers and sulfur bed denitrifiers do in fact work. The question in my mind if it they are worth the hastle of readjustment, not to mention the intial pain of dialing in and setting up a coil.

-Erik

[jstrawn]

A denitrator essentially works upon the same principals as a denitrifying Deep Sand Bed. It uses anaerobic bacteria. However, there are many advantages to a denitrator.

1) It is cheaper. Buying enough aragonite to establish a denitrifying deep sand bed will cost a lot more than the denitrator. This is especially true for larger tanks.

2) They are more efficient and can be controlled. The denitrator contains filter media specifically designed to harbor anaerobic bacteria. It's flow rate can be controlled unlike in a Deep Sand Bed.

3) If you have some type of "plenum" (an anaerobic space underneath the sandbed) it can be dangerous. Some type of fish or invertebrate might burrow a hole into the plenum releasing the anaerobic water into the tank, killing some of the fish by suffocation. It is impossible for this to happen with a denitrator.

4) If you do have a denitrifying deep sand bed then you probably would want to avoid keeping any fish or invertabrate that burrows. They would aerate the sand bed and prevent denitrification.

[jstrawn]

"The question in my mind if it they are worth the hastle of readjustment, not to mention the intial pain of dialing in and setting up a coil."

My denitrators are much, much, much more efficient than the "coil" denitrators. This means that they require far fewer adjustments. An inefficient denitrator will not tolerate changes in tank parameters or flow rate as well as a more efficient one. In fact all I do is maybe check mine once a week. That's it. I swear.

Please see www.aquaripure.com/Comparison.htm for more on this.