[alt.aquaria] Denitrification

baldwin@boulder.Colorado.EDU (D. Baldwin) (01/18/90)

  I have a 55 gal marine tank which I am converting from a fish only to a mixture of
fish and inverts. My nitrate readings are OK for fish but too high for more delicate
creatures. I am in the process of constructing a denitrifying filter. Basically water
from the lower depths of my tank will slowly drip into a "dark" box containing sponge
blocks fed with Coral life Ana food. The output from the sponge blocks will drip at the
same rate into the sump of my wet/dry filter. First question: Has anyone out there
had any experience with denitrification, ala the type of filter I am trying or
algae scrubbers or Nitrex boxes ? If so what can I expect ? If the system I am trying is
realistic , what should the flow rate be in terms of gal/day ? Should I feed the
anerobic bacteria according to the instructions on the Ana food ? Any advice or
comments will be appreciated.
			Dan Baldwin

daq@hpfcso.HP.COM (Doug Quarnstrom) (01/20/90)

	>		Dan Baldwin
----------

Dan, you might want to read some of Moe's new book on
reef aquariums.  It talks about denitrification
filters.  It will be interesting to see what 
happens, but after reading the articles, it sounded
to me like these filters were a little to touchy
to justify in my opinion, especially if your
nitrate levels are building slowly anyway.

Moe's book should help a little, and good luck.
Please post any experiences you have so the
rest of us can evaluate the worthiness of
these little contraptions.

Doug Q