Purigen - Nitrate sponge

[CancerverO]

My nitrates are still high... I have a 24 gallons nano cube.. It has 4 fish (too much I know.. trying to reduce to 3 -1 clownfish, 1 wrasse, 2 gobies) ..
I have an AquaC remora.. Im feeding them twice a week.. im doing weekly water change (15%).. no sponges.. or biowheels..

now..how good is this purigen? or any other nitrate "removal" sponge...

any feedback will be great..

thanks

 

[fritz]

Some of my favorite tanks run purigen, I have some but I never used it. I plan to just never got around to it.

In your case, and always, it's better to attack the problem rather than the symptom.

Consider doing 20% water changes weekly.

 

[vinny]

or maybe try to feed once a day...

 

[CancerverO]

hey fritz... D problem is.............. too many fish??? .. well im gonna start doing 20%

Vinny... im feeding them twice a week...

 

[mstrofdisaster]

I have 5 fish in mine (24 gallon NanoCube DX) with 0 nitrates.

1 - Sixline wrasse
1 - Purple Firefish
2 - Clowns
1 - Blue Neon Goby

Filtration: Tunze 9002 DOC skimmer, carbon, phosban and chemipure

you may want to consider a larger water change.

 

[CancerverO]

what media are u running ..? carbon?.. I will do a major water change again....


ok... wekk I have aquq c remora, carbon and chemipure... will get some phosban...

doing a 50 % today then...

 

[mstrofdisaster]

what media are u running ..? carbon?.. I will do a major water change again....


ok... wekk I have aquq c remora, carbon and chemipure... will get some phosban...

doing a 50 % today then...

Javier,

Its actually all in media bags, the carbon, phosban and chemipure. In the second chamber.

I had some problems recently with my tank chemistry and doing two 50% water changes over a week set everything right again. Let me know if you want to know more...Since we have basically the same setup and all.

-Chris

 

[CancerverO]

Javier,

Its actually all in media bags, the carbon, phosban and chemipure. In the second chamber.

I had some problems recently with my tank chemistry and doing two 50% water changes over a week set everything right again. Let me know if you want to know more...Since we have basically the same setup and all.

-Chris

well thanks Chris.. and I will shoot a pm since I do have a lot of questions...

thanks..........

 

[PhoenixOne]

Question....would large water changes initiate cycling and ammonia/nitrate spikes?

 

[iconoclast]

water changes will only help short term.

if there's an underlying problem causing this then heavy water changes will soon become a burden on time, money and sanity.

i just started using purigen and carbon, in filter bags on a HOB filter....!

 

[mstrofdisaster]

Question....would large water changes initiate cycling and ammonia/nitrate spikes?

In my experience, no. I did this already to correct a Ca/Alk problem and things have never been better. Tests for NO3 and Ammonia both came up 0 after doing a 50% w/c.

 

[basiab]

Nitrates is what is left over after converting ammonia to nitrites and then nitrites to nitrates. So the more fish you have the more nitrates you end up with. Changing 50% water once or twice is a short term fix as mentioned by others. So you have to find a way to reduce nitrates, see others and their suggestions. changes, another is something that uses nitrates like chaeto etc. Will the chaeto be enough to handle the load. Time will tell.

 

[CancerverO]

too many fish, too much food, no skimmer = nitrates.. ok i reduce fish, feed them twice a week and I have the skimmer... and still Nitrates are not zero.. after the 50% change and monitoring ..also got purigen.. I have Nitrates 10 ...trying to get to zero.. and yes I was planing to get some chaeto and make a small fuge...

 

[jhale]

feeding them twice a week? that's much too little.

nitrates are not that important to keep at zero, at the expense of not feeding your fish!

Please feed the fish and figure out another way to cut the No3 down. water changes and a reactor with denitrate should work.

 

[CancerverO]

I think I need more water movement specially behind my main rocks.. that could be where all the nitrates are ... after 50% water changed, cleaned all my rocks and clean the back of my tank.. and 15% weekly.. nitrates are 10 .. finally.. well for me it is great news.. it was always 20~30 ... I will feed them dialy flakes and twice or once a week mysis...

 

[VJ&POOPS]

Water changes are necessary but for a 24G, 15% once a week may be too much, you may be wiping out your bacteria population. (use cycle bacteria to replenish after water changes)

Feed in small amounts every day, and get a clean up crew for any excess food.

Add some bio-balls (I have about 5 in my AP24)

 

[iconoclast]

bio balls will convert lots of ammonia and nitrites into nitrates.... and then the nitrates will just sit there... thats why bio balls recommended against; as opposed to a a DSB.
The surface layer (aerobic) contains lots of bacteria that will produce nitrates, but under this layer exists an anaerobic region which houses bacteria which will dispose of the nitrates. Or so the theory goes.

 

[NYreefNoob]

i did 5g wc weekly on my ap 25g. as stated dont cut back to feeding twice a week, how long has tank been running. get a reactor nd put some nitrate absorber in it. and would get another test kit to make sure yours is reading correctly

 

[iconoclast]

NYReefNoob,

I've been using purigen since its supposed to be able to regenerate and its claims at being super powerful.
Can you recommend anything else as a nitrate absorber?

 

[CancerverO]

the tank has been running for 8 months..

any nitrate absorber??? I got some xenia hopefully that will help a little...

a reactor? should I get one...????