# Seachem Denitrate - Which pump



## whizbit (Apr 25, 2010)

Hi All,

I am in the process of gathering together the components for what I hope will be a solution to my high nitrate problems. After much research I have decided to go down the Seachem Denitrate root as it seams to be the simplest option available to me.

I have a 180l African cichlid tank, my tap water is nicely suited to the African cichlids nice and hard with a PH of 7.8 out of the tap. The problem is it comes out of the tap with 40mg/l nitrates so I am doing huge water changes (30-40 percent a week) just to try and keep the nitrates remotely under control. Hence the need for denitrification.
Back to the plan and the question, I am hoping to keep it as simple as possible with the initial plan being on pumping the water out of the tank, through a some kind of prefilter haven't decided on what yet through a tube about a metre long and 40mm diameter then back into the tank. The tube will be filled with Denitrate (about a litre to begin with), I am stuck on what pump to but in order to achieve this, the denitrate suggests a flow rate of 200l/h max and I understand the actual flow rate is important to get the anaerobic bacteria to grow. So with the back pessure of of pumping the water up and out of the tank and down behend the cabinet and back through the denitrate I don't know how to work out what pump I need.

Thanks in advance

Wayne


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## kmuda (Nov 27, 2009)

Please review this thread.... I think it contains everything you are looking for as it relates to use of SeaChem deNitrate.

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... p?t=205605

The best I think you will achieve with this type of filtration is to maintain nitrates without significant creep, and even that is potentially problematic. I tried for a couple of years before I got it right.

In your circumstances, with high nitrates out of the tap, you may want to "prefilter" the water chemically. It's a very simple and relatively inexpensive process as the expensive media can be recharged for repeated use.

You start by building something like this.









You then pack the filter with several layers of media. Below is the recommendation, in the order of water flow (what the water hits first).

- Plain ole filter floss or blue bonded padding
- Quality Carbon (preferably in media bags)
- Polyfilter (this is a chemical media) http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/p ... atid=10421
- Fluval Lab Series Nitrate Remover (you'll probably want a couple of these)
http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/p ... atid=15456
- Blue Bonded padding or filter floss
- Quality Carbon
- Polyfilter

You fill up a large (clean) trashcan (or other suitable container of water), hook a pump up to the DIY device, and filter the water for about 24 hours.

The Fluval Lab Series Nitrate Remover is rechargable, so you'll get many uses out of it.

Because of the short duration of use and because you are filtering water without fish, the carbon and polyfilter will last several months, with more life being gained from the polyfilter than the carbon.

The sequence of recommended media's is designed to prevent premature exhaustion of the Nitrate Remover media by removing products that shorten it's usage life, and to then remove by-products of the ion exchange process the nitrate remover performs.

This is not something you would want to connect to your main tank, but it will help significantly reduce nitrates in your tap/replacement water.


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## ewueagle (May 30, 2010)

Very informative post. Thank you


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