Reef nutrition

Bio filter Media i

Schmitty

Schmitty

Supporting Member
BARcard
Any of you used this stuff? LFS suggested it for helping cut down nitrates and nitrite…
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This media by itself doesn't do anything.
This is to help colonize nitrifying bacteria which will break down Ammonia to Nitrites and Nitrites to Nitrates.
Also, helping cut down nitrates
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That is incorrect - You can't reduce Nitrates with bio media. They are consumed by coral or removed through manual export via water changes among other methods.
 
The idea behind the thicker 4" by 8' by 8" version of this, is that the core of the block hosts anoxic bacteria to break down nitrates. Similar to a deep sand bed. If that works as Marinepure says it does then it won't work the same as with this 1" thick slab. Too thin for an anoxic environment.
 
Da_Neefer said:
The idea behind the thicker 4" by 8' by 8" version of this, is that the core of the block hosts anoxic bacteria to break down nitrates. Similar to a deep sand bed. If that works as Marinepure says it does then it won't work the same as with this 1" thick slab. Too thin for an anoxic environment.
Click to expand...
What do nitrates break down into? Nitrogen gas?
 
This is why I keep a deep rubble bed in my tank and sump, and carbon dose with vodka. Speaking of which, these darn fish have almost gone through an entire handle. Time to pick up another!
 
It is hard to know how much this actually happens in a specific tank, even after implementing.

The problem with reducing nitrate this way (as opposed to with biological uptake) is that it doesn’t reduce phosphate at all and so leads to a serious imbalance. Since a lot of us have more issues with unbalanced relative phosphate > nitrate anyway it is kind of counterproductive. Of course you can use GFO to reduce phosphate specifically but it is hard to find the right balance too.
 
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