Planning to buy

Hello,

I finally convinced myself to buy one of the denitrators, but I have a few questions:

I have a 120 gallon tank and it is a little overstocked with piranhas. I feed them twice a week, and my nitrates are still always high. I do water changes twice a week, but my nitrate levels are still always high because of the overstock. Should I buy the X-Large unit though it is rated for 180-400 gallons? Or should I still buy the Large unit since it is rated for 90-180 gallons?

The substrate of my tank is play sand from Home Depot that I cleaned. Does the pump have a pre-filter to avoid any sand getting into the pump and denitrator?

I hope to get answers soon, so I can place an order :D

i would go with the extra large just to be safe

Is it possible to use an mV computer/controller in the denitrator? because I would like to monitor the redox potentials for maximum performance.

I will be moving homes in the beginning September. How long can the bacteria in the denitrator live for without the unit being turned on? I have to move my aquarium and take out everything in it, so it might be a few days before I am able to turn the denitrator back on.

You didn't specify how overstocked your tank is ... that means different things to different people. If you think a 75 gallon a week water change would get your nitrates to zero the the Large will be sufficient. I underrate my filters compared to the competition. However, you could safely go with the XLarge filter in a 120 gallon tank as well if you want to be sure.

I advise against using mV/ORP/redox meters with the Aquaripure. Reason being is if you follow the directions water quality will soon be very high and the meter will be useless. The meter will just confuse most people anyways. The fact is experts disagree on how useful they are and how to read it anyways. The best indicator of water quality in my opinion is testing pH and nitrates and looking at the water and the fish visually. (i.e. Is the water yellowish? Are the fish gasping or sickly?) Oxygen and trace elements tests are also useful in some situations.

A few days is fine but if the denitrator is unused for more than a week it is advisable to completely flush it out with tap water in a tub for a day or so. Then empty it as much as possible before reconnecting to the tank. Gasses and dead bacteria can build up in the filter. This will kill most of the bacteria but it will recycle in another month or two. If it is only a few days then this is not necessary and the bacteria will be fine.

Hi I'm also planning to purchase an Aquaripure, my tank is a small 38Gal 180Litres I have 2 small ClownFish and a pair of Tangs... a few clean up crew and a couple of soft corals.

I've been up and running now 6months and Im doing weekly water changes of 10% and have constant nitrates of 30-40ppm.. all other water parameters are good and constant.

My question is would I t get away with purchasing the small version.. and if so does the kit come with everything I need including the pump.

Any help or advice would gratefully received and sorry if I've hijacked the wrong thread - but wasn't sure where to post my question?

Thanks