Will it work for any other things?

cskendrick

Just wondering if the denitrator will help with high Ammonia once the nitrate is 0. Or will it just work for nitrates.

Aquaripure

I would suggest you familiarize yourself with the nitrogen cycle. Typically a tank is high in ammonia (as organic matter and urea is converted to ammonia) for the first 2-5 weeks then the bacteria that convert the ammonia to nitrites build up and then the tank is high in nitrites for another 2-5 weeks but ammonia begins to drop. Finally the bacteria that convert nitrites to nitrates build up and nitrites and ammonia drop. These bacteria especially like large surface areas with good water flow which is why undergravel filters/ bioballs/ and biowheels are very common. Without these a tank will normally adapt but there might be a spike in ammonia and nitrites if a lot of fish are suddenly added or several fish die and are not removed. It is not normal for a cycled tank to have high ammonia or nitrites though.

The Aquaripure is a comprehensive biological filter and can replace other biological filters. All that is really needed in addition to the Aquaripure is physical filtration with a filter pad or a sponge filter and adequate water flow. Some other biological filtration or a skimmer is usually ok though as long as it is limited.

The Aquaripure contains at least dozens if not hundreds of different species of both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria and will completely break down all organic matter (including ammonia and nitrite) that passes through it into gasses in a properly set up system. This process is even used to remove toxic chemicals from wastewater in industry. By contrast, sulfur denitrators really only have one specific bacteria in them and all they do is remove nitrates. They will not be effective at breaking down the organic matter in an aquarium. Protein skimmers act to remove organic matter from the water. The problem is even the very best skimmers do not remove all of the organic matter and do not remove nitrates at all and nitrates will still increase.

In a brand new aquarium the Aquaripure will not eliminate the cycling process but it will shorten the process significantly.

kmurlless

I wonder how well the Aquaripure unit replaces????
1) bioballs (etc)... to process nitrates
2) a protein skimmer.... to process organics
3) other common filter media such as polyfilter or chemipure... to trap out impurities of various types

In other words... assuming we set up an Aquaripure... what else should we add/keep in-system to achieve the best result?

Aquaripure

This is a subject I often tread lightly around but I believe it is time I come out and give the straight answer.

I tread lightly around the subject because so many people have invested $500-$1000+ on wet/drys and protien skimmers and ozonizers and other stuff and they become attached to them. So why should they get the Aquaripure when they have already invested so much on this other equipment? Because the Aquaripure works 10x better than all this other stuff combined, thats why!

All the Aquaripure needs in ANY system is good water flow and some mechanical filtration. That's it!

Bioballs are definitely not needed and can in fact interfere with the Aquaripure. The manual states to get rid of most of the bioballs (90%) when setting up the Aquaripure. I say keep a small amount mainly just for a little aeration. Ozonizers are also not needed.

A skimmer is not needed. The manual states reduce the skimming action. It really should be kept mostly for aeration but the truth is you don't need it as long as you have good water flow.

I used to use carbon and chemi pure in my tanks with Aquaripure but I stopped over a year ago and my water is as crystal clear and clean and pure as the day I stopped. Unless you are trying to get out a dose of copper or antibiotics they are not needed. If you dose your tank with medication then stop the Aquaripure and use carbon before running the Aquaripure again.

The Aquaripure when used properly will keep water quality pristine. I let my cat drink out of my 29 gallon FW Aquarium with about 15 fish. He hardly ever drinks out of his water bowl any more. I haven't done a water change in about a year and the water quality is perfect.