I run the small one on my 29 FOWLR. It's a great system, but only if you toss the powerhead/needle valve that comes with it and use a peristaltic pump with the flow rate needed for your setup. (Otherwise, you will always be fiddling with the valve and getting less than optimal results.) You can use the flow rate calculator on their page to determine what your peristaltic should run at, then use that to purchase the appropriate pump. I got mine from omega engineering and while it's priced reasonably, I can't recommend it simply because it's loud and puts out a lot of heat.
You may want to try the other vendor listed in the above thread. I will for the next project.
Also, expect the box to take a solid 8 weeks to become effective. It will be especially important to stay on top of water changes during that time.
And if you have the ability, set the outflow of the denitrator in your skimmer's inflow. This will dissipate nasty gasses and any effluent. I just bought a new skimmer with a fitting for that purpose.
These things can sometimes affect ph, so keep an eye on that as well.
I hope the above doesn't scare you off. After I got mine settled in with the peristaltic, I don't even bother checking nitrates anymore, they are always undetectable. (Don't forget the weekly vodka shots.)
diluting nitrates is not the primary purpose of doing water changes in a reef system. nutrient export is. you should not be having a nitrate problem at all unless your bioload is to high for your LR to process. is this a FOWLR system?
No it's not a FOWLR system & my bioload is low! However I do tend to over feed which is why I do weekly water changes. I don't really have a nitrate problem! I just thought it might prolong the water changes & save me a little money!
I run the small one on my 29 FOWLR. It's a great system, but only if you toss the powerhead/needle valve that comes with it and use a peristaltic pump with the flow rate needed for your setup.
Actually, truth be told, you can build something similar for little money. Just take a five gallon bucket, drop a hundred feet or so of airline tubing in it with one end plumbed to the inflow, fill with bioballs or whatnot, and put an outlet on top. (And a seperate check valve fitting if you want to do the vodka injections.) These things really are just big anerobic pots. I like the aquaripure because it does this in a tidy package with a small footprint.
If you are interested in a denitrator, do some searching on the diy solution. It's worth checking out.
Let's be realistic - really effective skimming is just a GOOD thing. Period.
Dan
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