Hi,
I have just joined the forum, so my apologies if I am dragging up old threads but I have a few questions about this topic.
I have a 240l Planted tank that has high nitrates often above 50ppm. The problem is my tap water is high in nitrates normally 40ppm +. Obviously I am adding nitrate through my fertilisation, Neutro + and Neutro CO2.
I am trying to commission a sulfur denitrator. Its been going now for over 2 weeks. Its a DIY job, using RO filter housing filled with sulfur beads. The nitrates in the tank have not reduced any.
I am testing the effluent from the filter and I am completely puzzled by the results. My Salifert test kit reads the Nitrate at over 100ppm. My Api Test Kit reads it between 0ppm and 5ppm. Which is very odd.
My understanding is that API tests total Nitrate whereas salifert tests Nirate - Nitrogen. This in theory should mean that the API test should always read 4.4 times that of the Salifert test. Yet for my it is the other way round!
The other worrying thing is the tests show that Nitrites are of the scale. If I read the OP properly does that mean that I have currently got the flow through the filter too high? Currently its flowing at about 2 drops every 3 seconds?
The Nitrites in the aquarium itself is at 0 thankfully.
Any advice will be gratefully received.
Thanks.
I have been doing a lot of reading on this, but this is the fiirst I have seen about a freshwater unit.
