[Tonyr3288]

Hey everyone! Wondering if anyone has used a scrubber to remove nitrates from tap water? The nitrates out of my tap are between 15-20ppm. Would like this to be closer to 0. I have been looking at a HOG algae Scrubber to remove the nitrates. Wondering if anyone has tried this?

 

[Cyphro]

You would have to have an algae scrubber in a separate tank and leave it in there for some time.

20 nitrates sounds like a lot but even for sensitve creatures like shrimp the amount of nitrates matters a lot less than having big spikes in nitrates.

So I would just put the algae scrubber attached to your main tank and just do water changes like normal.

 

[Tonyr3288]

So I would just put the algae scrubber attached to your main tank and just do water changes like normal.

Do you have experience doing this? Could I expect close to 0 nitrates? Of course I will continue the weekly water changes, I just would like to get less than 10ppm nitrates using the scrubber. I have a 30 gallon sump I will attach it to. Maybe some plants would help in the sump as well? Thanks!!

 

[Cyphro]

So I would just put the algae scrubber attached to your main tank and just do water changes like normal.

Do you have experience doing this? Could I expect close to 0 nitrates? Of course I will continue the weekly water changes, I just would like to get less than 10ppm nitrates using the scrubber. I have a 30 gallon sump I will attach it to. Maybe some plants would help in the sump as well? Thanks!!

I have a separate tank/refugium with moss under light 24 hours that works in the same way. You can definitely get down to zero nitrates that way (and algae scrubber would be even better) but it isn't possible to do it as a sort of prefilter one time process. You would have to have it running 24 hours a day and then transfer the water over to the main tank after a week or something. IE you would change both of the tanks once a week or so and the main tank would take from the algae scrubber tank. Your scrubbed tank would not have to be that big though, only around the amount you want to change out each week.

Considering the expense and hassle it is almost certainly not worth it though. If you just add the algae scrubber to your main tank then you are going to have much less hassle. I don't really have to EVER change my water, using the refugium system and connected tanks with fish and shrimp. If you can keep srhimp happy and multiplying, believe me fish of basically any kind are going to be quite happy.

An algae scrubber is at least ten times more efficient at taking out nitrates and other junk than just macro algae or other plants. So if you have the algae scrubber on your tank then you probably won't ever have to worry about nitrate again, just change out a little water when it is getting low and that should be plenty.

 

[Tonyr3288]

So I would just put the algae scrubber attached to your main tank and just do water changes like normal.

Do you have experience doing this? Could I expect close to 0 nitrates? Of course I will continue the weekly water changes, I just would like to get less than 10ppm nitrates using the scrubber. I have a 30 gallon sump I will attach it to. Maybe some plants would help in the sump as well? Thanks!!

I have a separate tank/refugium with moss under light 24 hours that works in the same way. You can definitely get down to zero nitrates that way (and algae scrubber would be even better) but it isn't possible to do it as a sort of prefilter one time process. You would have to have it running 24 hours a day and then transfer the water over to the main tank after a week or something. IE you would change both of the tanks once a week or so and the main tank would take from the algae scrubber tank. Your scrubbed tank would not have to be that big though, only around the amount you want to change out each week.

Considering the expense and hassle it is almost certainly not worth it though. If you just add the algae scrubber to your main tank then you are going to have much less hassle. I don't really have to EVER change my water, using the refugium system and connected tanks with fish and shrimp. If you can keep srhimp happy and multiplying, believe me fish of basically any kind are going to be quite happy.

An algae scrubber is at least ten times more efficient at taking out nitrates and other junk than just macro algae or other plants. So if you have the algae scrubber on your tank then you probably won't ever have to worry about nitrate again, just change out a little water when it is getting low and that should be plenty.

Awesome! Appreciate the reply. I will move forward with the algae scrubber attached to my sump. One thing I am not certain of is how big of one I will need. I will do some more research. Thanks again!