Very interesting video, Colin. I have never used this product, so I was curious to see your review. I used to have serious issues with nitrate in my tanks, but I solved it by changing the kind of plants I keep in my aquariums. I now use a lot of fast-growing stem plants such as Rotala, as well as floating plants like Dwarf Water Lettuce that feed heavily on nitrate. At the present moment, all my aquariums have a 0 ppm nitrate reading. No measurable amount of nitrate in any of them. Of course I have to trim the plants much more often than I did when all I had was slow-growing anubias and java ferns in each tank. Good video!
Great to hear from you Andrew. Did you notice my buddy Gil was wearing the Aquatasy T-shirt? I am drawn to porous filter media in general, so I jumped at the chance to test the de*nitrate for myself. Be sure to follow along for our results 😁👍🏻
I personally believe that several products being promoted as necessary for the hobby are not in the best interest of the fish keeper, but rather, are products designed to earn monies for some of these big box aquarium product manufacturing industries. Look for example at some of the promotions being made by some channels popularized by popular hobbyists.... this video looks trivial but carries a big message and tone... thanks my brotha
I tried the Dr. Novak approach with Walmart kitty litter in my sump. Total disaster with a gray sludge being produced and covering my sponge filters. I am surprised your nitrates are at 40ppm with the low bioload and so many plants. After years of trying to improve nitrates I use an emersed aquaponic grow bed, immersed plants and twice monthly 80% water changes. My nitrates go from 40 ppm down to less than 10 after a water change in my big cichlid tsnk and I am happy with that. Water changes remove a lot other waste products than nitrates (phosphates, hormones to name a few), and my fish definately perk up after a big water change. PS: I don't believe any of the denitrate products work, except under idyllic conditions that few aquarists can duplicate
My Clown loaches are most of my bio-load and they are all very well fed, with the slow growing (fast for me) Java ferns being 90% of the plants in the tank at the moment. I did own a Sera Bio-Denitrator HOB back in the '80s which did work and was fed with a weekly tablet as a carbon source. Interesting that Seachem have put their name to this product, so we'll see how it goes :)
I haven't use De-nitrate personally since my understanding is it is pretty much just bleached pumice & thus not worth the price tag in NZ, but I have used both Biohome mini & Eheim Substrat Pro at the recommended 1kg per 100 litres for light to low end of moderate stocking- moderate to heavy stocking is 2kg per 100 liters if memory serves. Both products are very pricey (De-nitrate almost looks affordable by comparison lol), but the fact they are both sintered glassed & designed to have a certain amount of surface area, made them worth trying as being a standardised shape & density means it is much easier to make reasonably accurate calculations about the amount required to achieve X result under Y conditions. Something that is a lot harder to do with natural porous medias due to the amount of useable surface area often varying greatly between each piece let a lone each batch or container. At least that is my understanding from all the research I did on it a number of years ago.
I have used both BH & ESP in aquariums with & without plenums & both lowered nitrates to the point that they were or are no longer detectable for any of the test kits or strips I own. So at least under the conditions I have tested them, both products do indeed reduce nitrates considerably in my tanks. Does the label say how the De-nitrate is supposed to lower the nitrate levels in just a few days? My understanding is the anaerobic bacteria that consumes nitrate can take 3 to 4 months to fully mature to the point where it is able to properly process nitrates, so very curious how their pumice could facilitate that in only a few days if it is indeed inert. Another factor that may need to be considered is the type of dechlorinator being used ie. one that is a dechlorinator + detoxifier for heavy metals, ammonia, nitrite & nitrate etc. vs one that is a simple dechlorinator & nothing more. There seems to be numerous accounts of products that included detoxifiers &/or binders often causing issues with delaying new aquariums cycling or causing spikes in nitrates in mature tanks etc. The general consensus seems to be the super concentrated products that include binding &/or added detoxifying properties maybe do too good of a job & end up starving out or otherwise knocking back the anaerobic bacteria. I ended up changing to rain water for my aquariums & I have (touch wood) had no problems at all & the aquariums I have set up seem to cycle quite quickly, which is interesting. You are lucky to have so many meds still available to hobbyists! In NZ all we have access to is salt, melafix, pimafix, methylene blue & malachite green for the most part... Can't get proper meds unless we take the sick fish to the vet. I now just use a UV steriliser on my QT tank & keep some wormer on hand in case it is required.
Never used it but it you have to have a starting level of 20 ppm nitrate, then why would you need to buy it. Your tank is looking amazing with at least 40ppm with everything thriving, so it's not got a need for this product. Your Windelov is incredible. I wish I could get java fern to grow well for me !!!
@@HalfManHalfCichlid it's an interesting balancing act in a planted aquarium. I know that the lush ADA Tanks by the late Takashi Armano ran very low nitrate levels, but remember they have super charged nutrient rich substrates and daily fertiliser micro dosing.
Never used it and would be concerned that it would take away nitrates from the plants…. we like to let the ecosystem do its thing on its own…. become self-sufficient
Even at 40ppm after two and a half months if it has still remained the same & not increased with no water changes, I would say it is doing something. 👍👍👍
In this case, the tank is very heavily planted and also gets 20% water changes every week. However I have always believed it takes months for denitriying bacteria to arrive into a well oxygenated aquarium environment and then slowly get to work. So, still hopeful 🙂👍🏻
@@AussieAquatic Yes I agree it does take the denitrifying bacteria time to develop. I'm still waiting for them to develop in my canister as well and its been 3 months.
Nah, Aussie fishtubers are the biggest scam. How else do you explain all the water not falling out with everything being upside down Downunder? 😉 Seriously though mate great video. Interesting question, good discussion and great videography. 👍
OK......Darn it..........You got us again!!!! You know that Australia isn't real, which other people are slowly catching onto as well. But let's get this filter media discussion going, does it really work? we'll keep going until we find out!!
Good Morning Colin , I hope you and your family are fine. I have a question please about beneficial bacteria. I have an aquarium juwel Rio 125 L with some plants anubia and echinodorus It is a community aquarium 3 guppies 4 mollies 12 tétra cardinal 2 siames and 3 giant gold fish ornado ( I risque them from a friend) I have inside the internal filter of juwel i manage to insert around 1800 grams of media plus sponge. I also have a very big filter 2080( 25 watts ) can you give me idea of the approximate consumption of electricity for 2080 filter please Is it a lot ? Because of electrcity consumption can the internal filter of juwel (8 Watts only) handel this amount of fishes?? Also please tell me can I use big filter only 8 hours per day 4h in the morning and then 4h in the evening will that be good idea or will the beneficial bacteria dies in the big filter ?? Note: the juwel filter will run 24 hours per day. I have heater set to 22.5 C Water change once per week 20% Or is it a bad plan!! What shall be your plan ? I wish you a good day. Thanks à lot Nasir from belgium
Hi Nasir, I would keep the bigger 2080 filter running 24 hours a day and remove the internal filter. It would cost approx. $2 a month electricity. Here is an online calculator goodcalculators.com/electricity-cost-calculator/#:~:text=Wattage%20in%20Watts%20%2F%201%2C000%20%C3%97%20Hours%20Used,1%2C000%20%C3%97%2012%20hours%20%C3%97%20%24.15%2FkWh%20%3D%20%24.072
Colin, Hellos sir, your videos have awaken the sleepy giant fish keeper in me!! 2 questions, what are your tank dimensions? And could you go more in depth into the reverse flow filter you use? Thank you sir. Love your videos
Hi Matthew, I have 2 aquariums, my main tank is 36"x18"x14" and my other tank is a little 20 liter Nano. Think of the reverse UG as a gentle, slow water circulation through the substrate, distributing heat, oxygen and dissolved nutrients. It is not a filter in the classic sense, but it does stimulate the microbial environment of the substrate to allow the microorganisms to do their thing. I consider it an active composting bed for the aquarium.
I just started using Seachem Matrix one month ago. I’m putting them in the under tank sump. Does anyone know when can I expect these anaerobic bacteria to appear? My NO3 is stable at 40mg at the moment.
I think that's is not the way to. Use it maybe you will need a canister Cuz you have in a high oxigen environment so the bacteria is aerobic and it won't eat the nitrogen
Looks to me to be very similar if not identical to matrix, I wonder whether this is just a clever marketing ploy from seachem to sell more “matrix” I happen to use matrix in my filter and am not unhappy with it just to clarify.
I'm not calling it yet. A really interesting video on Kaveman Aquatics channel where he put Seachem Matrix to the test and got results, after he trialled Biohome and didn't get results. I think the true answer is "finding" the right bacteria to settle into their new home. Somehow the anoxic bacteria have to "appear" when they were never there before.
Pond Matrix, Matrix and de*nitrate appear to all be graded and sorted sizes of naturally occurring pumice, which I'm totally fine with. It is a lifetime, one off purchase filter media, so price is fine to me as well, the question is, can we lower dissolved nitrates? We are still continuing to test :)
See more Aquarium Collaboration videos here ruclips.net/video/xbxLQoHCoeA/видео.html
Very interesting video, Colin. I have never used this product, so I was curious to see your review.
I used to have serious issues with nitrate in my tanks, but I solved it by changing the kind of plants I keep in my aquariums. I now use a lot of fast-growing stem plants such as Rotala, as well as floating plants like Dwarf Water Lettuce that feed heavily on nitrate. At the present moment, all my aquariums have a 0 ppm nitrate reading. No measurable amount of nitrate in any of them. Of course I have to trim the plants much more often than I did when all I had was slow-growing anubias and java ferns in each tank.
Good video!
Great to hear from you Andrew.
Did you notice my buddy Gil was wearing the Aquatasy T-shirt?
I am drawn to porous filter media in general, so I jumped at the chance to test the de*nitrate for myself.
Be sure to follow along for our results 😁👍🏻
I personally believe that several products being promoted as necessary for the hobby are not in the best interest of the fish keeper, but rather, are products designed to earn monies for some of these big box aquarium product manufacturing industries. Look for example at some of the promotions being made by some channels popularized by popular hobbyists.... this video looks trivial but carries a big message and tone... thanks my brotha
With your brains and my good looks, together we will hopefully answer the question of whether this stuff works.
Hopefully before Christmas......LOL :)
I tried the Dr. Novak approach with Walmart kitty litter in my sump. Total disaster with a gray sludge being produced and covering my sponge filters. I am surprised your nitrates are at 40ppm with the low bioload and so many plants. After years of trying to improve nitrates I use an emersed aquaponic grow bed, immersed plants and twice monthly 80% water changes. My nitrates go from 40 ppm down to less than 10 after a water change in my big cichlid tsnk and I am happy with that. Water changes remove a lot other waste products than nitrates (phosphates, hormones to name a few), and my fish definately perk up after a big water change. PS: I don't believe any of the denitrate products work, except under idyllic conditions that few aquarists can duplicate
My Clown loaches are most of my bio-load and they are all very well fed, with the slow growing (fast for me) Java ferns being 90% of the plants in the tank at the moment.
I did own a Sera Bio-Denitrator HOB back in the '80s which did work and was fed with a weekly tablet as a carbon source.
Interesting that Seachem have put their name to this product, so we'll see how it goes :)
Always wondered about this product thanks for testing it.
We're both off to a slow start, so instant results are not looking very likely, but we want it to work, so stay tuned :)
I haven't use De-nitrate personally since my understanding is it is pretty much just bleached pumice & thus not worth the price tag in NZ, but I have used both Biohome mini & Eheim Substrat Pro at the recommended 1kg per 100 litres for light to low end of moderate stocking- moderate to heavy stocking is 2kg per 100 liters if memory serves.
Both products are very pricey (De-nitrate almost looks affordable by comparison lol), but the fact they are both sintered glassed & designed to have a certain amount of surface area, made them worth trying as being a standardised shape & density means it is much easier to make reasonably accurate calculations about the amount required to achieve X result under Y conditions. Something that is a lot harder to do with natural porous medias due to the amount of useable surface area often varying greatly between each piece let a lone each batch or container. At least that is my understanding from all the research I did on it a number of years ago.
I have used both BH & ESP in aquariums with & without plenums & both lowered nitrates to the point that they were or are no longer detectable for any of the test kits or strips I own.
So at least under the conditions I have tested them, both products do indeed reduce nitrates considerably in my tanks.
Does the label say how the De-nitrate is supposed to lower the nitrate levels in just a few days? My understanding is the anaerobic bacteria that consumes nitrate can take 3 to 4 months to fully mature to the point where it is able to properly process nitrates, so very curious how their pumice could facilitate that in only a few days if it is indeed inert.
Another factor that may need to be considered is the type of dechlorinator being used ie. one that is a dechlorinator + detoxifier for heavy metals, ammonia, nitrite & nitrate etc. vs one that is a simple dechlorinator & nothing more.
There seems to be numerous accounts of products that included detoxifiers &/or binders often causing issues with delaying new aquariums cycling or causing spikes in nitrates in mature tanks etc. The general consensus seems to be the super concentrated products that include binding &/or added detoxifying properties maybe do too good of a job & end up starving out or otherwise knocking back the anaerobic bacteria. I ended up changing to rain water for my aquariums & I have (touch wood) had no problems at all & the aquariums I have set up seem to cycle quite quickly, which is interesting.
You are lucky to have so many meds still available to hobbyists! In NZ all we have access to is salt, melafix, pimafix, methylene blue & malachite green for the most part... Can't get proper meds unless we take the sick fish to the vet. I now just use a UV steriliser on my QT tank & keep some wormer on hand in case it is required.
Thanks for such a comprehensive reply and great to hear the positive results with the other 2 filter medias. I've subbed.
Where in NZ are you?
Never used it but it you have to have a starting level of 20 ppm nitrate, then why would you need to buy it. Your tank is looking amazing with at least 40ppm with everything thriving, so it's not got a need for this product. Your Windelov is incredible. I wish I could get java fern to grow well for me !!!
I'm thinking it sounds perfect for starting a new tank and keeping it pristine from the very beginning. Gil and I are still testing 😁👍
My plants grow much better if rhe nitrate is 20- 40 ppm.
@@HalfManHalfCichlid it's an interesting balancing act in a planted aquarium. I know that the lush ADA Tanks by the late Takashi Armano ran very low nitrate levels, but remember they have super charged nutrient rich substrates and daily fertiliser micro dosing.
Totally agree. Why use it?
Never used it and would be concerned that it would take away nitrates from the plants…. we like to let the ecosystem do its thing on its own…. become self-sufficient
I'll be watching how it all unfolds and both Gil and I will share the final results, but the plants are still thriving so far :)
I am shocked that with all the plants and low bioload you don't have zero nitrates- without anoxic conditions
Aquariums are never ever boring, with plenty of little challenges to keep us on our toes :)
Good luck finding a lot of that stuff in aquarium shops in Tasmania we don't have many products
try Pets Domain online
Even at 40ppm after two and a half months if it has still remained the same & not increased with no water changes, I would say it is doing something. 👍👍👍
In this case, the tank is very heavily planted and also gets 20% water changes every week.
However I have always believed it takes months for denitriying bacteria to arrive into a well oxygenated aquarium environment and then slowly get to work. So, still hopeful 🙂👍🏻
@@AussieAquatic Yes I agree it does take the denitrifying bacteria time to develop. I'm still waiting for them to develop in my canister as well and its been 3 months.
@@superaquatics we cross our fingers and wait :)
Nah, Aussie fishtubers are the biggest scam. How else do you explain all the water not falling out with everything being upside down Downunder? 😉
Seriously though mate great video. Interesting question, good discussion and great videography. 👍
OK......Darn it..........You got us again!!!!
You know that Australia isn't real, which other people are slowly catching onto as well.
But let's get this filter media discussion going, does it really work? we'll keep going until we find out!!
@@AussieAquatic haha... 😂
I guess one point is even if it does work the scenario has to be reasonably specific in order to get results hey.
great review
glad you enjoyed it, and my fingers are still crossed :)
Good Morning Colin ,
I hope you and your family are fine.
I have a question please about beneficial bacteria.
I have an aquarium juwel Rio 125 L with some plants anubia and echinodorus
It is a community aquarium 3 guppies 4 mollies 12 tétra cardinal 2 siames and 3 giant gold fish ornado ( I risque them from a friend)
I have inside the internal filter of juwel i manage to insert around 1800 grams of media plus sponge.
I also have a very big filter 2080( 25 watts ) can you give me idea of the approximate consumption of electricity for 2080 filter please
Is it a lot ?
Because of electrcity consumption can the internal filter of juwel (8 Watts only) handel this amount of fishes??
Also please tell me can I use big filter only 8 hours per day 4h in the morning and then 4h in the evening will that be good idea or will the beneficial bacteria dies in the big filter ??
Note: the juwel filter will run 24 hours per day.
I have heater set to 22.5 C
Water change once per week 20%
Or is it a bad plan!! What shall be your plan ?
I wish you a good day.
Thanks à lot
Nasir from belgium
Hi Nasir,
I would keep the bigger 2080 filter running 24 hours a day and remove the internal filter.
It would cost approx. $2 a month electricity.
Here is an online calculator goodcalculators.com/electricity-cost-calculator/#:~:text=Wattage%20in%20Watts%20%2F%201%2C000%20%C3%97%20Hours%20Used,1%2C000%20%C3%97%2012%20hours%20%C3%97%20%24.15%2FkWh%20%3D%20%24.072
@@AussieAquatic thanks à lot Master I was waiting for your answer to set the big filter always need hour permission 😊👌
Colin,
Hellos sir, your videos have awaken the sleepy giant fish keeper in me!! 2 questions, what are your tank dimensions? And could you go more in depth into the reverse flow filter you use?
Thank you sir. Love your videos
Hi Matthew,
I have 2 aquariums, my main tank is 36"x18"x14" and my other tank is a little 20 liter Nano.
Think of the reverse UG as a gentle, slow water circulation through the substrate, distributing heat, oxygen and dissolved nutrients.
It is not a filter in the classic sense, but it does stimulate the microbial environment of the substrate to allow the microorganisms to do their thing. I consider it an active composting bed for the aquarium.
Thank you sir.
@@matthewmerta3255 any questions you have......fire away 🙂👍🏻
I just started using Seachem Matrix one month ago. I’m putting them in the under tank sump. Does anyone know when can I expect these anaerobic bacteria to appear? My NO3 is stable at 40mg at the moment.
The general view is 4 - 6 months 🤞
I think that's is not the way to. Use it maybe you will need a canister Cuz you have in a high oxigen environment so the bacteria is aerobic and it won't eat the nitrogen
5:22 shows in a canister :)
I don't use any products because there is always a risk for my shrimp
Do you follow @MarksShrimptanks
@@AussieAquatic yes I do and do you?
@@AussieAquatic I wish I could have blue bolt shrimp in a 4 foot tank like him
@@_invertico_ Yes, we've known each other for years, and I keep an eye on products he uses.
@@AussieAquatic nice and I saw your comment on one of his posts
Looks to me to be very similar if not identical to matrix, I wonder whether this is just a clever marketing ploy from seachem to sell more “matrix” I happen to use matrix in my filter and am not unhappy with it just to clarify.
My understanding is that they are all pumice which is graded by the size of the internal pores 🤔
Just another porous medium but expensive.
I did get some good online prices 🙂👍
Just another $$$ making scam…. ❤️🇦🇺
I'm not calling it yet.
A really interesting video on Kaveman Aquatics channel where he put Seachem Matrix to the test and got results, after he trialled Biohome and didn't get results.
I think the true answer is "finding" the right bacteria to settle into their new home. Somehow the anoxic bacteria have to "appear" when they were never there before.
😂
no instant results in my experiment.
Check out Seachems "Matrix" looks rather similiar and you guessed it, Slightly cheaper. Def SCAM
Pond Matrix, Matrix and de*nitrate appear to all be graded and sorted sizes of naturally occurring pumice, which I'm totally fine with.
It is a lifetime, one off purchase filter media, so price is fine to me as well, the question is, can we lower dissolved nitrates?
We are still continuing to test :)
@@AussieAquatic one year later and could you share the results? Did it help?