Another point on the filter from hell

[Cermet]

Just thought that I'd add a bit more on the aquaripure nitrate removal system. The unit I bought can handle a 150 - 180 gal tank (my tank is 75 gal.) The unit processes barely 15 gal of water a day (converts the nitrated water into pure water.) Further, they expect (I'll never do this with discus) that their filter be the only biological system operating in the tank (i understand their reason but in tests, my unit works better only if a major bio-filter is running with it; otherwise, I get a terrible production of sulfur based gas compounds - explainible on a chemical/biological/oxygen level bases but not acceptable!)

The idea that 15 gal a day can handle a heavy stocked 150 to 180 gal tank appears neither likely nor desirable. Taking ten days to get a single turn over (and remember, the system is a dilution water replacement unit which means that it does not even achieve the waste reduction benifits of a single 150 gal W/C every ten days!) might work for fairly strong fish but it is far too small for discus. The company should put that critical detail up front and not after the fact.

So, it does work (produces nitrate free water from the tank) but will have a very bad side effect - the sulfur based gas compounds - if you follow their directions (I have tested using their instructions and I always get the sulfur gas production (ran it outside so it didn't choke me;yes, it was that bad.) I have found that by running a large biological filter along with their unit I can prevent this nasty and possibly toxic side-effect.)

I think an R/O system makes more sense (for the high end cost bases) and wish I had done that instead to solve my well water nitrate problem. An algae scrubber is, on total cost bases, the far and away best solution but many may not have the space or possibly time to invest in building/maintaining one of those.