Anyone used TBPC and/or RN?

Hey all, my first post..

I came across this article on about.com of a way to reduce nitrates and keep them low. It's basically a fancy biological filtration system using "Tri Based Pelletized Carbon" and "Right Now!" bacteria, which combine to convert nitrates in nitrogen, which then vent out of the tank. The poster claims that using these products makes it possible to significantly reduce the number of water changes necessary in a tank to keep nitrates low.

As someone struggling to keep my nitrates down (they're around 30ppm right now) this seems like a promising option. I don't have an Aquaclear canister filter, which apparently is what the TBPC is designed for, but I figure I could find a way to work it into my wet dry filter. Can anyone confirm or deny the claims made in this article about those products?

 

I've neither heard of nor used either product, but if you can tell us a bit more about your tank set-up, I'm sure someone here can give you some suggestions on bringing your nitrates down.

 

IMHO there is no miracle way of getting your nitrates down. Keep doing water changes and a good skimmer are key. You could also look into a Coil Denitrator you can find several post here on 3reef about them. Just search the forum.

Marc.

 

This product is quite simple. Pelletized carbons are Vapor Phase Carbons and not Liquid Phase Carbons. I.e. while they will work in a liquid application, they aren't particularly efficient. Check out the pelletized carbons here and in particular check out the Coralife Blend which is probably the most comparable carbon to this product.


In essence, what they are saying is, "We know our carbon is not particularly efficient at chemical filtration in a reef tank so we are going to treat it like additional LR."

EDIT: CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO SEE THE GRAPH MORE READABLE.