# Nitrex & The Nitrex Box



## Piranha Dan (Nov 11, 2007)

I'm having a problem with alga growth in my tank, mostly because of the fact that it's near a window and gets too much sun in the morning (can't move it it's the only place it fits in my house).
I talked to the owner of my LFS, and he said I should try this:
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/209019/product.web
and this:
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/209075/product.web
Supposedly, the box has a sloped roof, and when you bury it in the gravel with the media in it, it cultures anerobic bacteria that convert Nitrates to bubbles of NO2 (Nitrous Oxide) that then bubble harmlessly out of your aquarium.
Anybody try these and have any success?


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## Doktordet (Sep 22, 2006)

Dont know about it, but you could try putting some blinds/drapes on the window to cut the sunlight.


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## Piranha Dan (Nov 11, 2007)

Took a chance and ordered one pack of media and two boxes (supposedly each box holds half a pack). I'll let everybody know how it turned out.


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## Guest (Mar 19, 2008)

Interesting. I didn't know the anaerobic reduction of Nitrate (NO3) to Nitrogen Gas (N2) [Not Nitrous Oxide NO2], could be performed in an aquarium without a very complex sump system.

Even if this item does perform as advertised (I'm still skeptical), what advantage would it have over just performing partial water changes?


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## Sheppard (Jul 8, 2004)

Doktordet said:


> Dont know about it, but you could try putting some blinds/drapes on the window to cut the sunlight.


I agree. This should be your first choice. Cutting the problem off right at the source may be the most effective choice, not to mention cheaper.

If it doesn't work. Then try the other option.


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## Piranha Dan (Nov 11, 2007)

Bullsnake said:


> Interesting. I didn't know the anaerobic reduction of Nitrate (NO3) to Nitrogen Gas (N2) [Not Nitrous Oxide NO2], could be performed in an aquarium without a very complex sump system.
> 
> Even if this item does perform as advertised (I'm still skeptical), what advantage would it have over just performing partial water changes?


Sorry, my bad on the chemistry part. Still at the learning stage here. All I'm going on is what my LFS told me (although it was probably me that screwed up N2 & NO2)
To answer your question, I am doing regular water changes (30% bi-weekly on a 120 gallon w/ 6 Reds), but it just doesn't seem to be helping.
The reason I didn't try blinds first is....well....my girlfriend hates blinds.


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

Piranha Dan said:


> Interesting. I didn't know the anaerobic reduction of Nitrate (NO3) to Nitrogen Gas (N2) [Not Nitrous Oxide NO2], could be performed in an aquarium without a very complex sump system.
> 
> Even if this item does perform as advertised (I'm still skeptical), what advantage would it have over just performing partial water changes?


Sorry, my bad on the chemistry part. Still at the learning stage here. All I'm going on is what my LFS told me (although it was probably me that screwed up N2 & NO2)
To answer your question, I am doing regular water changes (30% bi-weekly on a 120 gallon w/ 6 Reds), but it just doesn't seem to be helping.
The reason I didn't try blinds first is....well....my girlfriend hates blinds.
[/quote]
Increase your water changes to at least weekly. 30% biweekly is not enough for 6 reds in a 120G unless they are babies which they wont be for long.


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## Piranha Dan (Nov 11, 2007)

Sorry, I didn't mean bi-weekly, I meant twice a week...that's what I get trying to type in a hurry when I'm at work lol. Thanks anyway though, considering I'm doing twice what you recommend as the minimum I guess I'm getting that right.


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## Piranha Dan (Nov 11, 2007)

Update:
Media and filter boxes showed up last night. This has got to be the weirdest filter media I've ever seen. It looks and smells like somebody threw a piece of a car tire in a blender and chopped it up (yea, I know wtf?). Filled the boxes and buried them in the gravel per instructions, now to just wait and see if bubbles start forming.


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## Piranha Dan (Nov 11, 2007)

Update:
Well, it's not working as good as I hoped, but it seems to be doing something. After 4 days my nitrates are only at 40ppm or so, they're usually higher then that if I let the tank go for that long. All other Parameters are good, 0 Ammo 0 Nitrite 6.6-6.8 PH so whatever/however it's doing doesn't affect your water quality. I'm going to keep an eye on things and if I notice a consistant slowing of Nitrate buildup try adding more media and another box.


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## Bawb2u (May 27, 2004)

Piranha Dan said:


> Update:
> Well, it's not working as good as I hoped, but it seems to be doing something. After 4 days my nitrates are only at 40ppm or so, they're usually higher then that if I let the tank go for that long. All other Parameters are good, 0 Ammo 0 Nitrite 6.6-6.8 PH so whatever/however it's doing doesn't affect your water quality. I'm going to keep an eye on things and if I notice a consistant slowing of Nitrate buildup try adding more media and another box.


Am I missing something here? Nitrates are the end product of your cycle and are best reduced by water changes. If you've got large algae blooms address that problem because it's probably not your nitrates causing it. Blocking some of the light from the window, increasing water changes and in the final solution, buying a UV steriliser would make more sense to me.


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## Guest (Mar 26, 2008)

Bawb2u said:


> Am I missing something here? Nitrates are the end product of your cycle and are best reduced by water changes. If you've got large algae blooms address that problem because it's probably not your nitrates causing it. Blocking some of the light from the window, increasing water changes and in the final solution, buying a UV steriliser would make more sense to me.


No, you are right. De-nitritration shouldn't be an issue for fresh water fishkeepers.

Performing water changes are better because it's far more effective at removing nitrate, it removes other waste products from the water like fish hormones and it replenishes chemicals that have been used up in the aquarium.

[Edit] I'm not even convinced these dentriators even work as advertised!


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## Piranha Dan (Nov 11, 2007)

Just for the record, I'm not trying to replace water changes with more filtration. I was just looking for something to help keep the Nitrates as low as possible between water changes to inhibit algae growth as much as possible.
As for the light issue, I bought the thickest curtains I could find and they still let light through into the tank. As mentioned above, the girlfriend hates blinds and I found out today (when I was going to put some up anyway and just let her bitch) that the landlord doesn't want me drilling holes in the molding and sh*t so I can't put them up.
Basically, I'm screwed and trying to deal with it as best I can. If anybody has a brighter idea, I'd love to hear it.


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## Bawb2u (May 27, 2004)

Piranha Dan said:


> Just for the record, I'm not trying to replace water changes with more filtration. I was just looking for something to help keep the Nitrates as low as possible between water changes to inhibit algae growth as much as possible.
> Basically, I'm screwed and trying to deal with it as best I can. If anybody has a brighter idea, I'd love to hear it.


I already suggested the best solutions, as far as I know. Instead of wasting your money on drapes and these boxes and media, go out and buy a UV steriliser and powerhead to run it. Odds are that'll clean up your algae problem in a week or less. Nitrates ususally aren't the main problem in algae blooms anyway. It's more likely a phosphate problem. You could try using a media like Phos-Ban or a phosphate mat but I'd just bite the bullet and buy a UV unit and stop having to worry about it.


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

If you're talking about that thing getting your nitrates DOWN to 40ppm you have some major issues. you shouldn't be letting your nitrates get UP to 40ppm. you are either feeding too much or are overstocked. 
as for this product. since it doesn't go into any detail about what it actually does I'm skeptical. I won't call "magic in a box" just yet tho. But I think there are other factors in your tank that need to be address rather then the end result. the algae bloom is from the excess of nutrients in the tank and the combination of getting direct sunlight.

I see you have 6 5" reds. what size tank? how ofter are you feeding?


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## BOy2K (Oct 24, 2007)

BlackSunshine said:


> shouldn't be letting your nitrates get UP to 40ppm. you are either feeding too much or are overstocked.


not always the case..
my nitrates are 40ppm out the tap...


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## Piranha Dan (Nov 11, 2007)

BlackSunshine said:


> If you're talking about that thing getting your nitrates DOWN to 40ppm you have some major issues. you shouldn't be letting your nitrates get UP to 40ppm. you are either feeding too much or are overstocked.
> as for this product. since it doesn't go into any detail about what it actually does I'm skeptical. I won't call "magic in a box" just yet tho. But I think there are other factors in your tank that need to be address rather then the end result. the algae bloom is from the excess of nutrients in the tank and the combination of getting direct sunlight.
> 
> I see you have 6 5" reds. what size tank? how ofter are you feeding?


What is the highest my Nitrates should be? My LFS told me a reading anywhere from 10ppm-50ppm is considered normal, and that I should expect mine to always be on the high side because Reds create alot of waste. I did a 50% water change last night and knocked it down to about 20ppm, is that still too high?
(Also tested my tap water and it came up 0 across the board with a PH of 7.0-7.2).
The info under my avatar needs to be updated. My Reds are actually all in the 5 1/2"-6 1/2" range now (hard to tell exactly they won't hold still when I hold a yardstick up to the glass). I've got them in a 120 gallon (48x24x24) tank.
They get fed a random diet of Freeze Dried Krill, Crickets (live from LFS), and raw Shrimp/Tilapia chunks soaked in FW Zoe.
I usually feed them daily, once in a while when they don't show an interest in the food I throw them I'll skip a day and this usually brings their appetite back. I never leave food in the tank more then 20 minutes and spot clean after every feeding.
Somebody mentioned that my problem may be Phosphate. Can I get a test kit for that?
--<edit>--
Also, I do 40%-50% water changes and gravel vac twice a week.


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## NegativeSpin (Aug 1, 2007)

For a while my nitrates were staying below 30 ppm with not so frequent water changes and a greatly reduced increase in nitrates measured against time but I let it go for a while and they went through the roof. I think you need a very large bed of media and to pump the water from under the gravel at a low enough flow rate to keep the gravel in a low oxygen state but high enough to make an impact on the nitrates.


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## Piranha Dan (Nov 11, 2007)

Ok, now that I've finally had some free time to use the search button, I think my problem isn't algae but Diatoms. I didn't mention that this stuff is a dark brown in color. Seems like the only cure for this is to scrub it off everything it's stuck to, clean my filter sponges really good and do a water change. Will it be ok to clean the sponges? I've only got one XP4 for filtration right now (want to get another one eventually) but it's got two full buckets of bio-media in it along with the sponges, so I think I'd be alright.


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

Piranha Dan said:


> shouldn't be letting your nitrates get UP to 40ppm. you are either feeding too much or are overstocked.


not always the case..
my nitrates are 40ppm out the tap...
[/quote]
Then you have some Fked up water supply. But that is the exception. If you start off with crap comming from your spout then you probably need to take extra measures top knock your nitrates down before you even put that water into the tank. Maybe mix it 50/50 with some RO/DI water.


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## Piranha Dan (Nov 11, 2007)

BlackSunshine said:


> your LFS are dipshits if they are telling you that 50ppm is normal. Mine is generally at around 0-10ppm. since I have live plants. you should generally not let it get above 40ppm.
> 
> Phosphate is probably not your problem.
> Cut back on your feedings. your fish don't need to eat everyday.
> ...


Thanks for the info. My LFS usually never steers me wrong, but I guess they did in this case. Guess I'll have to bump my water changes and vacs up to 3x a week. I'd like to cut down on feeding, but every time I try going every other day I start getting too much aggression in the tank (They constantly chase each other and nip fins).
By the way, I'm officially calling Nitrex a waste of time and money. After approx 10 days I haven't seen one bubble come out of the box, and after that one anomolous reading I got, my Nitrates are accumulating at their normal rate again.


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