This version is supplied with a 1ml /min perestaltic pump to feed the reactor with nitrate fluid.

David Saxby spent great amounts of time and effort working with Deltec in Germany to create a new range of nitrate filters which would overcome many of the problems that are commonly found with this kind of reactor.

The nitrates in his 3,700 gallon aquarium had crept up to the 50-60 ppm level due mostly to the 400+ fish that the tank houses and was having an affect on the bright colours of some of the corals.

Working with the aim to make the new nitrate filter as simple and effective as possible it took about 10-12 weeks to bring the nitrate in his complete system to zero and involved many adaptations to the reactor.

The new units are alcohol fed which can be added by syringe, osmotic bag or by a specifically designed peristaltic pump and are capable of being pressurised so that they can sit in a cabinet below the tank if you do not have a sump.

Be aware however that these filters work on natural biological processes which involve the growth of a stable colony of denitrifying bacteria and therefore a certain amount of patience and understanding is required.

Features of the new nitrate reactor are:

• Ease of cleaning via fully removable lid.
• Large bore exit pipes that will not block.
• Special media that will not choke up with dead bacteria.
• Pressurised operation possible for flexibility of reactor positioning.
• Recirculation system to ensure an even distribution of nitrate and food to the bacteria.
• Can be operated in manual, semi-automatic and fully automatic mode.
• Special dosing pump makes daily feeding of nitrate fluid automatic.

Choose a reactor size that will turn your tank over once every 14-28 days when running at full capacity. If too large a unit is used then it will become harder to step it down once the nitrate is under control.