OK tech heads - got an odd-ball question for ya.......(should keep the chemists amongst us entertained).....
There is a product called "Nitragon" - http://www.fishathome.co.uk/resinfilters_nitragon.htm
In common with "nitrasafe" by Interpet - it seems to be a granular nitrate/phosphate "sponge".
The deal is, that as water passes through this medium, the media removes (soaks up) 90% of NO3 and Phosphate on each pass. The Interpet version comes in a small sachet - the Nitragon product is packed into a 2ft cannister.
Once either the sachet or the Nitragon cannister has reached its capacity to hold back Nitrate, it can be 're-charged' by a slow pass of high saturation salt solution. This flushing process can be repeated many times before the product can no longer function - hard to put a number on it, but let's suggest it's a 3 figure sum starting with a one.
As my tap water contains 30ppm NO3, my interest in this will come as no surprise ...... nor will the fact that I have purchased said Nitragon can. Results so far are excellent - I run it on a closed circuit on my tanks - >40ppm start - <20 ppm finish - and then onto the next tank. After 50 gals of use - a simple salt flush, and we're away again.....
Now then .... I need opinions on what this stuff actually is, how it works, and how the salt flushes the stuff out.
As to the why of the question ......well - I always was one to find a way through a problem, but I also need to understand what I'm doing.........if I get this wrong, the potential for disaster is rather high........
It turns out that a friend of mine works for the water company. Their way of removing Nitrate from their systems is pretty much the same as above - they run 3 cannisters - all packed with a media that removes 90% NO3 per pass, flushed by a salt solution when it becomes innefective. Of course, each of their "cannisters" is the size of an articulated truck - but hey - the theory stands up.
Now.....I'm not insane enough to suggest I should get a de-nitrator the size of a truck.......but then I'm not exactly 'normal' either - so I would be unlikely to say no to a 50 gal drum of the media they use, and then making up my own 2ft cans.
But first I need to undestand exactly what's going on in there - which is where you guys come in..............any ideas ?
There is a product called "Nitragon" - http://www.fishathome.co.uk/resinfilters_nitragon.htm
In common with "nitrasafe" by Interpet - it seems to be a granular nitrate/phosphate "sponge".
The deal is, that as water passes through this medium, the media removes (soaks up) 90% of NO3 and Phosphate on each pass. The Interpet version comes in a small sachet - the Nitragon product is packed into a 2ft cannister.
Once either the sachet or the Nitragon cannister has reached its capacity to hold back Nitrate, it can be 're-charged' by a slow pass of high saturation salt solution. This flushing process can be repeated many times before the product can no longer function - hard to put a number on it, but let's suggest it's a 3 figure sum starting with a one.
As my tap water contains 30ppm NO3, my interest in this will come as no surprise ...... nor will the fact that I have purchased said Nitragon can. Results so far are excellent - I run it on a closed circuit on my tanks - >40ppm start - <20 ppm finish - and then onto the next tank. After 50 gals of use - a simple salt flush, and we're away again.....
Now then .... I need opinions on what this stuff actually is, how it works, and how the salt flushes the stuff out.
As to the why of the question ......well - I always was one to find a way through a problem, but I also need to understand what I'm doing.........if I get this wrong, the potential for disaster is rather high........
It turns out that a friend of mine works for the water company. Their way of removing Nitrate from their systems is pretty much the same as above - they run 3 cannisters - all packed with a media that removes 90% NO3 per pass, flushed by a salt solution when it becomes innefective. Of course, each of their "cannisters" is the size of an articulated truck - but hey - the theory stands up.
Now.....I'm not insane enough to suggest I should get a de-nitrator the size of a truck.......but then I'm not exactly 'normal' either - so I would be unlikely to say no to a 50 gal drum of the media they use, and then making up my own 2ft cans.
But first I need to undestand exactly what's going on in there - which is where you guys come in..............any ideas ?
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