Siporax beads

[BumblebeeGoby4]

Anyone know where I can find Siporax beads in Colorado? I'm having a hard time even finding them online.

-mike

[roguemonk]

I didn't even know what they were, but they look like they rock. A couple of gallons of these may be as good for both nitrification and denitrification as a DSB (this is based on a quick search and perusal of one study that is released online, but the theory seems completely sound: porous beads provide both nitrification at the surface and deeper in the pores anaerobic conditions prevail favoring denitrification--and a lot more surface area than any sand bed can provide per unit of mass). If you find a source, let's publicize it.

Brad

[murfman]

Found this;

http://www.aquamerik.com/catalogue/produits.cgi?category=biofiltrat_medias&lg=eng

http://www.aquatichabitats.com/consum_biomedia.htm

http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/iid/5016/cid/1397

Dr Bob Fenner seems to like them;

Do Bio-ring need to be replaced/re-treated after years?
Hi Bob,
It's the first time I write to you, so a little bit nervous.
<No need/cause>
I have my 1000L FOT with sump for more than three years & I've put some
Sera Siporax (bio-ring) in the sump so as to up-keep the bio-load.
<A good product>
However,
I've found the tank's NO2 level raised to 0.3 mg/l level recently that
really makes me worry. My fish number keeps constant & I regularly do my
partial water change weekly. I just wonder why the NO2 level raised.
<Mmm, I suspect your test kit, not actually nitrite>
Besides, do we need to replace/re-treat bio-ring regularly?
<No. One time purchase, generally no need to "treat"... can/should be rinsed if you find yourself washing out the rest of the filtration>
How could we
know it's time for us to replace them? Just need your opinion. Many thanks!
King
<Thank you for writing. You might try rinsing (in the sink with freshwater is fine) the Siporax beads to see if this makes a difference. Otherwise I would "test the tester". Check your test kit, water samples against another kit/assay. Be chatting. Bob Fenner>

[stugray]

The 2nd & 3rd links look exactly like the fluval filter media that I get at petsmart or petco. I just threw away a big bag ( used ) last week.

Stu

[roguemonk]

Fluval media are similar, but the 82,000 ft^2 per ft^3 of the siporax media is apparently three or four times greater than the competing products (one of the listed products says it yields 24% of the surface area of siporax), and possibly is the reason why they will actually denitrify. Nitrification is easy. Almost any surface can provide space for nitrification which is an aerobic process. The question is, how much denitrification (removal of nitrate) does it support? Bio-balls and bio-wheels and similar are only going to contribute to nitrification, so nitrate will build up. The DSB and sufficiently porous ceramic or glass rings will provide denitrification also, possibly increasing on an exponential scale (meaning the additional 60,000 ft^2 may be a lot more valuable than the first 22,000).

However, for the price they're quoting on these sites ($60.00 per liter) I will have to pass for now and rely on my sandbeds and 'fuges to export my nitrogen. Something to keep in mind, though, if you don't have space for a lot of RDSB or 'fuges.

Thanks,

Brad

[murfman]

Would work well in a nano/pico with little space.

[BumblebeeGoby4]

OK- I did a little digging. The first site listed above is actually a canadian site, so they're not actually $60 (closer to $51 after currency conversion). But that is still really high per liter. The second and third sites are related-- they both point to Aquatic Eco-systems in FL. Here's the direct link to purchase them from there:

http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/iid/4912/cid/1387

They're $24/liter, or $21/liter if you buy 3 liters or more. They weren't listed directly on the site-- they're sold as inserts for a Schuran Nitratfilter. I phoned the company and the guy spoke pretty highly of them, as compared to similar products. They get them in huge bulk lots from Sera in Germany, and then divide them into 1-liter bags for resale in the U.S. Apparently, they have a ton (not literally) in stock.

A little better than $52/per liter, huh?

Also, if you run them in a reactor (like a phosban 150), more of their surface area is used for denitrification as the reactor becomes devoid of oxygen.

I'm setting up a 15-gallon freshwater dwarf puffer tank now. I have bio-spira in the fridge ready to go. I'm gonna run the tank completely bare and fishless, while adding small amounts of pure ammonia daily. I'll also put a bag of siporax in the power filter to colonize the aerobic and anaerobic colonies (much like LR, possibly more efficient from a purely nitrogen perspective). I might also add a VERY small pinch of sugar to get the anaerobic bacteria started quicker. Then, I'll pull out the test kit and see what happens as I feed the tank pure ammonia, daily, for 1 or 2 months. I'll keep everyone posted regarding my results. The puffers will obviously go in after I have a good understanding of how my bacteria cultures are performing. The hope is to create a balance where readings for Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate register 0 at all times (At which point I'll wage a battle with phosphates)
:eek:

If you do a Reef Central search for "siporax," there's an interesting link where a Seachem rep (username "Seachem") talks about how, if used properly, a product such as these can outperform LR when strictly comparing their ability to process nitrogen (both forward and backwards). I'd post the direct link, but the search feature appears to be down.

I need about 2 liters if anyone wants to do a group order to get the $21 and dilute shipping (which shouldn't be too expensive, anyway). Let me know.

-Mike

[Hammbone]

I have quite a bit of this for sale.

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1056005

Jim