Dentrification Method?

[Tragedy]

Hi,
Im setting up a 29 gallon tank (space restrictions)
This is the first time I'm setting up a saltwater tank this "small" (relative)

Whats the best way to achieve denitrification?
The measurements of the tank are 30"x12"x18"

So, from what Ive peiced together the tank isn't big enough for a fully functional DSB...

Only other option I can think of is a Denitrification Coil (or somehting similar), although I have no expeirence with said filter method, I usually hear bad things about them...

Ideas, Input, Flames?
:D

[slipknottin]

LR will denitrify on its own.

adding a refugium with macroalgaes will also help a great deal.

Those coil dentrifiers are a pain to setup, and a pain to maintain.

[katar]

Hi Tragedy, i have a fish only with LR 29g exactly like yours and I have a hang on the back ecosystem40 with lots of chaetamorpha in it and my nitrates never get over 20 ppm. My average is about 10 ppm most of the time except when I started it and overfed my fish. Other than that my nitrates are stable at 10-20 ppm with a fish only with LR tank. My macro grows like crazy in the ecosystem40 so im constantly feeding my tangs in my 75g the excess macro. ;)

[Tragedy]

Hey Katar,

Im deffentily considering an EcoSystem Fuge as my only filter

Do you run any media in that filter??

I know the large "under" tank EcoSystems, have bioballs in it...
What about your hang on the back model??
Does it use Bio Balls or other filter media (Pad, Sponge)??

Im assuming the purpose of the media is to grow aerobic bacteria
(turns Ammonia to Nitrate), but that will also increase your Nitrates...so Im not sure what its purpose is exactly...

I dont like running media in my filters

[Tragedy]

Oops forgot this part...

Hey Slipnottin,

I know "some" anaerobic bateria grows in Live Rock...
But I dont think it will be a big enough source to keep Nitrates under 1 (undetectable on Test Kit)
And a fully stocked tank will prolly overwhelm it rather quickly...

So I was looking for another source to help it with the load...

Refuge like you mentioned seems to be the only other option here...
It wont perform denitrification, but the macros/plants will use the Nitrates...which is nice:D

[turtle man]

Hey, I have an aquarium just like yours too. All of my fish are doing fine, well the once that have not died! I have also been looking for a way to denitrify the water. My live rock just does not do the trick. I have 26 pounds of it. I try to do water changes, but my lack of funding, im pretty much poor, prevents me from being aloud to just dump water like that. I live in the desert, and that also plays a part in the story.

[slipknottin]

with low stocking levels LR is more than able to cope with the bioload.

Porous rock like Figi is the best, florida rock is much denser and wont work as well.

[katar]

Tragedy i have an ecosystem 40 without the bioballs or sponge filter because it became a nitrate factory. Before I removed the sponge and bioballs I could not keep my nitrates under 40 ppm. When I removed the bioballs and sponge they went down slowly until I finally I got them under 20 ppm. Now they rarely go over 10 ppm. I have an inch of fine live sand cause I dont believe in the miracle mud stuff. I bought a small sandwich size amount of chaetamorpha macro and now my ecosystem is growing it like crazy. I also run a remora skimmer on it for good measure but when I do run the skimmer it slows down my macro growth. So its a two days out of the week schedule for my skimmer now. I know it says you dont need a skimmer but I cant stand the gunk that develops on the surface of the water.:)

[robthorn]

Why not use a sand bed with live rock and a protien skimmer? sand doesn't need to be deep. I use nature's own straight out of the bag. It runs about $28 per 20 Lb and 1 Lb per gallon is what I use and is the minimum suggested amount on te bag has been working very well for almost 2 years. I do about 15- 20 % water change a month and spot vacuum the sand once every couple months if I feel like it . I haven't been able to detect nitrates for well over a year never was over 10 ppm with fastest low range and the salifert test . only bought the salifert because I thought the fastest was messed up . Refugiums as stated in other replies works extremely well also but it can be done without