NatuReef® Controlled Biological Denitrification Reactors

What a denitrifier can do!

• Now you can drop your nitrate level down to undetectable levels (0ppm) and keep them there.

• Eliminate water changes. If you do monthly water changes to reduce nitrates, you can never totally eliminate nitrates from your tank. If you have a large bio-load these water changes are even more important and difficult to perform. Most people have good intentions but don’t have the time to mix water and change large quantities religiously. The results are a see-saw effect on the nitrate level which is not found in natural systems.

• Water changes cost money. Salt is not cheap. The water in most cities is barely fit for human consumption, forget about delicate corals and fish. Some city water supplies contain nitrate to begin with.

• NatuReef® denitrifiers convert Nitrate to Nitrogen gas which bubbles out of the reaction chamber. The nitrates are not converted into another hard to extract form.

The NatuReef® cyclic denitrifing process has other important benefits:

• Increase Alkalinity.
• Does not involve tricky electrochemical methods which produce other dangerous chemicals such as Nitrogentetraoxides.
• Consumes free organic material.
• Recycles inorganic chemicals so they become usable again. For example. Iodate is reduced to Iodide.
• Zero Phosphates can also be achieved with the phosphate option. Don’t just eliminate the nitrates now you can keep zero phosphates also.

Controlled Cyclic Biological Denitrification for the marine aquarium was designed and developed by Coral Reef Research, Inc. The process has been applied and proven by us since the mid 1970’s. The Process involved is actually quite simple. We use cultivated microorganisms that convert unwanted nitrate ions to nitrogen gas. The gas then leaves the water. We also control the microorganism growth rate. Hence the nitrogen conversion capacity is proportional to the amount of nutrient supplied. The nutrient "NITROGONE", consists of organic carbon and growth enhancers. This solution composition is very critical to proper operation of the reactors. Complete nitrate reduction can be obtained without the formulation of unwanted by products that occur during oxidation/reduction process of denitrifcation. The number of times per day that the chamber completes the process multipilied times the chamber volume determines the rate at which nitrates will be removed from the system.

The complete denitrifcation system consists of a controller/feeder, a reaction chamber and a water diverter (except the CDE series). All model reaction chambers require a small powerhead for circulation. We recommend a HAGAN 201 or any small powerhead for that purpose. It must be purchased separately.

The controller / feeder is a digital timing system that allows for incremental dispensing of "NITRAGONE" fluid via a peristaltic pump and precise micro-bore tubing. It also provides the signal that activates the diverter and allows tank water to enter the reaction chamber for a predetermined length of time.

Many people have terrible algae growth coupled with slow coral and anemone growth. They have done everything by the book and still have a nitrate problem. The denitrifier is the answer to the problem. Sure there are other methods available, but none of these methods give you the advantage of fully stocking your tank with fish and invertebrates and not dealing with a high nitrate situation in the long term. In addition to these benefits, our process is a simple and a natural method of removing nitrate from the water.

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Which model is right for you?

There are three different models available. Each model comes in three different sizes.

• CDE series has four stations that can be actuated three times per day
• CDECX series has six stations that may be accessed six times per day

The CDE and CDECX models provide the voltage necessary to energize a dedicated pump or powerhead to provide water for the chamber.

These models use a powerhead in the sump to fill the reaction chamber.

There are three sizes for each series...

Nitragone The use of Nitragone in a NatuReef® reactor will virtually eliminate all nitrates from your aquarium. This nutrient contains organic carbon and bacterial growth enhancers. The Nitragone solution has been carefully formulated to produce complete nitrate reduction and minimize unwanted byproducts that occur during the natural oxidation / reduction process of denitrification. It is available in 16, 32 and 128 oz.(1 gallon) sizes. Note: Nitragone is intendend for use in cyclical biological denitrifiers only.

Phosphagone Used in conjunction with Nitragone in a NatuReef® reactor, NatuReef®'s Phosphagone will also eliminate phosphates from your aquarium. Phosphates can be responsible for the growth of unwanted hair algae with can grow quickly and choke the life out of your reef. Phosphates also interfere with calcification in the growth of stony corals. In short, you don't want them in your tank! Phosphagone is a complex utilizes Strontium to bind the inorganic phosphates. The excess Strontium is available as a minor element for calcification and the ligand is used as a keep alive for denitrifiing bacteria in the reactor. Phosphagone is used with the Phosphate removal option available with the NatuReef® CDECX and CDX Denitrifier models. Phosphagone is available in three sizes. Note: Phosphagone is intendend for use in NatuReef biological reactors only.