This web page is dedicated to comparing some of the different methods of nitrate reduction.

Water Changes

If you are like most aquarists, you find that it is a considerable chore trying to keep nitrates at a reasonable level.  The most common way to control the nitrates in aquariums is to do frequent water changes of 25% to 50% every week or two.  The biggest drawback of using water changes as your primary method of nitrate control is that it takes a tremendous amount of time, especially with larger aquariums.  However, there are also plenty of other drawbacks to doing such water changes.  The fact is if you use tap water, the water will contain a significant amount of trace elements and potentially harmful chemicals such as chlorine, heavy metals, phosphates, and even more nitrates!  If you use distilled water, this will likely increase the amount of time you spend doing water changes and over time will cost a great deal.  The costs increase even more if you have a saltwater tank.  In addition fluctuating water parameters such as pH and temperature that are associated with water changes can also cause undue stress on your fish.

Nitrate Removal Products

Then there are a few chemical nitrate removal products and nitrate removing filter media on the market.  Some only work with saltwater aquariums while others work with both fresh and saltwater tanks and they work to a very limited extent.  Most of the nitrate removal media will work a bit like a very small denitrator which can not be fed nutrients: they may work a little but they will not be very effective.  Some of the chemical nitrate removal products are simply dangerous.  For example, AZ-NO3 is just a nutrient that you add directly to your tank.  It will create bacterial blooms and can have an adverse affect on corals and invertebrates.  It is an uncontrolled reaction that can be very dangerous.  In contrast, in an Aquaripure the nutrients are only added to the denitrator and do not escape into the tank.  This creates an extremely controlled and safe reaction.  There is even one product which purports to be able to use magnetism to clean the aquarium!  In the long run these other methods are more expensive, sometimes dangerous, or at best they will just be ineffective.  

"Deep Sand Bed" or "Plenum" Filtration Methods

There are also the "deep sand bed" or "plenum" filtration methods.  These have been successfully used by aquarists for decades to reduce tank maintenance.  They operate on the same principal as the denitrator.  The primary downside to these methods is that they can be complicated to set up and they require a very thick substrate which is itself extremely costly.  If this substrate is disturbed it can release a large volume of anoxic water into the tank which can be dangerous.  This can not accidentally happen with an Aquaripure.  Also, they are not nearly as efficient as a denitrator as there is no way to provide nutrients to the bacteria and thus are only suitable for tanks with very few fish.

Refugiums

A refugium type system can also be an excellent way to control nitrates in a tank.  Unfortunately, they have some serious drawbacks.  A refugium is basically a slightly smaller aquarium system than the main aquarium which only contains plants.  One drawback is that they occupy a much larger space than a traditional filter system with an Aquaripure.  It also typically will cost many times more to implement an effective refugium than a traditional filtration system with an Aquaripure.  Perhaps the most serious drawback however, is that these systems often utilize Caulerpa, a highly invasive plant species.  Caulerpa is now illegal to own or sell in Californa and other states may soon follow suit.  Aquaripure recommends against utilizing any Caulerpa species in a refugium system.

Denitrators

Of course a denitrator can help control nitrates.  The Aquaripure is a comprehensive biological filter and will replace other biological filters.  The Aquaripure contains at least dozens if not hundreds of different species of both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria and will completely break down all organic matter that passes through it into gasses that escape into the atmosphere.  Other biological filters and even skimmers do not remove nitrates at all and nitrates will still increase.  In fact, the sole purpose of biological "wet/dry" filters is to actually convert organic matter into nitrates!

"Sulfur" denitrators work well but are typically very expensive and the effluent is acidic.  To neutralize it, the acidic effluent must be filtered through calcareous (calcium) gravel which breaks down quickly and must be frequently replaced every few months.  The sulfur must also be replaced every year or two.  Nothing will ever need to be replaced in and Aquaripure denitrator.  Also, sulfur denitrators really only cultivate one specific bacteria in them and all they do is remove nitrates.  They are not comprehensive biological filters and they will not be effective at breaking down the organic matter in an aquarium.

The problem with many of other less expensive denitrators is they are too small or can't be fed nutrients.  While they may remove some nitrates, the less expensive and Do-It-Yourself types are poorly designed and too small. To be truly effective and to work in a wide variety of tank set-ups and conditions the internal surface area of the denitrator has to be greatly increased.  The large internal surface area of an Aquaripure is what makes them so effective.   For example, it would take more than ten typical "coil" denitrators to equal the nitrate removing power of Aquaripure's X-Large denitrator.

Another problem is that without a means of adding nutrients, many denitrators such as "coil" denitrators are relatively inefficient and ineffective.  In contrast, Aquaripure’s denitrators are very robust, have an enormous internal surface area, and work in all tank conditions and set-ups and will eliminate nitrates in nearly any aquarium.   The other effective denitrators that are available cost much more than the Aquaripure, are complicated to maintain, and often require the purchase of expensive proprietary additives or substrate.

In contrast, Aquaripure's denitrators are reasonably priced, safe, effective, and easy to set up and maintain.