Nitrates can be the bane of existence for many reef aquarists. They aren’t nearly as toxic as nitrite or ammonia and unless they exist in very high amounts (excess of 50-100 ppm) they don’t have a tremendous effect on fish. The problem is that nitrate is a growth fuel for algae, including zooanthellae within coral tissue. I often tell aquarists to think of zooanthellae like a case of ring worm in human beings. When kept in check, this particular ring worm provides you with energy and nourishment. Under proper conditions, your body simply ignores its presence, enjoying all the extra energy. If some environmental or biological condition causes it to grow too much, your immune system kicks in, fighting off the ring worm and robbing you of all that excess sustenance. This is how zooanthellae exists within coral tissue. Under proper conditions it provides nourishment, allowing the natural colors of a coral to shine through. When nitrate is present, the zooanthellae takes off and the coral’s biological processes perceive it as a threat. The coral expels the zooanthellae and usually perishes shortly after from starvation. If we seek to keep corals of any species with dramatic coloration, it’s best to have no nitrate within the water, or barely measurable amounts. There are a lot of ways to remove nitrate, and nitrate filtration is something within the hobby that has become very popular these days. Everything from refugiums to bio-pellets is aimed at removing nitrate. Often, I hear reef keepers comment that their protein skimmer aids in nitrate removal. In reviews of popular skimmers online, aquarists comment that adding the skimmer resulted in a dramatic reduction of nitrates. Do protein skimmers really remove nitrate? It would seem like they could, considering all the thick, green, smelly waste that accumulates within a collection cup. Let’s take a look at protein skimmers and their ability to remove nitrates within a marine aquarium. How do skimmers work? Reefing 101:
Protein skimmers are also known as foam fractionators and they remove organic compounds from water. Believe it or not, they are most popular in commercial water treatment facilities and public aquariums. Skimmers use the polarity of a particle to remove it, primarily pulling out the proteins and amino acids within food particles. Compounds such as fat are hydrophobic and compounds such as sugar, amino acid and salt are hydrophilic. Large organic compounds are both hydrophobic and hydrophilic, being referred to as amphiphilic.… More:
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