More information on the cubes below. They may not last a year, but from the experience I have seen, they last 6-8months. They require no reactor (but, they can be used with one) and there is no fear of them clumping. They are truly set it and forget it. Here is some more info:
"Bacteria consume the high carbohydrate source found in the BIO-Cubes and form a biomass that absorbs nitrates and phosphates from the water in the aquarium. This biomass is then skimmed out with a protein skimmer or is consumed as a food source by corals and clams.
When culturing bacteria, 2 of the most important factors that will determine the size of the colony are surface area and food source. BIO-Cubes look like small open celled sponges giving the product a massive surface area. BIO-Cubes also has 400% more biologically available, insoluble polymer carbohydrates than any other product in the world. These 2 factors create conditions that are perfect for culturing and sustaining large bacteria colonies required to effectively remove phosphate and nitrate from aquariums. It is these 2 factors that have made Nitra-Guard BIO-Cubes the worldâs best carbohydrate based nitrate removing media. Independent tests that were performed in real world scenarios revealed that BIO-Cubes had the ability to reduce nitrate levels from 60ppm to below 5ppm in 2 weeks while competing products claim to only start working after 2 weeks!
The Effects of Redfieldâs Ratio on Carbohydrate based nitrate removers
Redfield ratio is the atomic ratio that exists between carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus that is found in plankton and throughout the oceans. This ratio also applies to yeast / bacteria that are responsible for nitrogen removal. The original ratio is found to be C:N
= 106:16:1. The ratios of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus have recently been proven to fluctuate somewhat between different species of yeast. All 3 of these nutrients are required in order to make the process of nitrate removal possible. If the system becomes depleted in either one of these nutrients, biomass production will not happen and nitrate removal will cease.
The role of Phosphate in Carbohydrate based nitrate removers
Phosphorus is essential to virtually every living creature. Phosphate is a component of ATP, RNA, DNA, and also the phospholipids that form all cell membranes. Low phosphate levels will limit growth in aquatic systems. The lack of Phosphate in a system will severely restrict the growth of the yeast / bacteria that removes nitrate in a system. Think of it in this way, if nitrate were the bricks for building a house, then phosphate would be the cement. If there were no cement to hold the bricks in place during construction, no building can continue. This is also true with the yeast / bacteria that is cultured to remove nitrate from the aquarium as the absence of phosphate will cause the process of nitrate removal to cease. As a general rule of thumb, the amount of phosphate you will need is approximately 2% of the total nitrate for the process to continue. If your system is too low in phosphate levels, we recommend using Nitra-Guard BIO-Cubes Titanium. Nitra-Guard BIO-Cubes Titanium is the worldâs first carbohydrate based nitrate selective media that is completely resistant to Redfieldâs Ratio and does not require phosphate in order to remove nitrates."
Directions for use:
The amount required will depend on stocking densities and amount of food added to the aquarium. Heavier stock loads will require larger amounts of product to be installed:
Below 15ppm: 1ml Nitra-Guard BIO-Cubes per liter of aquarium water
15ppm to 30ppm: 2ml Nitra-Guard BIO-Cubes per liter of aquarium water
30ppm to 60ppm: 3ml Nitra-Guard BIO-Cubes per liter of aquarium water
Above 60ppm: 4ml Nitra-Guard BIO-Cubes per liter of aquarium water
Before installing your BIO-Cubes, soak BIO-Cubes in freshwater for 24hrs to prevent skimmers from becoming over-active. If skimmer does become over-active, switch skimmer off for a few hours and re-start. The skimmer will return to normal operation within 24 hours. Do not use Phosphate removers in conjunction with this product. First use BIO-Cubes to remove all nitrates and then use a phosphate remover to remove phosphate.
Installing your BIO-Cubes:
Nitra-Guard BIO-Cubes require very strong current and large quantities of oxygen in order to successfully remove nitrates. For best results, we recommend using Nitra-Guard BIO-Cubes in a âBOMBâ Installation method.
If BIO-Cubes are to be used in a reactor it is advisable to have a venturi system installed to insure proper oxygenation of the BIO-Cubes. If BIO-Cubes are to be used in a filter bag or reactor, place them near the protein skimmer to assist in removing the nitrate and phosphate rich biomass faster. If you are using BIO-Cubes in a freshwater system, place a fine filter cloth over the canister of your filter. This will filter out the biomass which should be removed every few days. After 10 days, the bacteria colonies will become prolific enough to start lowering nitrate and phosphate levels in your aquarium. If nitrate and phosphate levels in your aquarium are high, some cloudiness may occur which clears in a few days. With time, BIO-Cubes start to biodegrade as they are consumed by bacteria. After 4 months, check BIO-Cubes and top-up levels to what they were when BIO-Cubes were installed.
