The 10 Best Nitrate Removers for Freshwater aquariums (2024 Reviews)

“Help, my nitrate levels are over 50 PPM!” This is a common email or text I get on my live chat. High nitrate levels can be a major problem for freshwater aquarium keepers. In today’s post, I want to talk about the best nitrate remover for freshwater tanks. Nitrates, for some of us, are the bane of our existence. We obsess over the nitrate level in our fish tanks because our local fish store and fish guides told us that high nitrate levels is bad and stresses out our pet fish.

This is all true, however, instead of stressing out over them let’s talk about how to take proper action in tackling the issue. I want to revisit the nitration cycle and talk about ways to remove and lower nitrates in your aquarium water. I want us to reflect on how we got to this place. Once we know, let’s talk about the best nitrate removers to solve our problem. 

Revisiting the Nitration Cycle 

Let’s first revisit the nitration cycle. I know some of you reading this already know it, but I also know some of you may not and have become successful by listening to your local fish store on what to buy. Part of having a nitrate problem is because we are out of balance. The nitration cycle has 5 stages:

1. Nitrogen is introduced with fish food
2. Ammonia is excreted either by fish waste (fish poop) or decaying material
3. Nitrosomas bacteria convert Ammonia to Nitrite
4. Nitrobactor bacteria converts Nitrite to Nitrate
5. Plants use Nitrates and Ammonium as fertilizer

The above is the natural way of how an aquatic ecosystem would work. The issue most likely with your aquarium water is that you are missing #5. If you lack live plants, nitrate levels can build up. Also, the stock media from your aquarium filters will not address #5. It is not common for filter makers to provide media that will remove nitrates. This is to keep costs down as the media designed to lower nitrates is more expensive and some buyers may not even want it.

Ways To Remove It

So now that we know the cycle, and likely what our deficiency is in the cycle, let’s talk about how to remove nitrates. You can see our video from our YouTube Channel for some visuals.

1. Water changes

This is the most common way. Water changes will reduce nitrates in the aquarium environment and bring in clean water to your fish tank. While this is an all-around fix, too many water changes can be disruptive to our closed systems. They are also labor intensive. We do not want to be a slave to the water change. Our goal is to get down to changing the water tank every other week, or every month.

2. Live Plants

A large live plant population can actually act as an effective nitrate remover for your aquarium. This works great for planted tank setups. However, I do know many people who have had nitrate problems and cannot have planted tanks. This usually happens when you’ve got fish who eat live aquarium plants, aggressive fish that uproot or damage them, or people who do not want to regularly prune live plants and maintain them.

3. Reduce livestock

Sometimes an aquarium has high nitrate levels because the fish tank is overstocked. This is common with people who follow the 1 inch per fish rule. Your biological filtration products are working overtime when your fish tank is overstocked. Other times, you have fish that are hard on your bioload such as gold fish or large aggressive fish.

4. Filters

Nitrate removers are filter media designed to remove nitrate from your aquarium either through chemical or biological means. They either come in disposable media or permanent media. They are not dangerous to the inhabitants in your tank, and will reside in your filter compartments. Some nitrate removers have mixed media, meaning that they handle other things aside from nitrate in your tank water. Some will have carbon while others use resin to remove other impurities in your aquarium water.

A dedicated nitrate removing media is a great way to target the problem immediately, but they need to be replaced regularly. A permanent media will grow anaerobic bacteria in the media. This anaerobic bacteria will consume nitrates in your tank water. If you’ve considered all these ways to reduce nitrates in your aquarium water, and are still at the point where nitrate removers are necessary, then read on for our buying guide.

The Candidates

Below is a list of the best nitrate removers for freshwater aquariums. All products here have been selected through our field experience and all are safe to use in a freshwater tank. Each have their pros and cons, which I will discuss below. There is a product for you on this list.

In a hurry? I recommend Biohome for a permanent solution and Seachem Purigen for a disposable solution.

Picture	Name	Type	Link
Editor’s Choice	Biohome Ultimate Filter Media	Permanent	Buy On Amazon
Best Value	Seachem Purigen	Disposable	Click For Best PriceBuy On Amazon
Budget Option	EA Premium Nitrate Reducer	Disposable	Buy On Amazon
	Acurel LLC Nitrate Reducing Media Pad	Disposable	Buy On Amazon
	API Nitra-Zorb	Disposable	Buy On AmazonBuy On Chewy
	Boxtech Aquarium Media	Permanent	Buy On Amazon
	Dr. Tim’s Aquatics All-Natural Aquarium Pearls	Permanent	Buy On Amazon
	IceCap Turf Scrubber	Permanent	Buy On Amazon
	Seachem Denitrate	Permanent	Buy On Amazon
	Seachem Matrix	Permanent	Click For Best PriceBuy On Amazon

The Top 10 Choices (2023 Reviews)

Let’s go into further detail of each nitrate remover to see why I picked each product.

1. Bio-Home Ultimate Filter Media – The Best Biological Filtration Media  

Bio-Home, in my opinion, is the best biological filtration media you can purchase, and is the best nitrate remover for freshwater tanks. It has the ability to control ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate on it’s own. Bio-Home got its start from PondGuru, one of the bigger Youtubers on pond care. PondGuru developed this product to resolve high nutrient issues in ponds. It also does an amazing job as a nitrate remover for freshwater tanks. I highly recommend it for anyone with a fish-only or lightly planted tank.

Because it is a biological based filter media, it is permanent in your system and allows for less water changes. You add it in your filter unit and forget about it. The media will house both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria and the mini-version will fit in some power filters. 

It’s a great biological media, but it has one drawback. It is a very expensive nitrate remover and you will need 2-4 lbs for a mid-sized aquarium. Also, because it is biologically based it will need to establish in your fish tank before it will remove nitrates. Bio-Home offers the following guidelines when trying to figure out how much media you need to purchase.

Environment	Amount of Biohome Required
Avg Community Tropical Tank	1 kg/26 gal (100 lt)
Avg Cold Water Tank	1-1.5 kg/26 gal (100 lt)
Predator Tank	1.5-2 kg/26 gal (100 lt)
Large Cichlid Tank	1.5-2 kg/26 gal (100 lt)
Malawi/Tanganyikan Tank	1.5-2 kg/26 gal (100 lt)
Avg Mixed Fish Pond	1 kg/52 gal (200 lt)
Avg Koi Pond	1 kg/39 gal (150 lt)

If you want a filter media that will free you of being a slave to constant water changes, this is worth every penny.

Pros

• Biological based – permanent
• less water changes
• Small enough to fit in power filters

Cons

• Expensive
• Needs to establish in your aquarium water in order to get results

2. Seachem Purigen – Instant Removal In A Small Package!

Seachem Purigen is a fast acting nitrate remover that uses resin to remove a number of organic compounds in your aquarium water. It is resin based and its color changes as it depletes. This makes it easy to identify when to replace or recharge the resin. Recharging the resin involves using an unscented bleach solution. The bleach burns off the organics that have been removed from the fish tank.

This type of regeneration is superior to API’s salt solution of regeneration. A salt based regeneration only replaces the removed ionic compounds. It will not destroy the large compounds that were removed. This can be risky over time as the organics can potentially leech back into your aquarium water over time. You do not really run this risk with Seachem Purigen because the price of this nitrate remover is so reasonable that many who use it don’t even bother to recharge it. It is fast acting and has great field results. 

Seachem Purigen is easy to find online and at stores. It will also fit in power filters and you do not need that much to get great results for your freshwater aquarium!

Pros

• Rechargable
• Fast acting
• Good price

Cons

• Complex to recharge

3. EA Premium Pad – Budget Friendly

If you are looking for a budget friendly nitrate remover, the EA Premium Nitrate Reducer is a great product to look at. Like Acruel’s pad, it works instantly as it is an infused filter pad. I would install this in the second chamber of your canister filter after your mechanical stage. It will work with a power filter, but you may have difficulty getting enough of the product to be effective in smaller filters.

Make sure you rinse it before putting it into your aquarium. It’s dusty and can cloud up water if you don’t rinse it before it goes into your filter. This is a great nitrate remover for those who need fast results and are on a budget.

Pros

• Cheap
• Works instantly
• Can be cut to fit

Cons

• Dusty – rinse first before using
• Hard to find locally

4. Acurel LLC Pad – Great for Canister Filters

Acurel’s Nitrate Reducing Pad has been around for years and is well known for quickly taking care of nitrate problems in a freshwater aquarium. It comes in a large 10 x 18 inch pad that you can cut to size. I find this pad works best in a canister filter if the media chambers are large enough to accommodate a pad. I would put this in the chemical media chamber below your carbon media or in-lieu of.

This nitrate remover has amazing field results. It has taken down nitrate levels in a 180 gallon Cichlid tank from 60-80PPM to 20PPM or less. The biggest problem is that it’s difficult to get enough of the product into a power filter as you need to use a sizable amount of it to get the desired results. It is generally hard to find locally, making this best to purchase online. The price is very reasonable, making this a great nitrate remover if you own a canister filter.

Pros

• Can be cut to size
• Very effective
• Works quickly

Cons

• Not enough surface area to work with most power filters
• Hard to find locally

5. API Nitra-Zorb – Resin Based Carbon Replacement

API Nitra-Zorb is a resin based filter media that works to eliminate ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and harmful chemicals in your aquarium. It is a great all around filter media that replaces carbon in your aquarium. Because it is resin based, it can be recharged. The recharging instructions are simple. You only need aquarium salt and warm tap water to soak the media bag for 2 hours.

This makes it a really attractive media to buy for nitrate removal since you can buy a bag and reuse it, granted you are willing to recharge it regularly.

The biggest problem with using Nitra-Zorb as a nitrate remover, is that it is designed for canister filters. The bag can be too large for most power filters. Another concern is that since the bag can handle a complete nitrogen cycle on its own, it can hurt the natural biological filtration that you have set up in your filter or your aquarium plants. I feel that a nitrate remover product should be a supplement for your cycle in your aquarium, and not a replacement.

Pros

• Resin based – replaces carbon
• Media can be reused

Cons

• Bag is large and is meant for canister filters
• Expensive

6. Boxtech Aquarium Media – MarinePure Like Media That Fits In A Canister Filter

In the saltwater aquarium side of the hobby, there is this wonderful product called marinepure that is a ceramic block that acts as a superior biological filtration in sumps. The blocks are massive and have superior surface area. These blocks by BoxTech offer the same advantages as marinepure, but are designed to be small enough to fit in a canister filter. 

The ceramic block will achieve a full nitrogen cycle removing nitrates. Because it is a permanent solution, you won’t have to worry about replacing media overtime. This is a less expensive long-term nitrate remover for freshwater tanks.

Unfortunately, like many products on this list, it can be difficult to fit in most power filters. It’s a 3×3 block so it may fit in larger power filters. It will also need to establish in your tank in order to achieve results. 

Pros

• Convenient shape – fits in canister filters
• Incredible surface area for bacteria
• Permanent

Cons

• Won’t fit in most power filters
• Needs to establish to get results 

7. Dr. Tim’s Aquatics All-Natural Aquarium Pearls – Designed By A Marine Biologist

Dr. Tim is well known by keepers of reef aquariums and public aquariums. He has designed unique products that solves issues like cycling a tank. These NP-Active Pearls by Dr. Tim are natural bio-polymers that remove nitrates and phosphates in your aquarium. They work in both freshwater and saltwater aquariums and do a great job.

Because it is a bio-ball based media, it is best run in a media reactor versus a canister filter or power filter. It will still lower the nitrate level in any of them, it’s just more effective in a media reactor. 

Pros

• Permanent
• Removes phosphate and nitrate
• Small enough to fit in a power filter

Cons

• Expensive
• Works best in a media reactor

8. IceCap Turf Scrubber – Uses Algae

An algae turf scrubber is well known in the saltwater aquarium hobby for it’s ability to remove nitrates, phosphates, and harmful chemicals in your aquarium. It does this all by growing algae on a mesh sheet. This algae once established will filter all sorts of nutrients out of your aquarium water.

A good turf scrubber will do wonders to getting your levels down, and have had field results bringing nitrates to nearly undetectable levels. This is all done naturally and is a permanent nitrate removing solution. It will also reduce algae in your display tank since the algae growth in your scrubber will compete with it. IceCap has done an excellent job at making these scrubbers as affordable as possible for hobbyist with a well made solution.

Turf scrubbers are complex to install and dial in. They require a separate pump and are best run in a sump. They are expensive and you have to remove the algae every 7-14 days. This can be messy and smelly. If you have a sump and some very high nitrate levels, this could be the best nitrate remover for you.

Pros

• Reduces nitrates and phosphates naturally
• Can eliminate nitrates to extreme low levels
• Reduces algae in display tank

Cons

• Complex to install
• Expensive
• Maintenance is messy and smelly

9. Seachem Denitrate

Seachem Denitrate is a biological media that has the ability to house anaerobic bacteria. Anaerobic bacteria can survive because of the porous nature of this media. It allows for areas to be depleted of oxygen which is what creates these anaerobic pockets. It functions as both basic biological media and nitrate reducing media since it is a dual purpose media.

This product from SeaChem is basically the same as SeaChem Matrix, which I will discuss next. The main difference between the two nitrate removers is that the media for SeaChem Denitrate is smaller, making it far easier for your power filters to house it. It is one of the few nitrate removing media here that will fit and be functional in a power filter. There is also a big advantage with SeaChem products in general. They are readily available online and in stores.

This 1 liter package will work for a larger size tank up to 50 gallons. It is a permanent solution, and the price is reasonable for its capacity. Because it is a permanent nitrate remover solution, it will need to establish first before any results can be seen. To function correctly, SeaChem recommends that you lower the gallons per hour on your filtration unit down to 50 gallons per hour.

Given its availability, it’s a great choice for your fish tank if you are using a power filter.

Pros

• Biological based
• Fits in power filters
• Permanent solution

Cons

• Needs time to establish

10. Seachem Matrix – Superior Biological Media Replacement

Seachem Matrix is the flagship biological media product of SeaChem. It offers superior biological filtration that will house both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria species. It is a permanent nitrate reducer solution that is designed to work in canister filters. It is a larger media version of denitrate. This is done on purpose so the inner core can hold more anaerobic bacteria.

It will take time to establish given its biological nature. It is readily available in stores. This is a great solution if you are starting up a new tank and want to have great biological filter media to start.

Pros

• Biological based
• Permanent solution
• Reasonable price

Cons

• Designed for canister filters
• Takes time to establish

Our Expert Pick

There are two categories when naming a best nitrate remover. We have permanent and disposable solutions. Permanent solutions take time to establish and will solve your problem over time. Disposable solutions will work immediately and require replacement to keep levels down. We also included a video of our channel that summarizes the products from our blog post. Please subscribe if you like our content!

Best Permanent Product

This honor goes to Bio-Home Ultimate Filter Media. It has proven field results and does not have a gallon per hour limitation like some of the other permanent solutions out there. They are able to do this because the core of the media will hold anaerobic pockets for nitrate removing bacteria to thrive. I have seen bio-home reduce nitrates in pond filters pushing through 1700+ gallons per hour and still have stellar results. It is worth every penny.

Best Disposable Product

This honor goes to Seachem Purigen. The Purigen resin works immediately and is very effective. It changes color so you know when it is time to replace the media. This nitrate remover is so cheap that you don’t have to recharge the product, and you don’t need much of it. This makes it ideal for power filters. It is also readily available online and in most fish stores.  

Closing Thoughts

Nitrate reduction can be a tough nut to crack in a non-planted freshwater aquarium. Overstock fish tanks have an even harder time. The great thing is that there are products that are very effective at resolving your issues with your aquarium water. I hope the overview and the product reviews I provided have helped you to make an informed decision. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. Thank you for reading my buying guide and see you next time!