Hagen

The Tri-Ex Cartridge for the FLuval G series is not recommended for use in marine applications. Parts of the Tri-Ex cartridge will work in saltwater but the Nitrate absorption will be ineffective due to the abundance of the chloride (Cl-) ions in saltwater. The Nitrate resin contained in the Tri-Excartridge is an ion exchange resin. It releases chloride ions when binding nitrate ions to the resin. If the solution has a high chloride concentration such as found in 35 PPT saltwater where there are about 19000 mg/L chloride ions, the resin will not exchange.So, in saltwater, only the carbon and the phosphate removing action of the cartridge would be viable. The Nitrate exchange would be extremely limited or non-existent. Only for the Nitrate resin is there a replacement of NO3- with Cl-; for the phosphate resin there is a simple attachment to available nodes in the resin. Although there will be no damage to a marine environment when the Tri-Ex cartridge is used, the nitrate removal will probably not occur. As such, the Tri-Ex cartridge should be used only in fresh water for the full utility of the cartridge to be gained.