DIY Denitrator

[muckieman]

i'm confused on this one too do you ahve holes in you tubing to make the water pass throught bio balls to inside tubing. also if not how does bio balls help if it just stadning still?

 

[azfishfool]

the coil ends at the bottom so water is pushed down the coil then out through the bioballs then back into the aquarium

 

[Dr Joe]

Here's a descent functional drawing...

http://reefshow.com/html/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=37

 

[X24]

So water is "injected" through the coil and the 60gph powerhead from your tank, and this also pushes it up through the airline tubing back into the tank correct? Then how does the gas escape?

i guess its in the water, and you must "drip" the water back into the tank so the gas escapes or disturbe the water where it is going back in somehow.

 

[johnptc]

if you are not feeding the anoxic bacteria they must get their carbon from doc's ( dissolved organic compounds) in the tank water.....this seems common in waste water treatment plants.i had not heard it was successful for aquariums due to the relatively clean water

how much food do you feed a day ???
how many gallons of water do you change a week??
and what are the nitrate readings now the filter is running.

thanks

 

[ar0wan]

I like it and I think I will try on my 240g. So does the circumfrance of the denitrator have to do anything with the tank size? And does the water just drip back into the tank or flow?

It's very slow, just below a constant stream. Maybe 120 drips/min. This could vary depending on the volume of the setup compared to your tank. I went with 6" diameter at 24" tall which I beleive could run a larger setup (than my 90) so that I could run it a little faster.

 

[ar0wan]

So water is "injected" through the coil and the 60gph powerhead from your tank, and this also pushes it up through the airline tubing back into the tank correct? Then how does the gas escape?

the water is pumped out of the tank and into the filter, it does not take a lot of gph because since it's pumping back into the same elevation as it came out of it's like running a pump at 0'. As soon as the water is out of the system any gasses are allowed to disappate and release from the surface.

 

[ar0wan]

i'm confused on this one too do you ahve holes in you tubing to make the water pass throught bio balls to inside tubing. also if not how does bio balls help if it just stadning still?

the coil ends at the bottom so water is pushed down the coil then out through the bioballs then back into the aquarium

Correct. This is the photo looking up from the base of the unit. I've circled the end of the coil, which is just free to dump directly into the main cylinder.

The return then, is also connected to the main chamber, just barely through the lid. water is pulled from the top of the unit since it's under pressure from the pump.

 

[ar0wan]

if you are not feeding the anoxic bacteria they must get their carbon from doc's ( dissolved organic compounds) in the tank water.....this seems common in waste water treatment plants.i had not heard it was successful for aquariums due to the relatively clean water

how much food do you feed a day ???
how many gallons of water do you change a week??
and what are the nitrate readings now the filter is running.

thanks

I feed very little, sometimes only 3times a week and only what they can eat infront of me.
WC have slowed to a crawl. I'm currently rebuilding my premix drum (it leaks) and my nitrates got under control. There is no excuse for this i know.
I measure weekly and the tank and effluent are <10ppm.

I think I answered this in a PM, but there are differing opinions on 'feeding' these systems. I have injected vodka in an attempt to seed the system, and if i build another i will start it with about 1/2 cup before it's even plugged in. Some ppl say you don't have to feed them at all, but I agree depends on how clean your tank is. Unfortunatly these probably favor the under skimmed who can't keep up with WC. /blush

 

[clgkag]

I feed very little, sometimes only 3times a week and only what they can eat infront of me.
WC have slowed to a crawl. I'm currently rebuilding my premix drum (it leaks) and my nitrates got under control. There is no excuse for this i know.
I measure weekly and the tank and effluent are <10ppm.

I think I answered this in a PM, but there are differing opinions on 'feeding' these systems. I have injected vodka in an attempt to seed the system, and if i build another i will start it with about 1/2 cup before it's even plugged in. Some ppl say you don't have to feed them at all, but I agree depends on how clean your tank is. Unfortunatly these probably favor the under skimmed who can't keep up with WC. /blush

So are you saying this would be more effective with fewer water changes? Or would you just need to "feed it" if you do more water changes?