Coiled Denitrator DIY

Discussion in 'I made this!' started by Birdlady, Aug 18, 2004.

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  1. crutkas

    crutkas Flamingo Tongue

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    Jun 28, 2004
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    Location:
    Chicago, IL,Illinois
    no crap? Home Depot / Menards will do that? Figured they would just be like, cut it yourself.
     
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  3. Birdlady

    Birdlady Finback Whale

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    Hi Somethingfishy!

    I was not planning on mechanical filtration because if it gets through the impellar, how big could it be? Anyways, too late now :-/
    And yes, I think Drew would need the bigger pump due to backpressure issues. Mine is a 40' tubing and I have to tweak it back a little to get the 80 drips per minute but then, you are supposed to double the rate after a couple of months and that is just about what I get out mine full out. Drew has over twice the feet of tubing....so it is too much back pressure for this little pump..IMHO :D
     
  4. dx7fd2

    dx7fd2 Sea Dragon

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    May 22, 2004
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    San Diego, CA,California
    I've decided to try tapping off the output of my skimmer pump and will make a small inline filter from a 2-3" sprinkler riser capped on both ends with a hole drilled into the cap and attach the tubing to the filter with tubing couplers glued into the hole of the caps. I can unscrew one cap and fill the filter body with a piece of filter sponge from one of my aquaclear FW filters. This can easily be removed and rinsed out or replaced. I think the sponge material will catch anything that can get into the coil in the CD.  ;)

    Now, about the aeration problem, or non-problem as the case may be. IMHO, I think if I just have the water drip back into the sump side of the 'fuge (where the skimmer is) that it will end up going through the skimmer and thus removing any nasty gasses in the massive tower of bubbles in the reaction tube and then the output will go verily over and under the baffles and into the 'fuge...and make its way happily unto the return pump where it will summarily get deposited (hopefully devoid of nitrates, in about 6 months) into the display tank getting more aeration at the outlet. [smiley=beer2.gif]

    This completes the journey of the 120 drops per minute (that is the end goal, isn't it?) of denitrated water from the display tank and back into the display tank... [smiley=2thumbsup.gif]

    I will post more pics today!!

    It is never too late to modify Birdlady!!!

    Drew
     
  5. dx7fd2

    dx7fd2 Sea Dragon

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    According to some calculations I have made... it will take somewhere between 8 and 10 days for the CD to run through all the water in my tank and fuge at the rate of 120 drops per minute... [smiley=trampoline.gif]
     
  6. somethingfishy

    somethingfishy Purple Spiny Lobster

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    Location:
    Clinton Twp, Michigan
    I never thought of relying on a filter with so little GPH ;D
    Who says bigger is better. Good luck to both of you hopefully I can get mine up in a few weeks. My fish fund is low so I'll be waiting for awhile.
     
  7. somethingfishy

    somethingfishy Purple Spiny Lobster

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    Drew, the output of your skimmer is highly oxygenated water. Do you think this would be the best water to use? After all we are looking for deoxygenated water. I know you have a lot of tubing in there but why fight the process?
     
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  9. dx7fd2

    dx7fd2 Sea Dragon

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    Fishy
    The water going into the CD will be from the output of the pump that goes into the skimmer, not the water coming out of the skimmer. It should be pretty much just the water that just came in off the ride down my overflow pipe from the display tank. ;)

    I am hoping that the water coming out of the CD will go back into the skimmer to reoxygenate it and remove the gasses formed by the consumption of the Nitrates by the bacteria in the CD. ;D

    You are right Fishy that is kinda of wierd filtering that little amount of waterflow!! It should work, that sponge stuff allows water to pass through pretty readily!!

    Drew
     
  10. crutkas

    crutkas Flamingo Tongue

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    Chicago, IL,Illinois
    Just got mine built for the most part, just need to build the top (purchased the wrong parts for PVC to tubing so I botched one top)

    4"x2.5' tube with 75 feet of tubing inside.
     
  11. Birdlady

    Birdlady Finback Whale

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    Welp, mine sprung a leak....hubby wants me to start from scratch.....PHHHHHTTTTTT [smiley=bawling.gif] [smiley=furious.gif] [smiley=tounge2.gif] [smiley=tounge2.gif]
     
  12. crutkas

    crutkas Flamingo Tongue

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    where did it spring a leak?