Do it yourself Denitrator

Don't know about the craftsmanship but it has to cycle like any other filter. Hopefullu the result of the inner tube doesn't affect your outcome.

 

I suppose only time will tell.

 

I have been reading all the DIY instructions for the denitrator and finally got brave enough to make one. my husband and I(mostly my husband-LOL). One of the posts said this can be done without a sump. My husband did a great job and we thought we had it running, but then it stopped. Since we don't have a sump, can you tell me how to get it running? What are we missing? We gave up for the day because it was getting kind of late, so maybe we just need to try again.

 

Pictures would help but I am assuming that you are using a powerhead or other small pump to push the water through the coil? If something is in the line it may be clogged in the line. Somehthing that was brought to my attention later was that the clear tube will allow algae to grow inside and will eventually stop the flow. Yours probably isn't old enough for that to be the issue though. See if you can blow through the line with your mouth, it should tell you if the line is clogged. One thing is for certain though DO NOT let the water in the unit go back into the tank.

 

denitrator

Actually, it is new. We just built it this weekend. I don't have a pump connected yet. could you tell me how to set it up, please?. The denitrator is exactly from your instructions. Just like in your photo. I'm determined to figure this out. I think I can-I think I can.

 

Ok, if you have it set up with out a sump and it is the same as mine I don't think that you can run it using gravity. The water has to siphon both ways and I'm not sure that you can do that. Maybe once you get the intitial siphon working you would be able to put the middle of the unit at tank level to make both siphons work, I reall don't know if that would work or not. If you did loose the siphon you'd have to start over.

Let me know more about your set up, specifically return pump and lines. You'll probably need to tap into one of these. Small poweread could work but there is a little more to it.

Let me know.

 

"I had a guy not long ago here wanting to add a coil to his tank with no sump and not use a pump. That is doable also via a siphon . He took the water from the tank and put it back into the same flood rim level via a siphon."

This is the quote I had read earlier in this thread. It was posted by tankster. Anyway, if I need a pump, that is fine if you guys can help me out. I have a 72g bow front. It's been running for about a year and a half. What I have now is a Fluval canister 305. When I first set up my tank I thought this was a good thing. Now I'm learning from all of you and I need to upgrade everything! I also need a new skimmer. I just bought new T5 lighting fixture 6X54 watts. So, I guess thats a start and I'm really excited about that because now I can add some corals. Like everyone, my nitrates are tough to stay on top of. So I want to make this denitrator work . Also, since we tried to start it, its been setting for about a week. I guess I will need to open it and clean it out? Sorry to be so random, but all these things are getting a little overwhelming. What else do you need to know?

 

I read that when it was posted and I tried to describe the best I could what I thought he was describing. Once the denitrator is full, at least the water through the 40' of tube you should be able to raise it above the rim of the tank(the top 3rd or so) so that when the inside is full the output will siphon it out. Not sure if you follow that or not and I actually have not seen it done. If you PM Tangster he'll be able to explain.

Other wise any small powerhead will work. You'll have to take a reducer to get it into the 1/4" tubing. You can make one with smaller tubing inserted into one another and glued until it is the correct size.

You also may be able to tap into the return line of that cannister and get plenty of pressure from that. Is it just tubing back to the tank?

I don't think you'll need to open it up but you'll want to flush that water out, make sure it does not get into the tank.

 

I have been reading this thread and decided to make one myself. I love the idea and designs you guys came up with...it's awesome. I have one question for you and or Tangster. Basically how big should I make it for a 150g tank. I plan on putting it in my sump, there is ample space for it. I am gonna run it off the return pump since it doesn't need a terrible amount of pressure. Thanks

 

NC... I'm not 100% sure, but I'll give you two thoughts that I can see, Tangster may chime in and I promise you he'll know more then I.

First, this should/could be large enough for just about any size tank. The lenght of the tube is waht is important so as long as that strips the O2 out of the water you should be golden. The bacteria will adjust to the supply of Nitrates and could handle about any load.

Second opinion is that if 24" is enough for my 110 then about 32" high would give you the same ratio. You could go with a larger diameter but that math is too much for me. I think that this size(24") should work for you regardless.

The only thing that I would consider changing would be the lenght of the tube. I haven't had time to discsuss with Tangster but I am wondering how constant the O2 in water is. My nitrates vary from 0 to 15 and I can't seem to figure out why. My water evaporates quickly and can run a few days with air getting into the the pump and wonder if that effects the efficiency of the unit. Like I said, Tangster knows his stuff with these and I am just speculating.