Effectiveness of DIY Denitrator

Hi all ,
Wonder if anyone here did any DIY Denitrators and is it realli efficient? Well I finished mine and is currently on test, but don't know how effective it is ?

Also , some questions here. 1)Some commercial Denitrators require feeding and some don't need. Why is this so?
2) Commercial denitrators flow rate are usually set to 1 drop per second , but some reefers have complained of buildup of Hydrogen Sulfides, poisoning their tank( don know how they test in first place??maybe they r some mad chemists from Germany GMBH???)So u guyzs with denitrators set at 1 drop per second faced any problems?

Will like to hear some comments especially reefers with coiled DIY Denitrators.Thanks in Advance

[BarraCuda™]

Originally Posted by bonjour2

Hi all ,
Wonder if anyone here did any DIY Denitrators and is it realli efficient? Well I finished mine and is currently on test, but don't know how effective it is ?

Also , some questions here. 1)Some commercial Denitrators require feeding and some don't need. Why is this so?
2) Commercial denitrators flow rate are usually set to 1 drop per second , but some reefers have complained of buildup of Hydrogen Sulfides, poisoning their tank( don know how they test in first place??maybe they r some mad chemists from Germany GMBH???)So u guyzs with denitrators set at 1 drop per second faced any problems?

Will like to hear some comments especially reefers with coiled DIY Denitrators.Thanks in Advance

I think nitro did a very good job on his DIY equipments.

Feeding of denitrators is necessary as bacteria need a carbon source for its food. Without them .. they can hardly function. Those that dont need feeding should have a shorter coil so that the bacteria can consume the carbon directly from the water without additional feeding.

Hydrogen Sulfide is a colorless but very smelly gas. Smells like rotten egg.. so if you smell something rotton coming out of yr denitrator .. most likely its hydrogen sulfide.

Originally Posted by bonjour2

Hi all ,
Wonder if anyone here did any DIY Denitrators and is it realli efficient? Well I finished mine and is currently on test, but don't know how effective it is ?

Also , some questions here. 1)Some commercial Denitrators require feeding and some don't need. Why is this so?
2) Commercial denitrators flow rate are usually set to 1 drop per second , but some reefers have complained of buildup of Hydrogen Sulfides, poisoning their tank( don know how they test in first place??maybe they r some mad chemists from Germany GMBH???)So u guyzs with denitrators set at 1 drop per second faced any problems?

Will like to hear some comments especially reefers with coiled DIY Denitrators.Thanks in Advance

read on the web tt to reduce hydrogen sulfide..........aerate the water from the denitrator to remove hydrogen sulfide...

How to use:
When you have constructed the coil denitrator, first fill with aquarium water. Next shut off the system for 3 days. This step depletes the system of O2. Next place 5-6 grains of granular sugar in the input line. Clamp off the line so you don't have to many bubbles when you reconnect the line. Next start up the system at 30 drops per minutes for 2-3 weeks. After this time, readjust the drip rate to 60-90 drops per minute (DON"T FORGET THIS). Denitrators can take months to cycle so be patient. Continue to test for Nitrates in your aquarium.

please not that,the DIY denitrator..if not done properly it will release toxic and might result in tank crash.

Originally Posted by bonjour2

Hi all ,
Wonder if anyone here did any DIY Denitrators and is it realli efficient? Well I finished mine and is currently on test, but don't know how effective it is ?

Also , some questions here. 1)Some commercial Denitrators require feeding and some don't need. Why is this so?
2) Commercial denitrators flow rate are usually set to 1 drop per second , but some reefers have complained of buildup of Hydrogen Sulfides, poisoning their tank( don know how they test in first place??maybe they r some mad chemists from Germany GMBH???)So u guyzs with denitrators set at 1 drop per second faced any problems?

Will like to hear some comments especially reefers with coiled DIY Denitrators.Thanks in Advance

Hi,
The Denitrator that i've replicated does not need feeding (except initial set-up) but you'll need to squeeze in 100ft of 1/4" sized clear tube into the denitrator. The theory (from the net)behind this Denitrator is:

1. As the water makes it way down through the coiled tubing, the O2 (oxygen) is consumed by the AEROBIC bacteria.

2. These bacteria convert ammonia into nitrite and then into nitrate. This process uses O2 and the levels of O2 diminishes.

3. The ANAEROBIC bacteria begin to flourish in this O2 deprived water. They consume nitrate, not O2.

4. As the water continues to travel it encounters the main interior of the chamber. This is where all the round Bio-Balls provide a high surface area for the ANAEROBIC bacteria to colonize.

Please note that initial feeding is necessary when 'running-in' the denitrator. The 'running-in' may take a long time, my denitrator was top-up with salt water and left standing for almost 3 months.

One last thing, it is recommended that the effluent be fed with air bubble before returning to the sump, as aeration of the water helps eliminate hydrogen sulfide (rotten egg smell) and kills off any stray bacteria.

[BarraCuda™]

Originally Posted by nitro

Hi,
3. The ANAEROBIC bacteria begin to flourish in this O2 deprived water. They consume nitrate, not O2.

Anaerobic bacteria do not consume nitrate but use nitrate. They still need a carbon food source to survive so if you are not feeding yr denitrator .. its not going to perform to the max

does that mean that if u dont feed them,they might die out and result in tank crash?

[BarraCuda™]

Originally Posted by ReDDeviLs

does that mean that if u dont feed them,they might die out and result in tank crash?

No they wont die out but will not be in the max efficiency. Without a good carbon source, the anaerobic bacteria will have to use harder to breakdown dissolved organic compounds. This will lead to lower efficiency.

If you feed pure sugar/volka/good carbon source, the anerobic bacteria will bloom and yr nitrate will be lowered in days.

If you dont believe me .. you can try adding some sugar into yr tank .. within hrs .. bacteria will bloom (cloudy water) when the cloudyness cleared up. You will have lower nitrates.

Hi again,

Went thru the site again and found this at the bottom,

DISCLAIMER: This DIY project was submitted for printing by Don Carner. Neither Hawaiian Quality Fish or Don Carner will be responsible for any damages that may result from using these plans


Wat the #$%@%^&*%$$#.

Pai seh hor

Originally Posted by BarraCuda™

No they wont die out but will not be in the max efficiency. Without a good carbon source, the anaerobic bacteria will have to use harder to breakdown dissolved organic compounds. This will lead to lower efficiency.

If you feed pure sugar/volka/good carbon source, the anerobic bacteria will bloom and yr nitrate will be lowered in days.

If you dont believe me .. you can try adding some sugar into yr tank .. within hrs .. bacteria will bloom (cloudy water) when the cloudyness cleared up. You will have lower nitrates.

will there be any side effects?
can we use this term to maintain in a long run?