Coil Denitrator is working!!! Yay!!!

[fishquaria]

Hi! Six to eight weeks ago I set up a DIY Denitrator. It consists of 100 m (approx 300Yards) of airline tubing coiled into a bucket and the inlet plugged into a small pump and the outlet coming into a turbulent area of the tank.

At the time of setting up the denitrator the nitrate levels in the tank were close to 15ppm. Now after six to eight weeks the levels in the effluent are Undetectable and the levels in the tank are less than 2ppm.

I just wanted to let everyone know... and to thank everyone who has put out plans etc. for coil de nitrators, as I have been battling high nitrate problems in my tank for a long time...

Thanks!

[Cope]

Can we see a copy of the plan? I'm not familiar with such a method? Sounds easy and cheap, witch I like! Or just a link to the plans you used? picks?
Thanks
Cope

[fishquaria]

Actually mine is modification of the plans I saw. Basically all you need is a length of tubing and have the drip rate adjusted so it's just a little less than a steady stream. I used a bucket to keep the tubing orderly and out of site.

Many of the plans were talking about a shorter length of tubing than I used and then a chamber filled with bio balls, so I figured instead of the the chamber increased length of the tubing and thus increased surface area and volume should work, and it certainly seems to.

Basically it's just water pumped out through a hundred metres of tubing and back. Very simple. I don't have any of the plans I saw as I read then online. But I do remember there were some on about.com and on RC as well...

[Megalodon]

I made one once. It used a clear plastic Rubbermaid jar with a screw-on lid. I wrapped airline tube around the inside and had bioballs filled in the middle. It had an in and out inlet on the top. I never did get to use it but I'm sure eventually it would have started working.

But if I was going to make one again, I'd use the sulfur method, as it doesn't take months to cycle like this type does.