|
03/25/2014, 07:21 PM | #1 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 35
|
DIY Nitrate Reactor for $40?
I saw this link online while I was browsing through fish tank topics. I am starting a 100 gallon tank with a 55 gallon sump and wanted to know if this would be of any use to me? Any input/modifications/knowledge on this would be awesome.
Here is the link http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/s...d.php?t=387870 Let me know what you think! I would be very interested in making one of these if it will help my new tank when I start adding salt and LR! |
03/25/2014, 07:30 PM | #2 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 35
|
Let me know!
|
03/25/2014, 07:53 PM | #3 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: St. Louis, MO.
Posts: 3,259
|
interesting, here's another one floating around.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...8#post22589258 |
03/25/2014, 09:17 PM | #4 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: AWOL
Posts: 12,013
|
5 gallon home depot bucket, and 60lbs of silica sand. (aragonite oolitic is a better option, but costs more) Instant nitrate reactor, that will work far better and naturally, than any purpose "nitrate reactor," whether it uses a denitrating media, sugar, spice, sulfur whatever. Maintenance free and no media replacement necessary. Phosphates? Control your nitrates right, and no need to worry about phosphates.You only need control one of the several necessities for nuisance algae growth, to halt it dead in its tracks. Cyanobacteria, being the exception in that it can grow with next to nothing.
__________________
"Things should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." (oft attributed to Einstein; most likely paraphrasing by Roger Sessions; compactly articulates the principle of Occam's Razor) Current Tank Info: 325 6' wide Reef |
03/25/2014, 09:51 PM | #5 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: St. Louis, MO.
Posts: 3,259
|
Quote:
When space is limited the coil type reactors have been very effective, though singly aimed at only growing bacteria for de-nitrification. I've not gone thru the whole thread originally posted by the Op but the setups shown on the first few pages don't look to be terribly effective in the long run or for systems that are very big. Depending on system size limiting phosphorous via GFO reactor is also effective, especially when buying the GFO in bulk. Ultimately you want to balance nitrate and phosphate removal to maintaining low levels of each. In moderately stocked tanks where coral is the focus supplemental nitrate and phosphate removal really shouldn't be needed. On my systems (relatively small, only 65 gallons or so, I use GFO to limit phosphate combined with macro algea growth to keep low total levels in the water. nuance algea indicates too much of both, but you can easily have an abundance of algea and still have zero detectable levels of each nutrient. That condition simply indicates that the nutrients are being utilized at the rate they are produced. Add enough herbivores to the tank and you can balance the input and export of these nutrients more naturally. I feed my tanks sparingly only enough to supplement fish's diet for what they are not able to hunt/forage in the tank. My tanks are coral oriented though, and fish oriented tanks need to augment the nutrient removal in some manner. |
|
03/26/2014, 07:37 AM | #6 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Robin hood country, UK
Posts: 817
|
If you just want a reactor cheap, you could buy a standalone DI pod for not much more than the DIY water bottle solution and less worry about it holding water or the components being reef safe
Tim |
03/26/2014, 09:40 PM | #7 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: ft. laud
Posts: 5,994
|
__________________
Nano with a few dozen tangs. Life is the slowest form of suicide! |
03/27/2014, 01:23 AM | #8 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Rohnert Park,CA
Posts: 10
|
These still require media to be changed I prefer the injection style myself. I run a Aquaripure system on a 240g reef w/ deep sand bed and always no matter what had a nitrate issue. When I added the remover once it cycled I only had to deal with the green hair one more time and after that it never came back. Before it was 10-15hrs a month on top of reg maint. Simply inject 5-10mL of cheap vodka every 7-10 days and that's it!
|
03/27/2014, 01:44 AM | #9 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Rohnert Park,CA
Posts: 10
|
I wont own another tank without one
Last edited by mikespeed6; 03/27/2014 at 01:50 AM. |
03/27/2014, 09:36 AM | #10 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: AWOL
Posts: 12,013
|
Removed. See your PM box. BrianD
__________________
"Things should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." (oft attributed to Einstein; most likely paraphrasing by Roger Sessions; compactly articulates the principle of Occam's Razor) Current Tank Info: 325 6' wide Reef Last edited by BrianD; 04/02/2014 at 04:26 PM. |
04/05/2014, 11:54 PM | #11 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 1,765
|
I actually made one from the first link about three weeks ago. Supposedly the seachem denitrate works like live rock and needs very low flow, under 50gph, to form an anearobic zone inside of it. It is basically just very porous gravel. It should theoretically never need replacing itself if you have a sponge in the first part of the reactor that you can remove to clean.
__________________
In wine there is wisdom; in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria. - Benjamin Franklin Current Tank Info: 90 gallon reef. Biocube 29 lionfish tank. Mantis tank. |
02/07/2018, 01:12 PM | #12 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 22
|
I am looking at making a de-nitrator that will be relevant for both fresh and salt water. It will be for a 54 gallon tank. From what i have read you should coil 50ft of 1/4" tubing on the inside of the reactor so the water coming into the bottom of the reactor is anaerobic. I am using water filters like the one in the picture below and 50ft of 1/4" tubing will not fit inside of it so,
1. Is there a reason that the 1/4" tubing needs to be inside the reactor? (to maintain temperature for the bacteria?), or can the coil be located outside of the reactor? 2. How long of coil should i use? It seems like the consensus is 50 ft, but can you ever de-oxygenate the water to much by having to long of coil? My plan is to make one like below that will have three filters. The first will just contain a filter to filter any debris out of the water that can easily be cleaned and dumped out if it gets plugged. In between the first and second container i was going to put the 50ft 1/4" coil and then enter the bottom of the second container that will be filled with Bioballs and the third container i was thinking about putting in the Seachem De-Nitrate Filter Media. Of course any of these containers could be switched to sulfur at anytime. I would like to use this for freshwater right now but i will be changing this tank to saltwater eventually. Please let me know your thoughts. |
02/07/2018, 05:14 PM | #13 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Irvine, CA
Posts: 606
|
Quote:
__________________
Bruce Current Tank Info: 150G mixed reef (6x Blue Acro 20K Pro COB LEDs, 4x 80W T5 supplement), 150g fw discus (T5 lighting), 110G fw Angelfish (DIY LED lighting), 4 x 40 g frag tanks (DIY LED). |
|
02/07/2018, 06:15 PM | #14 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 22
|
Thank you for the site. It seems that there is not much to the design of these and they seem pretty hard to screw up as long as you have the main components.
I guess my main question is, is there a reason that the 50ft 1/4" aerobic portion needs to be contained in the reactor or can this be coiled under the stand and then enter the reactor? |
02/08/2018, 03:10 AM | #15 |
Registered Member
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Anaheim, CA
Posts: 6,902
|
There is o reason the tubing can not be on the outside, as long as the tubing is not opaque. The length of the tubing probably does not need to be 50’, but how long it needs to be is hard to say. If your feeding the reactor with oxygen rich water as in the skimmer compartment it will need to be longer then if fed from a place with little circulation. Conceivably you could feed it from under your sand bed and use a relatively short length of tubing as the water would already be low in oxygen.
__________________
240G mixed reef, 29G SPS/LPS clam tank, 50G mixed reef Current Tank Info: 300g mixed reef, 50g cube |
02/08/2018, 07:04 AM | #16 |
Plumbing Engineer
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Atlanta GA
Posts: 3,260
|
I have literally tried every kind of denitration filter there is. Long *** tube, aerobic zone, deep sand bed, sulpher denitrator and vodka.
None of them work well and needed constant almost daily adjustments to keep them running correctly. Vodka is the easiest Ive tried with great results, but Im considering bio pellets now. I honestly would never again recommend any of the denitator units ever again. They can work but are a HUGE PINA. |
02/08/2018, 09:27 AM | #17 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 22
|
Quote:
|
|
02/12/2018, 01:20 AM | #18 |
Registered Member
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Anaheim, CA
Posts: 6,902
|
If the tubing is external you will get algae growing in it and producing oxygen.
__________________
240G mixed reef, 29G SPS/LPS clam tank, 50G mixed reef Current Tank Info: 300g mixed reef, 50g cube |
02/12/2018, 01:29 AM | #19 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Westminster, CO
Posts: 17,289
|
Quote:
__________________
Hobby Experience: 9200ish gallons, 26 skimmers, and a handful of Kent Scrapers. Current Tank: Vortech Powered 600G SPS Tank w/ 100gal frag tank & 100g Sump. RK2-RK10 Skimmer. ReefAngel. Radium 20k. |
|
Thread Tools | |
|
|