Saw a lot of Reefers today

[Big Goose]

or smeeled their smoke!

I was in need of some Corn Sugar for a DeNitrator (had given up on Lactose) and a chemist at work told me to try the Pearly Gates on the parkway. He said that they sold Beer and Wine making supplies.

Well not only did I find the Corn Sugar but the Lactose and something I did not expect. PLUMBING Supplies.

I found the washers I needed for my project and a valve with double barbed ends.

My Denitrateator is a vertical version of thehorizontal version described in Moe's great marine book(the best book I own and I got it at Amazon).
I am constructing the filter out of 4" dia PVC, It will be the hight of my tank and sit on a comode ring on the floor. The first chamber will be Filter Floss with the second of Bio balls. I plan to build the second one constructed entirely with Filter Floss and will test the two. If they work, they will be easier to build and will not take up valuable space under the tank.

Goose
Next door to Mock Electronics and in the same area with office depot.

 

[lemonhead]

let us know how it works. how high is the nitrite? i made one with a 30gal tank, put 8 baffles in it. floss then bio balls. drip a 5% glucose from IV bag into the first bioball chamber. works great dropped nitrates from 100ppm to around 10ppm in a 1500gal system at lucy's lagoon.

 

[Big Goose]

De-Nitrateor

De-Nitrateor

My Nitrates are in the safe range but I want to add some more fish.
I saw your unit and it looks great. I was going to build one like it from Moe's book but did not have the space underneath.

The more I examined the flow over and flow under, I realized that it was just one big set of serial filters and I figured a vertical one would work just as well.
My plumber was out today to clean a drain and he cut me a 58" piece of 4" pipe and gave me a base stand.

He helped me solve the problem of geting water out of the base without leaking. The collar on the base is thich enough to tap and screw in a NTP with a hose barb.

I have not decided if I am going to gravity or pump feed the top. If I pump feed the water, I am going to put a cap on the top.

I have a couple of options on drip feeding the unit. One is to use my Kent doser but another is to build it in. Daryn gave me some small valves and I might glue them in.

Moe suggested a drip of 10% and a max flow of 50 mil per minute. I guess things are relative and I will have to play around. I would welcome your experience.

I am evaluating some options on the gas release tube and will probably incorporate an air check valve.

Do you see any reason why it wold not work?

Goose:bum:

 

[Tomoko Schum]

Dosing with vodka sounds a lot easier than setting up and running a Denitrator.

Have you seen this thread about sulfur denitrators, Goose?

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=752497

With that said, Martin Moe wrote in Marine Aquarium Handbook (not The Marine Aquarium Reference) that "limiting all the organics and basic nutrients added to reef system, however, is more effective and less trouble in the long run than maintaining an efficient denitrifying filter."

By the way, how did you manage to fit 600 lbs of live rocks in your 150 gallon reef? Do you have a large remote sump or something?

Tomoko

 

[Big Goose]

Assume that you could fill a 150 gal tank with rocks and no voids.

The volume of the tank in Cubic Feet is
1 gal = 231 Cu In

150gal*231 cu in = 34,650 cu in

1 cu ft = 1,728 cu in

314,650/1728 = 20.05 cu ft

Density (in lb/cu ft.) = SG X 62.4

The Specific gravity of sandstone is 2.2 - 2.8. Lets take the midpoint of 2.5 (very representative)

then 2.5 x 62.4 = 156 lb/cu ft

156*20.5 = 3198 lbs of rock for 150 gal tank.

3198/600 = 5.3% of total volume

Now that I think about it, I must have more than 600 lbs Not counting the voids in the rock, I have 30-45% of volume in rock.

I bought a complete setup with rocks for $500.00. The kid that I bought it from hauled the rocks from the coast. When I get my new tank, I will split the rocks from the tank. I also have about 40 pounds in my refugem.

As for the Denitrator, I guess I will have to put diapers on my fish or build one.





:bum:

 

[Tomoko Schum]

How many fish do you have to generate so much nitrate? Are you doing any water change?

Tomoko

 

[Big Goose]

I like the Vodka Idea and will try it.

One Quart should do.

 

[Big Goose]

left side before adding the extra 15 lbs of Tonga rock I got Saturday from John N.

Got order conformation from Roe's marine, I got all 20 Ricordias that I wanted. I hit the site just after he put up the new stuff Friday night.

 

[Big Goose]

oops

Didn't load and 50k looks crappy