[psideways]

Does any one know of any DIY denitrification methods? I only have a 30 gal. tank and dont really have the room to put a ton of lr or ls in. Does any one have some plans?

[pogodzib]

Besides LR and DSB, which is prefered over the following methods, there are other options. There are plenty of denitrification reactor plans available on-line with a quick search. Other methods to consider should be a DSB in a 5 gal bucket or dosing vodka

[glampka]

Originally Posted by pogodzib

Other methods to consider should be a DSB in a 5 gal bucket or dosing vodka

That's sacreligious!! Waste good vodka in the tank!! No way!

[RyanG]

Russian Vodka, that you can get for like 4 bucks for a gallon

[rlcline76]

The Germans write about it a lot. They do not share which vodka they use...their version of vodka is fiegling...keeps my freezer warm and toasty. However, after reading up on it, they don't encourage it as the number one choice. You could increase your bacteria naturally by proding more surfaces, like LR. In my 20 gallons, I have well exceeded the 2 lbs per gallon, but I know what you mean by being restricted.

Do you have nitrate problems or are just looking to not have them?

[lynnvangsnes]

Originally Posted by RyanG

Russian Vodka, that you can get for like 4 bucks for a gallon

Yeah, as long as it's not from Chernobyl. The older Dutch Aquarium Systems tanks had a denitrator compartment in the main pump area. It was a special bag that would allow the vodka to be added to the tank keeping the nitrates down. Martin Moe also had a brief statement about using vodka in a system to lower nitrates. He used the term "high test". I infer this to mean a higher proof.

[reefnoob1991]

There's a site where it explains about a water change method...it's like you remove 10% 2 days in a row followed by a 5% change and it cuts nitrates by 75%

[NATIVEVAMAN]

Dosing Sugar or Vodka

[NATIVEVAMAN]

Dosing with sugar or vodka is just about as bad as drinking it and seeing how fast you can get to the mall.
Science News: Sugars and Bacterial Growth Kill off Coral Reefs

[pogodzib]

Originally Posted by NATIVEVAMAN

Dosing with sugar or vodka is just about as bad as drinking it and seeing how fast you can get to the mall.
Science News: Sugars and Bacterial Growth Kill off Coral Reefs

Dosing vodka in reef tanks is very common in Europe any there are some great tanks over there that the people swear that using vodka is one of the keys and it has been a proven method that works. One of the keys though is to not over do it.

Originally Posted by reefnoob1991

There's a site where it explains about a water change method...it's like you remove 10% 2 days in a row followed by a 5% change and it cuts nitrates by 75%

Doing 2 - 50% water changes will reduce the nitrates by 75% if your using pure water. 2-10% and 1-5% water change will only reduce your nitrates by 19%. Simple math basics

[NATIVEVAMAN]

When someone tells me that so and so is doing something to his tank,like dosing vodka and his tank looks great I always wonder how good it would look if they were not do it.There is a fair amount of science in those two articles I posted that say its not a goodthing to do.So I will stick to the rule"if you cant test for it dont put it in the tank".

[pogodzib]

I agree with not putting anything in your tank that you don't test for if as all possible. I've had great looking tanks with very minimal additives (kalk only). I recommend that only very experienced people dose anything besides calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium additives. Overdosing is very dangerous and many things that people add aren't necessary.

I didn't have time yet to read those articles, but I will when I get the chance. Like I previously said, dosing vodka is supposed to work, but I haven't tried it since my tanks always read zero nitrates. I do know of some people that have been experimenting with it for a while and haven't seen any negative side effects yet. I'll let you know if they end up having any proven positive or negative results.

[Krazy]

Use a coil denitrator, Simple and effecitve.

you can google them and find tons of info how to do a DIY one.

I have a LARGE coil denitrator. I cant wait to put it to use.

[NATIVEVAMAN]

When I first read about coil denitrifiers I thought they may be a good idea.But then I applied the kind of logic for which I am rapidly becoming infamous.I came up with the idea that the coil works the same way a bio ball does.A lot of work has been done on bio balls to increase there surface area which is key to there success.So it all boils down to how much surface area does the inside of a 1/4 inch pipe have and how long does it have to be to equal....say....12 bio balls?My conclusion is that if you need more denitrification add more live rock and sand and make your tank look better in the process.