I’ve had a few questions about my Denitrate Tower, so I thought I would provide a thread with a few details.
The “Denitrate Towerâ€
The “Denitrate Towerâ€
you would kill yourself, and then yourself?jfly said:your daughter calls it "king kong's bong!?!?!?" hmm and how old is she.. i'd kill myself if my kid said that, then myself for my parenting faults
Hey Kmuda, I've come across your thread a couple of times, and I'm wondering if you could give us an update? I'm thinking about building a denitrator...kmuda said:The filter had pretty much ceased holding nitrates to zero, with the decline occurring after 6 months of use. We'll see if it gets things back into shape. I expect it to take a month to "recycle".
Are there any other ways to add DOC's to your sytem besides the 3 methods you mentioned above? Wouldn't having a planted tank supply enough DOC's to our system especially if you had a CO2 system so your plants could absorb the CO2 and not the organic carbon in the water?Mxx said:Another factor is that denitrifying bacteria also require a compound which can act as an electron donor in order for it to chemically reduce nitrate molecules. And for that reason, aquarists add sugar, a few milliliters of vodka, or Tetra Nitrate Minus to their tanks. Municipal wastewater plants use a product called MicroCâ„¢ which is apparently similar. So perhaps when you're not getting denitrification, it has something to do with a lack of an available carbon source in the water.
Personally I'm considering minimizing water changes in my planted tank to enable DOC's (dissolved organic carbon), to build up a bit in my planted tank in case that helps achieve denitrification. I haven't yet found a conclusive answer through research as to whether this would though. I will also need to stop using activated carbon in my canister filter as well if that is the case. Anyone? Are DOC's a carbon source which would successfully fuel denitrification?
I'm guessing there must be various other ways to add organic carbon, but I'm not sure in what forms works as is necessary. I guess that I end up with a few questions I'm wondering about here;Agridion said:Are there any other ways to add DOC's to your sytem besides the 3 methods you mentioned above? Wouldn't having a planted tank supply enough DOC's to our system especially if you had a CO2 system so your plants could absorb the CO2 and not the organic carbon in the water?Mxx said:Another factor is that denitrifying bacteria also require a compound which can act as an electron donor in order for it to chemically reduce nitrate molecules. And for that reason, aquarists add sugar, a few milliliters of vodka, or Tetra Nitrate Minus to their tanks. Municipal wastewater plants use a product called MicroCâ„¢ which is apparently similar. So perhaps when you're not getting denitrification, it has something to do with a lack of an available carbon source in the water.
Personally I'm considering minimizing water changes in my planted tank to enable DOC's (dissolved organic carbon), to build up a bit in my planted tank in case that helps achieve denitrification. I haven't yet found a conclusive answer through research as to whether this would though. I will also need to stop using activated carbon in my canister filter as well if that is the case. Anyone? Are DOC's a carbon source which would successfully fuel denitrification?