# Hydroponic Denitrator Ideas



## JALOOS (Sep 6, 2008)

Just tossing around some ideas for denitrators and I am toying with the idea of making as second sump so to speak that will basically function the same a a protien skimmer and pump water from my main sump to a sump with aggrogate and large nitrogen craving plants and flow back into the main sump for return to tank.

Has anyone tried this idea? Basically would work like a refugium but on its own.


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## Sav505 (Apr 26, 2005)

I've always wanted to do something like that. In my fish forum browsing days I've come across a few threads about this same thing. Just do a little searching and see what you can find.


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## Sav505 (Apr 26, 2005)

One more thing...Don't forget to take pics and post them if you do end up doing it. :wink:


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

It's been done often enough that there is even a word for it.... Aquaponics.

http://www.ehow.com/how_4678861_deep-cu ... -fish.html

http://www.aquaponics.com/

One way I've seen a fish club presentation on, the speaker siliconed a piece of glass inside the back of his aquarium, creating a space a couple inches wide. A pipe fed aquarium water to the bottom of one side, and a notch at the top of the other end allowed the water to flow back into the main aquarium chamber. The hydroponics filtration chamber was filled with pea gravel, creating an unusual background and support for the plant roots. He did similar things with ponds, installing a crescent pond around the back and sides of an existing pond, but then filling it with a load of pea gravel, and pumping the pond water through it to grow terrestrial plants hydroponically before it returns to the original pond.


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## One_Cich_Dude (Feb 2, 2009)

I'm actually gathering parts to try this myself.

I asked the pet lady at walmart to let me have some of the empty plant baskets from their dead aquarium plants. You know, the little black plastic baskets.

I filled one of them with filter floss, and then cut a piece of styrofoam out of some packaging to make a small floating ring to set the basket in. This can then be floated on the surface of the aquarium.

I took some collard green seeds and placed them in the filter floss, and they sprouted about a week after I "planted" them. No soil at all, just filter floss.

Currently, I have them sitting in a tray of water I took from the aquarium.

I have a sterilite container I plan to use to grow the plants. I'm going to fill the sterilite tub with pea gravel and transplant the seedlings there. This tray will be placed on a shelf above the level of the aquarium, and I'll use a powerhead to pump water up to it, and then use gravity to return water to the tank.

The only thing preventing me from setting it all up rightnow is that I haven't figured out how to get the water to drain back to the aquarium without drilling a hole in the tub. I'd rather find a way to do it that would allow me to adjust the water level. If I drill a hole, the water level would be fixed permanently.


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## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

Someone a few months ago has done this using the sterilite container idea. He ran PVC from the tank to a shallow container. He secured the lid and cut holes in the lid to fit a few pots of plants and returned the water to the tank with more PVC. I dont see it being anything like a skimmer, just a refugium of sorts.

The question is, is it really needed? Its a good idea for large tanks with bigger predators that eat a lot but I cant see it being practical for most tanks.

Are you going to do Africans? I would be afraid of the PH as well as going Nitrate lack and not having enough algae for those that would need it if any of those types are being kept.


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## JALOOS (Sep 6, 2008)

JWerner2 said:


> The question is, is it really needed? Its a good idea for large tanks with bigger predators that eat a lot but I cant see it being practical for most tanks.
> 
> Are you going to do Africans? I would be afraid of the PH as well as going Nitrate lack and not having enough algae for those that would need it if any of those types are being kept.


I plan on this setup for a 150 gallon community tank with around 60 mixed species of fish.

When done I shall post pics of the setup for all to see and take various readings along the way.


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## ashilli48 (May 14, 2006)

Interested in adding plants to my sump, but...

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... c&&start=0

Not sure if I linked it right....another thread somewhere in here....


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

No one bothered to tell the guy in that thread that red mangroves can live forever in freshwater. They can tolerate a great deal of salt but they don't need it and will grow in completely fresh water. However whatever they are in, if you want to change the salinity up or down, do it gradually.


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## ashilli48 (May 14, 2006)

yes, I have more than a few debates on mangroves and what you can and cannot do with them...all the while I see one in one of my tanks thriving, in freshwater....after growing up in the ocean....


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

ashilli48 said:


> yes, I have more than a few debates on mangroves and what you can and cannot do with them...all the while I see one in one of my tanks thriving, in freshwater....after growing up in the ocean....


 So true! Genearally all we see in the hobby are the red mangroves which a book on mangroves say can be found in any salinity from zero to full marine. Yet people will say with conviction that they have to be kept a a certain brackish salinity. And in nature they seem able to easily handle sudden changes in salinity when a storm comes up, or a tide brings in full strength ocean water. In the aquarium because they may be stressed from low light or not enough nutrients, a gradual change seems like it helps prevent leaf drop, but I suspect that dropping leaves is natural too. We rarely see the white of black mangroves which may require some salt and get a bit larger. There is a grove of the white mangroves a block from my sister's house and they are huge. And many others we never see at all. I hope to see some new ones in Australia this fall though visiting relatives is the priority for the trip.


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## JALOOS (Sep 6, 2008)

Don't plan on using aquatic plants in this instance. Some fast growing nitrogen hungry house plants will be getting used for this project. The thing the way I seee it will be a square 5 gallon bucket with the water pumped from the sump to the bottom of the bucket then a bulkhead a few inches from the top with the overflow back to the sump. The pump will not be any huge water moving unit just a nice slow steady flow. Power failures then would not have any water to overflow the sump. As far as lighting goes just natural sun whatever a normal house plant usually gets.

Nothing too complex here, simple and hopefully efficient.


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## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

Bog plants would be ideal not?

I also have always gotta suggest stuff like Pothos as well. They grow fast and eat lots of nutrients.


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

I used to have some kind of houseplant vine thing. It grew along the backs of my aquariums and sent runners into each tank, both top and bottom levels, where they burst out into jungles of hair roots, filtering the water, but I still had to do water changes and add water since the plant also absorbed water for itself.


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## ashilli48 (May 14, 2006)

Mcdaphnia said:


> I used to have some kind of houseplant vine thing. It grew along the backs of my aquariums and sent runners into each tank, both top and bottom levels, where they burst out into jungles of hair roots, filtering the water, but I still had to do water changes and add water since the plant also absorbed water for itself.


Sounds like a plan for the fishroom.....hmmmmm.....


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## BenHugs (Jan 13, 2007)

JALOOS said:


> Don't plan on using aquatic plants in this instance. Some fast growing nitrogen hungry house plants will be getting used for this project. The thing the way I seee it will be a square 5 gallon bucket with the water pumped from the sump to the bottom of the bucket then a bulkhead a few inches from the top with the overflow back to the sump. The pump will not be any huge water moving unit just a nice slow steady flow. Power failures then would not have any water to overflow the sump. As far as lighting goes just natural sun whatever a normal house plant usually gets.
> 
> Nothing too complex here, simple and hopefully efficient.


I have a 5g tank placed behind my main tank that a philodendron grows out of. 
You can get philodendrons at any plant store. I got mine at walmart for around $5 It's just getting started but it likes the high PH and keeping it's roots wet all the time. It's a vine with heart shaped leaves I plan to let it grow around my living room (we''ll see what the wife has to say about that). I used a Tom aqualifter pump to feed it and it has a bulkhead that drains back into the main tank. The Toms aqualifter pump is very quiet I can't even tell when it's running. It puts out around 3g an hour??? I hope this helps :thumb: 
P.S. It's very late so I hope this all makes sense :lol:


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