DIY Coil Denitrator

1. The reactor assembly, (or cylinder).

For systems up to 125 gallon capacity, a cylinder 18” by 3” will provide adequate volume to establish the necessary bacteria colonies for moderate bio-loads. Moving up to a 24” height will provide that “extra margin” if your animal population is on the “heavy” side. For those of you with fish-only systems, you may wish to enlarge the diameter to 4” to allow for more bio-media.

Start by thoroughly cleaning the PVC of all oils and residues after cutting to length. Insure that all “flash” is removed from the ends by lightly sanding the cuts and slightly rounding the edges. This will insure a water-tight glue joint later.

Choose your top and bottom caps. I used standard PVC leadout caps, utilizing the flanged style for the bottom, (this also serves as additional support). Purple dope the inside of the bottom cap and the bottom ½” of the cylinder,(on the outside only!). Apply the PVC cement over the dried purple dope and attach the bottom to the cylinder. Careful because it is an almost instant bond! Now the fun part!

Back to the beginning.

Click on each of the DIY Coil Denitrator components below to see the enlarged views and pertinent information.

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