Bio-Reactors....

[grunfeld]

Roger,

I'm running 2 bio-reactors on my 125. I'm feeding them off of a comline filter with the feed split between the 2 units. I can't seem to make any headway versus my nitrates. I'm a light feeder (every second or third day) and my largest fish is a 5 to 6" sailfin. The other occupants are all fairly small except perhaps my pinktail, but he's about 4". I'm running a 30g sump and 2 HoB fuges so I have quite a bit of water volume. It's a softie tank with a 4" sand bed of aragonite and oolitic sand. Flow comes from a stream and a GRI 520 pump. Tunze filter and skimmer....almost 175lbs. live rock between the display, sump and fuges.

The question is: am I feeding, perhaps, too much flow into the reactors to achieve the oxygen starved environment that is needed for the de-nitrification? Should I throttle back the valves on the reactors? Since I can't read the output of the units and test their nitrate levels, I'm kinda at a loss for determining if they're working for me or not.

Grunfeld In Detroit

Home of the Tigers, Pistons, Red Wings and , ahem, The Lions

 

[rvitko]

The flow is correct if water does not trickle over the top of the box. It takes time for the reactors to mature, it is a biological process, usually they really get to there optimum after about 6 months. What kit are you using to test and what results are you getting?

 

[grunfeld]

Flow...

Flow...

Roger,

The boxes are mounted to the side of my sump using the vertical rails. The water enters onto moist, but not submerged granovit. The top of the granovit is maybe 0.5"-1" above my steady state water level. These are located in the return section of the sump.

These have been operational for over a year now.

I test with both Aq. Pharm. Nitrate Test Kit (reading is normally between 40-60, occasionally 80) and Salifert (usually shows 25-50).

Your thoughts are appreciated.

Grunfeld in Detroit

 

[rvitko]

The Salifert is the one I would trust as it is likely testing actual Nitrate and not Nitrate/Nitrogen. You might ask Habib. Are these the Bio reactors or Hydro reactors? Do they have the clear cartridges water trickles through or are they just the boxes of media?

 

[grunfeld]

3179s

3179s

Roger,

These are a pair of 3179s. Memory fades, but they are bio-hydro-reactors without the clear plastic cartridges. One of them has the brown lid, the other doesn't (bought it during your clearance thing last year, so maybe that one's only been running for 6 or 7 months, but the other one has been going 2 years).

I read up on the AP test in Habib's postings and he's OK with the results being comparable as long as the AP instructions are followed to a T.

Grunfeld

 

[rvitko]

Did he mention if his kit tests Nitrate/Nitrogen or Nitrate, the Nitrate/Nitrogen test can be up to 5 times higher? Most kits test Nitrate/Nitrogen, I don't know all the details but Habib probably would. For example on my home tank the Tetra kit shows 20ppm, the Machery Nagel Kit (Nitrate) shows 4ppm. The 3179 has always worked well in my experience but it does require food, most aquariums have enough carbon present to feed the reactors but it is possible to have a carbon deficiency, you hight ask Habib since he is a chemist if he has a suggestion. His Calcium acetate based supplement might help.