Calcium Reactor use for Sulfur-Based Biodenitrator

[chaffey]

I have a MRC calcium reactor and I plan to use it as a Sulfur-Based Biodenitrator.

Do you guys think this would work fine. I look at the calcium reactor and the Sulfur-Based Biodenitrator reactor and they are very similar.

especially when you compare the korallin calcium reactor and the korallin Sulfur-Based Biodenitrator reactor.

Thanks

 

[TulsaReefer]

I know some of the nitrate reactors can be retrofitted to be calcium reactors, so I'd assume you could probably go the other way as well. Just disconnect the CO2, fill with sulfur and calcium media, adjust down to a really slow drip to start (probably 1 drop per second) and let it run until the effluent is zero nitrate and then start bringing the drip rate up. Most of the denitrate reactors have the sulfur media in the bottom, separated by a sponge between the calcium media, mainly so you can change out the calcium media without disturbing the sulfur. The calcium media will break down after a few months and probably will need to be augmented/changed out. The bacteria on the sulfur will create the acid and drop the pH themselves to dissolve the calcium media, so no need for CO2 on these units.

 

[BLockamon]

You'll just need to plug the CO2 inlet. Other than that, it should work fine.

 

[aninjaatemyshoe]

How do you deal with the build-up of nitrogen gas bubbles?

 

[TulsaReefer]

My sulfur denitrator has a bleed valve to vent any built up gas. Not sure if a calcium reactor would have something that would work for this or not. Mine is just a JG fitting with a valve tapped directly into the top of the unit. You will normally only form gas during the initial break in period, after that it doesn't seem to form any more. I was venting once or twice a day during the first 6 weeks or so I set up my denitrator, but for the past couple weeks now that it's running at full rate it hasn't formed even a small bubble.

 

[aninjaatemyshoe]

That's odd considering that the major biproduct of anaerobic denitrification is N2 gas... Maybe it is going out the outlet line and back into the tank.

 

[TulsaReefer]

I'm curious about that myself, though I'm assuming that once it's broken in and only working on a much lower amount of nitrate, the released nitrogen may be small enough that it's being absorbed into water Not sure if this is what's actually happening or not, but it's pretty standard that once a unit like this is fully broken in and running at a higher flow rate that you don't need to vent gas any more. If it was going out the outlet, it would have done that earlier and you wouldn't need to bleed it out of the unit while it was breaking in as well. Would be interesting to figure it out, but like I said, everyone who breaks one of these in says the same thing, once it was up and running at full speed that you won't need to bleed out an excess gas. And that's what my experience has been as well.

 

[chaffey]

I have been running it inside my calicium reactor for for few days now, I will continue checking on the nitrate/nitrite level.

I think it should works fine, I noticed the water is a little clearer.

 

[BLockamon]

I got lots of nitrogen when I first started mine up. They best bet is to use a CR that has the outlet to the tank at the highest point (or at least a high point vent). In that case, you can vent the gas off so that it doesn't build up