DIY Sulfur Denitrator

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Re: new babies question

Re: new babies question

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12192527#post12192527 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kvmn
helo,,i been reading this thread for a long time,, and i did my first nitrate diy reactor so thank you very much,,everything is happy now,,,but i wonder if this nitrate diy reactor is the same concept with calcium reactor or not??
i read the calcium reactor thread and want to make one too,,but i want to check here first so basicly the two reactor look and work the same way but calcium reactor need co2 bottle with bubble counter and maybe different media in the chamber right?? please corect me if i missed something or wrong thanks
Click to expand...

Yes, you have the general idea. There's a good article that goes into serious detail in Reefkeeping:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-05/sh/feature/index.php
 
Thanks, Steve!
Is there a safe substitute for the Dowflake yet?
I might be wrong, but remember hearing something about the company having changed something about their product that made it no longer safe for aquarium use?
 
Steve 926,

Thanks for the nice comments!

Here's a tip for you:

Dremel off the fitting going into the reactor. Make it flush with the cap as the bubbles will have a tendency to accumulate towards the highest point. It will be the JG (white) fitting in there. Also the return side of it might benefit from an extended piece of tubing going deeper into the water column. This side will pick up bubbles and cavitate the pump since it happens to be flush. The idea is to have the highest point as your degassing valve. Let me know if this makes sense to you. Maybe a schematic will help you out if it doesn't make sense.

Otherwise it looks great and it's really easy and inexpensive to make for those with smaller tanks

<a href="http://s182.photobucket.com/albums/x152/Steve0926/?action=view&current=D17.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x152/Steve0926/D17.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

HTH,
djfrankie
 
Last edited:
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12191411#post12191411 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by siskiou
What do people recommend adding to offset the alkalinity changes, once the output is connected to the tank? Will kalkwasser be enough?
pH and alk went down very quickly in the bucket for me.
Click to expand...

I'm using Seachem's reef builder to bring up the Alk levels every couple of weeks.

Here's a very neat calculator that you can use to figure out the right dosage:

http://reef.diesyst.com/chemcalc/chemcalc.html

It still beats me to this day why this calculator is not part of RC's calculators :rolleyes:

HTH,
djfrankie
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12162464#post12162464 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by djfrankie
BTW,

I turned off the recirculating pump on my SR and will keep an eye on it and see if it makes a difference ...will post back with results regarding this change.

Dripping 100 ml / minute out of effluent w/o recirculating 03/23/2008.

djfrankie
Click to expand...

This didn't work out too well. It hasn't maintained a constant flow with the recirculation pump off. I've had to adjust the flow about every 8 hours or so.

So the recirulating pump is back on..Oh well, so much for trying to save some electricity :p

djfrankie
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12194571#post12194571 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by djfrankie
Steve 926,

Thanks for the nice comments!

Here's a tip for you:

Dremel off the fitting going into the reactor. Make it flush with the cap as the bubbles will have a tendency to accumulate towards the highest point. It will be the JG (white) fitting in there. Also the return side of it might benefit from an extended piece of tubing going deeper into the water column. This side will pick up bubbles and cavitate the pump since it happens to be flush. The idea is to have the highest point as your degassing valve. Let me know if this makes sense to you. Maybe a schematic will help you out if it doesn't make sense.

Otherwise it looks great and it's really easy and inexpensive to make for those with smaller tanks

<a href="http://s182.photobucket.com/albums/x152/Steve0926/?action=view&current=D17.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x152/Steve0926/D17.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

HTH,
djfrankie
Click to expand...


here is one of the pics I posted previously of the finished cap.
I also drilled a small hole in the side of the JG fitting used for the degassing valve to let the gas escape higher in the cap

D10.jpg
 
Ok got it....good thinking. It should work beautifully!

Let us know how it goes once it's alll hooked up and eating nitrates ;)

djfrankie
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12194783#post12194783 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by djfrankie
This didn't work out too well. It hasn't maintained a constant flow with the recirculation pump off. I've had to adjust the flow about every 8 hours or so.

So the recirulating pump is back on..Oh well, so much for trying to save some electricity :p

djfrankie
Click to expand...

thats why I went with the MJ900 rather then the 1200, 3/4 the flow at about 1/3 the power.

And another update, after one day at 2 dps, nitrates read 0 so bumped it up again.

man this thing is cycling FAST, should be ready to put on the tank in under a week. The damn coil denitrator thats on there took almost 2 months to get going and it doesnt even work that well:rolleyes:
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12194783#post12194783 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by djfrankie
This didn't work out too well. It hasn't maintained a constant flow with the recirculation pump off. I've had to adjust the flow about every 8 hours or so.

So the recirulating pump is back on..Oh well, so much for trying to save some electricity :p

djfrankie
Click to expand...

dj------Thanks for the great find on the calculator.

Its refreshing when someone (in this case you) posts some results that are less than sucessfull.........the male ego don't you know :mixed: :mixed: , such honesty adds merit to all your previous posts.

As you know I had been cycling my SR out of a bucket (which made sence to me) and now it's hooked to the tank. I'll post those results asap, a NOTE to all cycling in that manner there are draw backs so read my updates please.

Dick
 
What is the reason to use the circulator? Would increasing the media amounts allow for just gravity flow to get the same results?
 
I've been trying to convince my boss to carry sulphur denitrators, but he says they are "too dangerous and kill kill a whole tank"... The relevance to this thread is that I am getting ready to do my own diy, and though I've read many articles on this in Reef Keeping, etc.... Am I missing something here?

Concerns I am aware of:
Importance of degassing!
Importance of monitoring and maintaining Alk / pH!
Long term threat of sulfate build-up and therefore importance of maintaining GFO to bind up sulfate!

Other than cycling issues, these seem pretty user friendly for someone willing to do a little maintenance, am I missing something in terms of catastrophic threat?

I will be doing a diy but I am certainly not suggesting customers do so as well (liability issues). I have suggested the Koralin models for the store.

I am posting this as a new thread as well, but I have been following this thread for a couple of months now and clearly there are a lot of successful users here, so I am seeking their input.

THANKS!
Cheree
 
I've been trying to convince my boss to carry sulphur denitrators, but he says they are "too dangerous and kill kill a whole tank"... The relevance to this thread is that I am getting ready to do my own diy, and though I've read many articles on this in Reef Keeping, etc.... Am I missing something here?

Concerns I am aware of:
Importance of degassing!
Importance of monitoring and maintaining Alk / pH!
Long term threat of sulfate build-up and therefore importance of maintaining GFO to bind up sulfate!

Other than cycling issues, these seem pretty user friendly for someone willing to do a little maintenance, am I missing something in terms of catastrophic threat?

I will be doing a diy but I am certainly not suggesting customers do so as well (liability issues). I have suggested the Koralin models for the store.

I am posting this as a new thread as well, but I have been following this thread for a couple of months now and clearly there are a lot of successful users here, so I am seeking their input.

THANKS!
Cheree
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12197481#post12197481 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 32flavors
I've been trying to convince my boss to carry sulphur denitrators, but he says they are "too dangerous and kill kill a whole tank"... The relevance to this thread is that I am getting ready to do my own diy, and though I've read many articles on this in Reef Keeping, etc.... Am I missing something here?

Concerns I am aware of:
Importance of degassing!
Importance of monitoring and maintaining Alk / pH!
Long term threat of sulfate build-up and therefore importance of maintaining GFO to bind up sulfate!

Other than cycling issues, these seem pretty user friendly for someone willing to do a little maintenance, am I missing something in terms of catastrophic threat?

I will be doing a diy but I am certainly not suggesting customers do so as well (liability issues). I have suggested the Koralin models for the store.

I am posting this as a new thread as well, but I have been following this thread for a couple of months now and clearly there are a lot of successful users here, so I am seeking their input.

THANKS!
Cheree
Click to expand...

I thought GFO (granular ferric oxide) was for binding phosphates. I have never heard that it binds sulfates. Could you point a link to this information please?

I can attest that 9 months of use has no detrimental affect to a reef tank with clams, sps, softies, fish etc.

Robert
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12197482#post12197482 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 32flavors
I've been trying to convince my boss to carry sulphur denitrators, but he says they are "too dangerous and kill kill a whole tank"... The relevance to this thread is that I am getting ready to do my own diy, and though I've read many articles on this in Reef Keeping, etc.... Am I missing something here?

32flavors------first off when you submit reply please be patient as sometime this server is "overloaded" and becomes slow so when you rehit the submit button it not only gets worse and you get a ddl post as here.

Basically your boss is correct, now everyone reading this can't wait to jump in, but wait...what he is trying to tell you is he doesn't need or what the headache of "most" customers who what "instant gratification" trying to tune one of these things, , certainly as a employee of his store you have seen the general type I'm talking about, right ?

Now having said that if your are didicated as you must be and I think you are...your hear @ this site so you must be..GO FOR IT, just follow all the great info posted by dj and others of course and most of all remember Sulfur Denitrifcation works
Click to expand...
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12196913#post12196913 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by IowaReef
What is the reason to use the circulator? Would increasing the media amounts allow for just gravity flow to get the same results?
Click to expand...

Please read page 14 of this thread.

djfrankie
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12197481#post12197481 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 32flavors
I've been trying to convince my boss to carry sulphur denitrators, but he says they are "too dangerous and kill kill a whole tank"... The relevance to this thread is that I am getting ready to do my own diy, and though I've read many articles on this in Reef Keeping, etc.... Am I missing something here?

Concerns I am aware of:
Importance of degassing!
Importance of monitoring and maintaining Alk / pH!
Long term threat of sulfate build-up and therefore importance of maintaining GFO to bind up sulfate!

Other than cycling issues, these seem pretty user friendly for someone willing to do a little maintenance, am I missing something in terms of catastrophic threat?

I will be doing a diy but I am certainly not suggesting customers do so as well (liability issues). I have suggested the Koralin models for the store.

I am posting this as a new thread as well, but I have been following this thread for a couple of months now and clearly there are a lot of successful users here, so I am seeking their input.

THANKS!
Cheree
Click to expand...

Hello,

"too dangerous and kill kill a whole tank"...well..what about heaters, too fast buffer additions, stirring up deep sand beds, etc.

A sulfur reactor is no more dangerous than anything else we do in our tanks. Taking a little time to guide your customer on how to set one up and make it work goes a long way towards great customer realationships. IMO, it looks less intimidating than a calcium reactor with the Co2 tank and all :D

Degassing: Simply done so your pump doesn't cavitate and burn. Gases are built up quite rapidly while cycling the unit.

Monitoring ALK: It will drop. I have to raise mine every two weeks. I use a calcium reactor as well.

GFO: GfO is used to convert Hydrogen sulfide to elemental sulfur naturally found in sea water.

Here's the article from Randy which was also posted a while back:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-12/rhf/index.php

HTH,
djfrankie
 
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