DIY Sulfur Denitrator

[EnderG60]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12203636#post12203636 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by EnderG60
Update again, things are going VERY fast

3/22 started cycle on bucket running full open nitrates at ~20
3/24 lowered flow to 1 dps
3/25 Effluent 0 bucket ~20 upped to 2 dps
3/26 Effluent 0 bucket ~20 upped to 4 dps
3/27 Effluent 0 bucket 10 upped to 6 dps
3/28 Effluent 0 bucket 0

3/29 tightened it all down and moved it onto the tank currently running nitrates of about 30, flow at 1 dps

I will preform a 50% water change this weekend as well to speed things up, and well its time for one anyway.

Welp hooked the denitrator up to the tap I have off my Quiet one 4000HH, and the increased pressure uh "found" a few leaks

So After fixing that and installing a valve on the input line to control the pressure a bit better things are going again. Im having a bit of trouble keeping the drip rate constant. I will set it and the next day when I check it again its down about 30%.

Anyway Im up to 6 dps again with the effluent o as of yesterday and tank nitrates are ~15 after the water change on sunday.

Im gonna be out of town tomarrow and firday so Ill just have to bump the flow up a bit tonight and see what its up to firday when I get back.

what was the ideal flow rate afte cycling? 1L/h per L of media?

 

[saltydog64]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12234558#post12234558 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by EnderG60
Welp hooked the denitrator up to the tap I have off my Quiet one 4000HH, and the increased pressure uh "found" a few leaks

So After fixing that and installing a valve on the input line to control the pressure a bit better things are going again. Im having a bit of trouble keeping the drip rate constant. I will set it and the next day when I check it again its down about 30%.

Anyway Im up to 6 dps again with the effluent o as of yesterday and tank nitrates are ~15 after the water change on sunday.

Im gonna be out of town tomarrow and firday so Ill just have to bump the flow up a bit tonight and see what its up to firday when I get back.

what was the ideal flow rate afte cycling? 1L/h per L of media?

EnderG60----Sounds like a plan and the valve will go a long way in steading out the FR.

With regard to your FR, I wouldn't push it to hard for several reasons, most importantly your are not going to be there to monitor results promptly, or as needed. Be sure to monitor for Nitrites @ efflunient as the level of bioload in the bucket you where running from are lower than the tank, so use caution on un-monitored discharge.....I speak of this from first hand experience:mixed: :mixed: Now the my parms in my FOWLR tank where MUCH higher than yours, but none the less use caution.

Dick

 

[kvmn]

are you seriuos??

are you seriuos??

are you seriuos that the alk will keep fallling and i have to keep brig it up all the time?? what is people usually do in here any way??
what do you used or what best would you do to keep alk stay put
? thanks

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12233065#post12233065 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by siskiou
As far as I understand, you will have to compensate for the alk falling as long as you use the unit.

 

[EnderG60]

Im only going to be gone for 30 hours so Im not to worried, but yeah I only make small changes when the effluent says its ready. And I havent seen any nitrites in the effluent yet.

 

[1scienceguy]

Here's a quick question: would crushed up shell materials suffice as ARM media?

 

[adnup]

Re: are you seriuos??

Re: are you seriuos??

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12235090#post12235090 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kvmn
are you seriuos that the alk will keep fallling and i have to keep brig it up all the time?? what is people usually do in here any way??
what do you used or what best would you do to keep alk stay put
? thanks

Before the denitrater I dose with ESV 2 part. Now that I have the SR I dose with 2 part AND I mixed up some of Randy's 2 part for ALK(baking soda) and dose that in addition to the ESV.

 

[Megalodon]

Forgive me in advance as I don't have enough time to read this entire thread, but I could just put two Phosban reactors in a series, one with sulfur, and the other with crushed coral and carbon?

 

[kolivo]

<a <a href="http://s50.photobucket.com/albums/f312/dj_frankie/Modified%20Sulfur%20Reacto/?action=view&current=DSC_0154.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f312/dj_frankie/Modified%20Sulfur%20Reacto/DSC_0154.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Enjoy,
djfrankie [/B]

great projects everyone!!!!

I am getting my project on the way:bounce3: couple of ??? if you don't mind...

what size tap did you use to make the thread on the elbows and on the T? the 3/8 tap you listed for making the thread is too small to make that thread!!!

what is the size of the quick connect that fits that thread?

what am I missing???

Thanks,
Kelvin.

 

[djfrankie]

3/8". It has to be pipe thread though.

HTH,
djfrankie

 

[djfrankie]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12245924#post12245924 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Megalodon
Forgive me in advance as I don't have enough time to read this entire thread, but I could just put two Phosban reactors in a series, one with sulfur, and the other with crushed coral and carbon?

I understand.

You could do that, but before you do that read page 14 for the guidelines.

Let me know if you have questions after that.

HTH,
djfrankie

 

[djfrankie]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12235483#post12235483 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 1scienceguy
Here's a quick question: would crushed up shell materials suffice as ARM media?

I would suppose yeah....as long as you didn't pick it up from a beach and the shells are polluted.

djfrankie

 

[kolivo]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12250708#post12250708 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by djfrankie
3/8". It has to be pipe thread though.

HTH,
djfrankie

pipe thread
thanks for the quick response!!!

ok i just did a quick search on A M A Z ON and found this...
Irwin Taper Pipe Tap, 3/8-18 NPT
is this what I need?

 

[djfrankie]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12250953#post12250953 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kolivo
pipe thread
thanks for the quick response!!!

ok i just did a quick search on A M A Z ON and found this...
Irwin Taper Pipe Tap, 3/8-18 NPT
is this what I need?

That's it

 

[serpentman]

3/8-18NPT taps call for a 37/64" hole. Unfortunately its a hard bit to find at most box stores.

I put a couple of these together and have found the 5/8 hole for the threaded areas was a bit too loose and prone to drips without a lot of teflon tape. I found that using a 9/16" hole works better. Its snug but seems to be better.

 

[adnup]

If anyone's counting down with me

Down to 1 ppm! :rollface:

 

[djfrankie]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12256741#post12256741 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by adnup
If anyone's counting down with me

Down to 1 ppm! :rollface:

Nice, but how do you measure 1 ppm?

djfrankie

 

[djfrankie]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12250953#post12250953 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kolivo
pipe thread
thanks for the quick response!!!

ok i just did a quick search on A M A Z ON and found this...
Irwin Taper Pipe Tap, 3/8-18 NPT
is this what I need?

When you start tapping it...back out every few turns and add some dish washing liquid and water to easy it in.

HTH,
djfrankie

 

[adnup]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12256778#post12256778 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by djfrankie
Nice, but how do you measure 1 ppm?

djfrankie

Salifert Low range NO3.

 

[djfrankie]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12256851#post12256851 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by adnup
Salifert Low range NO3.

Oh yeah...that's the one that got me in trouble

Thanks for keeping us updated!

djfrankie

 

[TulsaReefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12232982#post12232982 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kvmn
hi,,i have this diy unit running for a few month now,,,just want to know if my alk keep falling down all the time?? every time i bring it up and it keep going down,,,is this gonna happen for ever?? or does it stop some day,,,all i have is two part solution,,,


no calcium reactor yet,,, thanks

Yes, part of the reaction that happens to break down nitrate in a sulfur unit will lower your alkalinity. I have been running a unit now for a year. I still use two part, and then I use either Seachem Reef Builder, or the alkalinity portion of Randy's Two Part formula to bring the alkalinity back up if it's too low. Randy's Two Part formula is really inexpensive, I bought a 4 lb box of baking soda for a little over two dollars.

From the way I look at it, having zero nitrate is easier to deal with on my tank and if I have to add buffer to bring up the alkalinity in return I'm happy to do that. Alkalinity is easy to test for (quick test, no waiting), and cheap to supplement. I will say in the year I've had the denitrator running my growth has been so good that I now take corals down to be traded in for credit almost every week.

And I don't think it's all the reactor, another thing that also makes your alkalinity head down is that if you have any stony corals at all (LPS or SPS), or even heavy coralline grown, when your nitrates are at zero they all grow really quickly, which consumes large amounts of both calcium and alkalinity. I've had to increase my additions of two part to almost double what I had in the past since things are growing so fast.