DIY Sulfur Denitrator
- Thread starter djfrankie
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djfrankie, this is geared to you, but I am posting it instead of a pm thinking others might be wondering the same thing:
with the cost of acrylic, I am thinking it would be cheaper to use 2 phosban reactors or similar media reactors. But for the sake of the conversation--how big of a system with a heavy trate load do you think 2 phosban reactors could handle, 1 with sulfur and the other with arm (and a maxijet 900 for recirc, I like that it draws so much less power than the 1200)?
Thanks
Cheree
with the cost of acrylic, I am thinking it would be cheaper to use 2 phosban reactors or similar media reactors. But for the sake of the conversation--how big of a system with a heavy trate load do you think 2 phosban reactors could handle, 1 with sulfur and the other with arm (and a maxijet 900 for recirc, I like that it draws so much less power than the 1200)?
Thanks
Cheree
djfrankie
In Memoriam
Check out page 25. Steve 926 made a unit out of a phosban reactor and it looks very nice. You could probably fit a liter of media inside one reactor and that is good up to about a 200 gallon tank. You may want to use a smaller Maxijet for this small size reactor. Check out what Steve 926 uses.
HTH,
djfrankie
djfrankie
In Memoriam
Recirculating water inside the unit makes the reactor more efficient and it allows you to use less media. If your nitrates are lower than 50 ppm you may get away with it, but I don't recommend it.
Upflow is highly recommended since it prevents channeling within the media and air pockets within the media which are detrimental to anaerobic bacteria are minimized.
In essence is pretty much similar to a calcium reactor.
djfrankie
Black71gp
New member
ok.. i uped my flow to about 10 ML per 10 seconds so i guess 60ML per min. still at 0 but i am getting an amazing amount of gas build up.. if i bleed it off before i go to bed.. by the time i wake up there is 1.5" of gas at the top of the 6" tube and the whole reactor looks like milk cause its getting sucked in the recirc pump.. if i up the flow will that end the gas? or lower it?
rolyguy7
Member
My tanks levels are down between 5-10ppm hard to tell the color difference on this test kit. However I did slightly increase the effluent flow last night so they should be closer to 0ppm when I get home today. 
I would have had it dialed in sooner if I hadn't gotten ahead of myself. I ended up at one point moving to too fast of a drip which I had to throttle back to let the bacteria catch up which cost me a few extra days to reach the flow I'm at at the moment. However once I figured out what I did wrong I was able to dial it in easily. This is what worked best for me so I thought I'd share my experience.
I would test my nitrates coming out of the effluent 3 times a day. Morning, afternoon when I arrived from work and before going to bed. If at any point the nitrates read 0ppm out of the effluent I would slightly speed up the drip rate (1 additional drop per second) and do an additional test after 2 hours of adjusting the drip rate to make sure the new drip rate wasn't too fast. If the output on the effluent after the adjustment tested at the same as the tanks, that was an indication that the drip rate was too fast so I would back it up a bit and wait until bed time for the next test. If nitrates were back to 0ppm on the effluent at bedtime I'd speed it up again just a little and test in the morning. Keeping the effluent output 10 to 20ppm under the tanks nitrate level then waiting until the nitrates got back down to 0ppm before making an adjustment seemed to be the sweet spot for me. Nitrate output on the effluent being the same as the tanks actually seemed to have slowed down the bacteria growth which cost me those few extra days . Wash rinse and repeat... lol.
What I noticed is that the first few days the denitrator would take a full day to end up with a 0ppm effluent at it's current drip rate. As day 3 and 4 came around I was able to speed up the effluent rate twice a day. Looks like once the bacteria starts multiplying to some heavy numbers it can much easily increase it's colony size which makes sense. I actually dialed mine in connected to my display tank without a problem however I was testing very often (between 3-5 times a day depending on the nitrate results on the effluent) so unless you have the time to be testing your effluent every few hours as I did I don't recommend setting it up this way. If you do have the time it was my experience that you can have it dialed-in in a pretty short time.
Hope this helps some of you out there that are having some challenges setting this up...
I would have had it dialed in sooner if I hadn't gotten ahead of myself. I ended up at one point moving to too fast of a drip which I had to throttle back to let the bacteria catch up which cost me a few extra days to reach the flow I'm at at the moment. However once I figured out what I did wrong I was able to dial it in easily. This is what worked best for me so I thought I'd share my experience.
I would test my nitrates coming out of the effluent 3 times a day. Morning, afternoon when I arrived from work and before going to bed. If at any point the nitrates read 0ppm out of the effluent I would slightly speed up the drip rate (1 additional drop per second) and do an additional test after 2 hours of adjusting the drip rate to make sure the new drip rate wasn't too fast. If the output on the effluent after the adjustment tested at the same as the tanks, that was an indication that the drip rate was too fast so I would back it up a bit and wait until bed time for the next test. If nitrates were back to 0ppm on the effluent at bedtime I'd speed it up again just a little and test in the morning. Keeping the effluent output 10 to 20ppm under the tanks nitrate level then waiting until the nitrates got back down to 0ppm before making an adjustment seemed to be the sweet spot for me. Nitrate output on the effluent being the same as the tanks actually seemed to have slowed down the bacteria growth which cost me those few extra days . Wash rinse and repeat... lol.
What I noticed is that the first few days the denitrator would take a full day to end up with a 0ppm effluent at it's current drip rate. As day 3 and 4 came around I was able to speed up the effluent rate twice a day. Looks like once the bacteria starts multiplying to some heavy numbers it can much easily increase it's colony size which makes sense. I actually dialed mine in connected to my display tank without a problem however I was testing very often (between 3-5 times a day depending on the nitrate results on the effluent) so unless you have the time to be testing your effluent every few hours as I did I don't recommend setting it up this way. If you do have the time it was my experience that you can have it dialed-in in a pretty short time.
Hope this helps some of you out there that are having some challenges setting this up...
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saltydog64
New member
SR Shutdown
SR Shutdown
dj---------------Thanks for your recent reply, that was very impressive and represented a large, time consuming effort, thanks again.
As per your suggestion(s) I shut it down and opened the SR. To my surprise and somewhat disappointment it was and is very clean in there, (the sulfur was clean and it was just like
the media I took a pic. of earlier:
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/173564FISH_Pictures_007__Small_.jpg [/IMG]
This media came from:
http://www.aquaticeco.com/customers/subcategories/453/Nitrate-Filter/sc246/0
I rinsed all the media(s) w/ RO and replaced 1/2 of the matrix (NOT Matrix carbon) with more rinsed sulfur, so now in the SR I have 1/3 Matrix and 2/3 sulfur.
My orginal shut down was NOT due to a problem, it was as a result of someone concern back then about LSM (the media I was using turned to mush or something like that, I replaced it with the above media and got it to cycle out of a bucket.....
Oh ya I already added a dose of NBC# 9 to my tank two weeks ago and follow up last Tuesday.
The SR is now cycle @ 1d/sec.......we wait.
SR Shutdown
dj---------------Thanks for your recent reply, that was very impressive and represented a large, time consuming effort, thanks again.
As per your suggestion(s) I shut it down and opened the SR. To my surprise and somewhat disappointment it was and is very clean in there, (the sulfur was clean and it was just like
the media I took a pic. of earlier:
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/173564FISH_Pictures_007__Small_.jpg [/IMG]
This media came from:
http://www.aquaticeco.com/customers/subcategories/453/Nitrate-Filter/sc246/0
I rinsed all the media(s) w/ RO and replaced 1/2 of the matrix (NOT Matrix carbon) with more rinsed sulfur, so now in the SR I have 1/3 Matrix and 2/3 sulfur.
My orginal shut down was NOT due to a problem, it was as a result of someone concern back then about LSM (the media I was using turned to mush or something like that, I replaced it with the above media and got it to cycle out of a bucket.....
Oh ya I already added a dose of NBC# 9 to my tank two weeks ago and follow up last Tuesday.
The SR is now cycle @ 1d/sec.......we wait.
djfrankie
In Memoriam
Once your nitrate levels go lower and your effluent rate is much higher you will notice a tremendous decrease in gas build up.
You having to bleed off means the bacteria is hard at work in there doing a tremendous amount of nitrate conversion. Think of it as an 24 hour a day water change and all you have to do is flip the vent valve for 20-30 seconds at a time.
FWIW, I've been bleeding mine maybe once every two weeks...with the higher flow rates that I have now I went ahead and turned off the recirculation pump about a week ago and am closely monitoring for any changes. The idea is to save power and to make the reactor less efficient now that my nitrates have been zero for quite a while. Hopefully I won't have to open it up and remove media from it. So far I get hardly no gas build up and rotten egg smell either
I keep looking at the reactor everytime I go by the tank just to make sure the flow rate remains the same and so far so good.
I had tried turning the recirculation pump off a while back, but the flow kept getting blocked off with gas build up. This time is working good so far with no build up whatsoever and the effluent drip stays relatively constant.
When you think about it is really a balancing game, but no less than everything else in this wonderful hobby. Balance is the key to success.
I don't recommend anyone to do this at this point since I don't know for sure how it will turn out. I will give it a couple of months before recommending anyone to do as such.
Once again keep your eyes on Alk....it will drop.
HTH,
djfrankie
rolyguy7
Member
I upped the flow rate yesterday just a tad. Here are my results compared to yesterdays results:
Yesterday:
Todays results:
I've been feeding much more than I use too since I installed the denitrator so these results are just awesome if you ask me. My fish and corals are much happier due to the daily feasts they've been getting lately and all this without having to worry about nitrates. Win win situation.
Yesterday:
Todays results:
I've been feeding much more than I use too since I installed the denitrator so these results are just awesome if you ask me. My fish and corals are much happier due to the daily feasts they've been getting lately and all this without having to worry about nitrates. Win win situation.
Hi guys,
Nice work on the reactors! I havent built one yet, but a friend is asking for one for a clients tank.
My thoughts are that there is a lot of tweaking needed when first set up. I am worried that setting it up then not touching it for maybe a week will be quite detrimental to the system (H2S), or at very least take months to properly dial in.
Should I be looking at other nitrate reduction methods (RDSB), or is there a good method to get them cycled quickly, or tips on controlling H2S production?
I am still trying to catch up with so many pages here, but you folks seem to be the ones to ask The tank is a 500g FOWLR, big skimmer, UV, & Phos reactor.
What about automation? Is there anything that can be automated? (venting?). What features would the ultimate sulphur reactor have on it?
Thanks guys!
Chris
Nice work on the reactors! I havent built one yet, but a friend is asking for one for a clients tank.
My thoughts are that there is a lot of tweaking needed when first set up. I am worried that setting it up then not touching it for maybe a week will be quite detrimental to the system (H2S), or at very least take months to properly dial in.
Should I be looking at other nitrate reduction methods (RDSB), or is there a good method to get them cycled quickly, or tips on controlling H2S production?
I am still trying to catch up with so many pages here, but you folks seem to be the ones to ask
The tank is a 500g FOWLR, big skimmer, UV, & Phos reactor.What about automation? Is there anything that can be automated? (venting?). What features would the ultimate sulphur reactor have on it?
Thanks guys!
Chris
Black71gp
New member
well crap.. i just tested the nitrate comiing out and its a 5.. so i slowed it up again.. its like 4 dps.. should i add more sulfur? i only put about an little in compaired to the bio matrix. there was only maybe 1.5" on top of the biomatrix in a 6" tube... do i need more? does not seem to be keeping up... and thats pretty low flow
rolyguy7
Member
If your effluent is at 5ppm and your tanks nitrates are higher then that (above 10ppm) that's a good thing. Leave it alone at that drip rate. The bacteria will multiply and bring your effluent back down to 0ppm. Once back at 0ppm up the drip rate and test 2 hours after. If you read 5-10ppm nitrates at the effluent and this reading is still lower than your tanks nitrate levels by at least 10ppm then do the same thing (Leave it alone to give the bacteria time to multiply to handle the new drip rate). As long as the effluent nitrates are lower than the tanks then the bacteria is multiplying which means it's doing what it's suppose to do and will multiply to levels to handle the new drip/flow rate. Wait at least 12-24 hours and test again. If you still read nitrates but they are still lower than your tanks nitrate levels just leave it alone. You just have to give the bacteria time to multiply. If your effluent nitrates are coming out the same as your tanks nitrate levels then you jumped to too fast of a drip rate and you need to back it down a bit but not too much; just enough to get your effluent back down to 5-10ppm. As long as your effluent nitrates are lower than the tanks the bacteria will multiply and catch up with the drip/flow rate and will eventually reach 0ppm. The more bacteria in the denitrator the faster the drip/flow rate and the sooner you won't have to worry as much about nitrates as you use too.
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rolyguy7
Member
It doesn't take that long to setup unless you do not follow the proper directions to dial it in. My first time setting it up it took me a week because I had miss information and wasn't dialing it in properly. Even with having to start back up at 1dps after I had it up and running for 4 days it only took 2 to 3 days to get the results I have today. If you look on page 34 of this post you'll see a picture of my effluent flow rate. It's a steady stream. My tanks nitrates are down to 5ppm. I can increase that stream just a tad and reach 0ppm. But honestly, I prefer leaving it at 5ppm since I don't feel that 5ppm is going to adversely affect anything in my tank.
I've noticed in just the few days that my tank has been at under 10ppm that all my corals, fish and every living thing in my tank just seems more vibrant and happier. Coral polyps are extending much further than I've ever witnessed in the past in my tank. I'm stoked...
I've noticed in just the few days that my tank has been at under 10ppm that all my corals, fish and every living thing in my tank just seems more vibrant and happier. Coral polyps are extending much further than I've ever witnessed in the past in my tank. I'm stoked...
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12389358#post12389358 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by H20ENG
Hi guys,
Nice work on the reactors! I havent built one yet, but a friend is asking for one for a clients tank.
My thoughts are that there is a lot of tweaking needed when first set up. I am worried that setting it up then not touching it for maybe a week will be quite detrimental to the system (H2S), or at very least take months to properly dial in.
Should I be looking at other nitrate reduction methods (RDSB), or is there a good method to get them cycled quickly, or tips on controlling H2S production?
I am still trying to catch up with so many pages here, but you folks seem to be the ones to ask
What about automation? Is there anything that can be automated? (venting?). What features would the ultimate sulphur reactor have on it?
Thanks guys!
Chris
Chris, I just finished mine, but am going to try something a little different. I think it will take more time to cycle, but after that, there should be nothing else to do.
You have a good DIY eye, this was a very easy and inexpensive way to make a good reactor!
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