DIY Sulfur Denitrator

[wizsmaster]

I have mine offline for about 2 weeks now. I was unable to increase the flow the way I was plumbed, and therefor unable to supply the demand in order to keep the unit crashing.

I will monitor my nitrates over the next few weeks. I have yet to do another N03 test since taking the unit offline. Everything seems well so far.

I finally got all the media washed out, and the reactor cleaned up. Was sitting dead/ or dying for about 1 1/2 weeks. Quiet a stink that caused. :-/

 

[Akerfeldt]

Can someone help me out? I'm a tad frustrated.

I purchased a DIY denitrator a while back. It's around a 2' tall reactor (precision marine). Originally, I filled it a little past halfway up with sulfur media, and close to the top with regular A.R.M. I got close to 0ppm out of the effluent right away. After ramping up the dps, I tested again a few days later, and the effluent was the same as the tank. So I slowed the dps down, and started over. After ramping up... same thing.

The nitrates in my tank started at around 20ppm, and because I pulled out my refugium, they're up to 75-80, sigh.

Today, I took out half of the media... i thought maybe the eheim 1046 (79gph) wasn't enough to keep water properly flowing through the reactor?

Also, I was feeding kalkwasser through the compartment of my sump where the reactor was pulling water from. Is it possible that calcium precipitated onto the media, rendering it useless?

It seems like everyone is having an easy time with this except me.. I want to join in on the fun...

 

[kcress]

I just had the same 'misfire' occur. I thought my unit was running fine but I never got much gas from it.

It finally started putting out higher nitrates than what my tank was and always put out 1ppm of nitrite, which of course, my tank promptly turned into nitrate again.

So last weekend based on the theory that the established bacteria colony was not the right one, I pulled it apart. I removed all the Matrix material, (about 50 percent of the fill). I replaced that with 100% sulfur. I added one cup of my ancient, deep, crushed coral as I know there is the correct bacterial action on it as you can smell hydrogen sulfide faintly on in it.

I bottled it all back up and started it on 1dps.

Within hours the my reactor pump was cavitating. It cavitated so bad I thought I had some air leak. I pulled all the gas out of the top of it with a syringe. I left to work, came back and it was cavitating so bad no more drips were occurring. I started bleeding the gas again only to find it was heavily hydrogen sulfide! Booyah! This meant I had the right gang in residence.

I bled the gas off again and kept it bled off. The nitrate output has plunged and I have no nitrite output. I still have to bleed the gas every 3 hours.

I would recommend you definitely NOT use any ARM in your reactor. You need to follow the reactor with an ARM canister.

 

[Akerfeldt]

Why not use ARM? Because it somehow affects the bacterial colony inside the reactor?

 

[kcress]

Yes. Since the colony makes the water acidic, (I think), it does better with some acidity. You stick ARM into the reactor's loop and this acidity is reduced.

That's one reason you want the ARM in a following vessel.

The other reason is because this whole thing needs an anoxic environment, free of oxygen, how do you propose to replace the rapidly consumed ARM without letting oxygen into your established cononly?

 

[saltydog64]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12970290#post12970290 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Akerfeldt
Can someone help me out? I'm a tad frustrated.

I purchased a DIY denitrator a while back. It's around a 2' tall reactor (precision marine). Originally, I filled it a little past halfway up with sulfur media, and close to the top with regular A.R.M. I got close to 0ppm out of the effluent right away. After ramping up the dps, I tested again a few days later, and the effluent was the same as the tank. So I slowed the dps down, and started over. After ramping up... same thing.

The nitrates in my tank started at around 20ppm, and because I pulled out my refugium, they're up to 75-80, sigh.

Today, I took out half of the media... i thought maybe the eheim 1046 (79gph) wasn't enough to keep water properly flowing through the reactor?

Also, I was feeding kalkwasser through the compartment of my sump where the reactor was pulling water from. Is it possible that calcium precipitated onto the media, rendering it useless?

It seems like everyone is having an easy time with this except me.. I want to join in on the fun...

Akerfeldt............NO ! not everyone has had an easy time of it.. I know as I have been CYCLING one since February(actually with two SR's the last month) and just recently tamed the beast but more on that in a later update) , so you see it requires a TON of patience, and the believe that it works because it does.

A couple of thoughts on your project, first DON'T continue to open the SR as you only expose it to air, not good, second when you make changes to the FR (flow rate) you MUST wait several days and in your case with Nitrate @ + 70 PPM it could a week or even two to re-establish 0 PPM, go slow:rollface: :rollface:

Finally on the use of ARM in the actual SR, no one here has ANY issues( that I know of) with it's use upsetting the bio cycle, and to say so is just one persons unfounded opinion as lowering pH is a natural part of the breakdown of the NO3 and of course some sulfur and this can be of some use if applied correctly, how? by passing the effluent thru a sourse of calcium, in this case ARM, now the amount of actual calcium generated will be quite small, and will help controll pH drop, BUT not by itself so read more on this subject posted earlier. I actually use a second reactor to hold the ARM, but NOT for any concern about bio interference, but because I needed all the space in the SR for the Sulfur and I wanted a lot of ARM, plus on the top of the ARM I plan on placing a bag of GFO to help control any H2S that could be generated.

Once again donot continue open your unit to do so only slows down the bio cycle......hope this helps and good luck with your project....

 

[Steve 926]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12984157#post12984157 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by saltydog64
Akerfeldt............NO ! not everyone has had an easy time of it.. I know as I have been CYCLING one since February(actually with two SR's the last month) and just recently tamed the beast but more on that in a later update) , so you see it requires a TON of patience, and the believe that it works because it does.

A couple of thoughts on your project, first DON'T continue to open the SR as you only expose it to air, not good, second when you make changes to the FR (flow rate) you MUST wait several days and in your case with Nitrate @ + 70 PPM it could a week or even two to re-establish 0 PPM, go slow:rollface: :rollface:

Finally on the use of ARM in the actual SR, no one here has ANY issues( that I know of) with it's use upsetting the bio cycle, and to say so is just one persons unfounded opinion as lowering pH is a natural part of the breakdown of the NO3 and of course some sulfur and this can be of some use if applied correctly, how? by passing the effluent thru a sourse of calcium, in this case ARM, now the amount of actual calcium generated will be quite small, and will help controll pH drop, BUT not by itself so read more on this subject posted earlier. I actually use a second reactor to hold the ARM, but NOT for any concern about bio interference, but because I needed all the space in the SR for the Sulfur and I wanted a lot of ARM, plus on the top of the ARM I plan on placing a bag of GFO to help control any H2S that could be generated.

Once again donot continue open your unit to do so only slows down the bio cycle......hope this helps and good luck with your project....

Hey Kcress.

Keep your "Chin up Lad" & don't let those poor little critters see you frowning :lol:

Trial & error seems to be the norm with some of these reactors.

Don't let your Karma run over your dogma !! :lol:

Keep the faith & keep on trucking.

Steve

:smokin:

 

[Steve 926]

Sorry Kcress
that post was ment for Akerfeldt

It,s Sunday & too early to be typing !!

Steve:smokin:

 

[Kurt03]

Ive been wondering if there is any way to hook the output of a sulfur reactor to a calcium reactor? This would save on co2 and remove the need for the second chamber for the sulfur reactor right? What ph are we talking about in the sulfur reactor before going through calcium media?

 

[wizsmaster]

... depending on how large of a denitrifier you're running, and how much flow you're pushing through it to keep the bacteria stable ... it may be more headache than worth.

But in essence ... thats what the 2nd chamber is for .. it's a ca rx.

 

[knockout]

Question: Can I run the effluent thru a Kalkreactor? my pH is low unless I am dosing 24h/7, I figure this way I can avoid the low pH while adding my alk and calcium... I am currently running it thru aragonite but the pH is now low enough to dissolve the aragonite...

 

[TAMU Reef]

OK I am going to attempt to try this and will need all your help in putting one of these together. I put a kalk reactor together and this looks very similar to that. One question I do have is that I have a 58 gal reef aquarium. With my sump I should be around 75 gals total. If I use 6" OD acrylic tube, how tall should the unit be?

Thanks,
TAMUReef

 

[Steve 926]

My display & sump total about 60 + gal.
I converted a phosban reactor into a DeNitrator

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1288082&perpage=25&pagenumber=25

Steve

:smokin:

 

[siskiou]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12988598#post12988598 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by knockout
Question: Can I run the effluent thru a Kalkreactor? my pH is low unless I am dosing 24h/7, I figure this way I can avoid the low pH while adding my alk and calcium... I am currently running it thru aragonite but the pH is now low enough to dissolve the aragonite...

I have the same problem, and am dosing every day. Alk and pH drop like a lead balloon if I dont.
But I think Kalk needs to be dissolved in RO water. I don't think it works if you run saltwater through it (but I could be mistaken).

 

[pecan2phat]

uhmmm, what happened to djfrankie?
I haven't seen him post for quite some time now.

 

[saltydog64]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13007918#post13007918 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pecan2phat
uhmmm, what happened to djfrankie?
I haven't seen him post for quite some time now.

pecan.............excellant ?......I hope all is all right w/the man, we'll have to wait an see..............actually I think he is close by watching and reading HIS thread and when he feels the need he will jump in.:rollface: :rollface:

This way he can judge just how much all of us have learned from this thread and how we have applied this knowledge to our own systems......just my thoughts.

Dick

 

[djfrankie]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13007918#post13007918 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pecan2phat
uhmmm, what happened to djfrankie?
I haven't seen him post for quite some time now.

I'm still here guys and will always be

Have been really busy with a new business venture that is taking all my time and then some.

My thanks go out to everyone that have picked up the slack. I promise as soon as the dust is all settled I'll come back and participate much more.

Just to bring you guys back up to date regarding my system since the sulfur reactor was taken offline.

Nitrates have climbed up and remained at 5 .
Alk still has to be adjusted weekly since coral uptake has really taken off. I can't wait to finish my diy calcium reactor.
Cyano, diatoms and hair algae growth have significanty dissapeared.
I still feed the tank just as much
:rollface:

If anyone is having a real hard time setting their sulfur reactor up send me a pm. It will be easier for me to follow up.

My future intentions are to restart that sulfur reactor and document it here.

Happy Reefkeeping to everyone!

djfrankie

 

[siskiou]

Hi djfrankie,

do you recommend taking the sulfur reactor offline after a while?
My nitrates have been at 0 for weeks, with very little sulfur remaining in the reactor.
I could definitely live with nitrates at 5, if I can keep them there with regular water changes.

 

[Kurt03]

My guess would be to use the minimal amount of sulfur after you get your nitrates down. So after you hit 0 maybe take some sulfur out and restart? See if they stay at 0 or go up a little. Make corrections and repeat. Try to find the balance of the sulfur reactor using just enough nitrate to keep them down. I could be totally wrong in this thinking, if so feel free to correct me
Im not sure what happens to the reactor once less and less nitrate is available while approaching a 0 reading. I assume they start going at the sulfur and thats where the smell comes from? so less sulfur would be needed. I guess its similar to when theres not enough water flow through the reactor(ie not enough nitrate flowing through.)

I dont think you want truly 0 nitrates in the tank, but a 0 reading on the test kit is fine.

Just my .02

 

[saltydog64]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13010439#post13010439 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by djfrankie
I'm still here guys and will always be

Have been really busy with a new business venture that is taking all my time and then some.

My thanks go out to everyone that have picked up the slack. I promise as soon as the dust is all settled I'll come back and participate much more.

Just to bring you guys back up to date regarding my system since the sulfur reactor was taken offline.

Nitrates have climbed up and remained at 5 .
Alk still has to be adjusted weekly since coral uptake has really taken off. I can't wait to finish my diy calcium reactor.
Cyano, diatoms and hair algae growth have significanty dissapeared.
I still feed the tank just as much
:rollface:

If anyone is having a real hard time setting their sulfur reactor up send me a pm. It will be easier for me to follow up.

My future intentions are to restart that sulfur reactor and document it here.

Happy Reefkeeping to everyone!

djfrankie

dj..............All righty now.................busy is good, and speaking of good, GOOD hearing from you. Yes please keep us up to date, and while I'm @ it.....after I post my update, I think you will nominate me for the most persistant.....

Dick