DIY Sulfur Denitrator
- Thread starter JohnL
- Start date
skippyreef
New member
MY tank is at 0.00 now and I have the reactor wide open running and I have noticed some increased cloudiness to my tank water. I am wondering if I am getting a bacteria bloom in the tank secondary to a wide open reactor. I also still havea slight odor of rotten eggs even wide open. IS it time to take the second chamber off line now and continue to run the first with the recirc pump?
I couldn't wait... I just water tested the SD. The unit I built water tested OK. I didn't see any leaks.
When I measured out the sulfur I would need (even being a bit over generous) , I realized the unit I built is WAY too big for my needs. I never realized how little sulfur I would actually need for my 65gal tank. All you guys must have MONSTER tank set ups to need the size units I see throughout the thread!
My SD is about 26" tall, with at least 24x4" of usable inside space. Would you suggest I cut the thing in half and rebuild the bottom, or ... leave well enough alone, fill the bottom 2 1/2" with sulfur, 1" padding. then 18-20" of aragonite (if I have that much in my 4Kg tub), and the remaining inches for affluent. Since I painted the unit, cutting it down would mean I'd have to get a dremil and sand away the paint to have clean PVC to re-glue.
I'm open for all of your suggestions..............TNX..............Marc
When I measured out the sulfur I would need (even being a bit over generous) , I realized the unit I built is WAY too big for my needs. I never realized how little sulfur I would actually need for my 65gal tank. All you guys must have MONSTER tank set ups to need the size units I see throughout the thread!
My SD is about 26" tall, with at least 24x4" of usable inside space. Would you suggest I cut the thing in half and rebuild the bottom, or ... leave well enough alone, fill the bottom 2 1/2" with sulfur, 1" padding. then 18-20" of aragonite (if I have that much in my 4Kg tub), and the remaining inches for affluent. Since I painted the unit, cutting it down would mean I'd have to get a dremil and sand away the paint to have clean PVC to re-glue.
I'm open for all of your suggestions..............TNX..............Marc
Last edited:
saltydog64
New member
mj.........,
No leaks ?????? so leave well enough alone, and I don't recall your orginal Nitrate level, why ? if + 50 ppm or more (just my personal findings with my SR) you might in the long haul need more sulfur in there than the recommended amount, which I always considered a starting point, but not wriiten in stone, so to speak ! Once again be aware of the affects on ALK and pH a Sulfur
Denitrifier can have on these all important parms.
As always good luck with your project.
Dick
djfrankie
In Memoriam
I would really hate to go back and look for the specs on your unit so please post them here so we can help you out.
How many gallons of water in your system?
How many lites of media?
Recirculating?
Current nitrates in tank?
Flow rate?
How long has the unit been running?
Thanks,
djfrankie
skippyreef
New member
How many gallons of water in your system?
350 gallons
How many lites of media?
4 liters[B/]
Recirculating?
Yes
Current nitrates in tank?
0.00
Flow rate?
wide open
How long has the unit been running?
2.5 months
350 gallons
How many lites of media?
4 liters[B/]
Recirculating?
Yes
Current nitrates in tank?
0.00
Flow rate?
wide open
How long has the unit been running?
2.5 months
saltydog64
New member
dv.........they will run quite warm, but "HOT" not normal. Make sure you vent all gas, as this could add "back-pressure" ( not sure on that one, but check any way).....is it running quitely if not a piece of sulfur may got in there...feel it as it runs...does it run with no vibrations....just a couple of thoughts..
dvanacker
DID I SOUNDS SMRT??
Yes it runs with no back pressure. I know this because I vent the gas out the top and it was not under pressure. The pump is not vibrating or making noise and I know it is running as there are a few pieces of sulfur that made it under the sponge and they are bouncing around. That and the drip is working great. Is it because I used a MJ1200 20watt pump?? Anybody else using the MJ1200?? I used it because I wanted to make sure I wouldnt need a feed pump.
Hi all,
Awesome thread and thank you DJ.
I have gone through just about every page but I could not find any info on specifics on the recirculating pumps. I have built a 24" tall reactor for my 180 gal mixed reef with large fish. I wanted to buy an Eheim for a recirculating pump but I was not sure which model to get. Is the 1048 too small or should I go with the 1250 and just slow the flow down?
Thank you.
Awesome thread and thank you DJ.
I have gone through just about every page but I could not find any info on specifics on the recirculating pumps. I have built a 24" tall reactor for my 180 gal mixed reef with large fish. I wanted to buy an Eheim for a recirculating pump but I was not sure which model to get. Is the 1048 too small or should I go with the 1250 and just slow the flow down?
Thank you.
swearint
New member
Ok, I finally got mine to the point of adding the sulphur and testing it. I am not using any reactor media in the unit, so there is open space above the sulphur. The flow is bottom to top. So the problem I am having is that the sulphur is acting as a solid piston and rising to the top. Maybe this won't be a problem when I screw the top on and the pressure difference equalizes. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this.
Todd
Todd
saltydog64
New member
Todd...............I think what will happen is as the media soaks up real good....could take longer than we might think that will, and also did you put one of those filter discs on top and bottom of your sulfur, nice and snug fit, this also helps to keep the sulfur in place.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.........:rollface: :rollface:
Dick
swearint
New member
Yes, I found some foam discs at the LFS, (Fluval 203 that I don't think they even make anymore). The problem was not just a few beads floating around. The whole mass of sulphur and foam was pushing up like a solid piston. With the bioballs in place, there was no room for the sulphur mass to move, but still open enough for the water to flow around.
Todd
Todd
djfrankie
In Memoriam
Now would be a good time to wash the media with RO/DI water. You can wash the media and store the excess for future use. Keep about 2 liters in the reactor at this time. Reduce the flow to about 1/2 once you reduce the media and ramp it up from there everytime you reach zero nitrates out of the effluent. Every system is different so it would be almost impossible to tell you exactly the flow you need now, but here's a recommendation:
1 liter per hour per liter of sulfur media.
HTH,
djfrankie
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