DIY Sulfur Denitrator

Ok, I double checked the tanks reading - holding steady at 30ppm (API). Based on the calculations, I should have about .7L of sulfur. I had the whole 3.5lbs in there.

Today's action, upon still seeing 50ppm in the effluent after 15 days:

1. I removed all the media to a clean bucket.
2. Cut down the foam by 1/2 - it was a but thicker than I thought - basically left just enough to keep the media out from the bottom.
3. Swapped out the mj1200 for an mj900.
4. removed all kinks from supply line - there were some air pockets getting trapped in there, now any trapped air will go to the other side of the manifold and out the GFO reactor.
5. Placed .7L of sulfur back in.

I filled the unit to just above the intake for the recirc to verify that nothing was clogging it - so far so good. Placed the top cap on, let it sit for a few minutes and adjusted to 1dps.

I'll take a measurement tomorrow afternoon - hopefully I'll see something good. I also am now able to vent the top without shutting off the recirc - not sure if this is due to the mj900 or placing the unit on the floor (no head height).

Crossing fingers. :)


EDIT: DOH! Just realised I got media from premium aquatics and not Midwest Aquatics. The media says it's seeded with NBC#9, but I'm questioning that. Anyone that purchase it care to sell a bit?
 
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<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14140128#post14140128 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Zach.Attack6
Can any one explain, how a DIY sulf reactor works, because it may sound lazy but I have no time to read all posts
Click to expand...

Zach.........

As Marc mentioned read dj's (now a famous author :rollface: ) :

Do It Yourself â€"œ Sulfur Reactor
By Frank Aguilar (djfrankie)....post above....

Just a side note..........the photo's show the original design, dj and others, my self included went with simplier top, that look further in the article and you'll see that shown...much easier to get in to when needed.............

I know what you said about reading the complete thread, but IMO you should take the time because there's continuous updates posted as others progressed with use the of Denitrifier, stuff perhaps not covered by dj's article, as the article's intent, I would think, was to introduce others on RC on the build and not necessarily on it's long term use and some of things to look for as one cycles a Denitrifier.....but I'll dj himself chime in on that.....as I know he continues to follow this thread....
 
I just ordered some NBC#9. After consulting a few local people, the latest theory is that when my tank crashed (due to broken heater) in Feb, I probably lost a good bit of the beneficial bacterial colonies do to competition with cyano.

Thank goodness, I don't know what I'd spend all my money on if I didn't have this tank. :p
 
I don't think there is a reason to believe you would have lost your nitrifying or denitrifying bacteria to cyanobacteria.Perhaps they were depleted by some toxin from the heater or the wires.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14153226#post14153226 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tmz
I don't think there is a reason to believe you would have lost your nitrifying or denitrifying bacteria to cyanobacteria.Perhaps they were depleted by some toxin from the heater or the wires.
Click to expand...

I'm not saying it's completely gone, just perhaps not as prevalent as it should be. Looks like some others have experienced a similar issue with the wrong bacterial colony in the reactor - hopefully the NBC#9 will take care of that.
 
SR tank chemistry

SR tank chemistry

I'm back with a few questions.....

SR has been running for a little over a month now.
Effluent is O nitrate + nitrite. Tank level is SLOWLY coming down.
I'm not worried as my tank levels were VERY high to start with I know they will eventually come down to a safer level.

Testing /Chemistry questions follow....
1. The longer the SR runs the more I am noticing that when I test for nitrates from my tank, when I add reagent1 from my API test kit, the water turns clear yellow (as expected) but when I add the reagent to my effluent it has a smokey brown tint to it. Is this sulfur staining I am seeing? The brown dissipates a lot after I add reagent 2 to the sample. Assuming it is sulfur, do I need to run some Phosban to try to clean some of it out of the tank, or is it OK?

2. I did notice a drop in my tank's pH level (to somewhere between 7.7 to 7.8 -- was previously around 8) and I dosed the tank with Baking Soda to buffer it out. 2tsp/week for 2 weeks. My pH is back to about 8.0 and my dKh is about 10. I did some reading about tank ALk levels and I'm confused as to how high a dKh reading I should have to to be comfortable about my Alk level. Also, is using Baking Soda OK?, or should I use Washing Soda? or a commercial marine buffer?

For information purposes, my SR is 1/3 LSM sulfur and 2/3 ARM.

Thanks for the help/info........................ MARC
 
marc............

No ??? about it your "Big Brown" is cycling....nice job, not everyone does so well with the high initial Nitrates you had @ +80 PPM or more.

What nitrate/nitirte kits are you using and are they fresh..?? i ask this because i had the same issue(s) with color changes( using API kits) when testing the effluent it seems Nitrite, even small amounts "could" effect the color reaction(s) when testing for Nitrates, but shouldn't adversly effect the final results...so I don't think it's a sulfur compound, but honestly I'm not the best one to answer chem. ???(s) sorry .

The GFO your ordered back in Dec. did you get it ? If so it could never hurt to trickle your effluent over or threw it...I did this when guarding against any H2S getting back to the tank...

On pH/ALK ??? this can be a challage....no ? about it sulfur denitrification will release "acid" producing compounds (here we go again with chemistry) now I don't use dkh rather I have been running 3.0 to 3.5 meg/l which is the same thing as 8.4 to 9.8 dkh. I'm not sure that helps you, but I hope it does. At those levels I have NO issues with zoas, softies, xenia's, m'rooms...oh and I have a real nice Goniporia in there ( I wouldn't normally try one of those, but my LFS was going under and nobody else up here had a real chance with it so....) and it's been doing nicely for 3 months. Notice I donot have any SPS in there (which propably require higher levels, I'm sure and MORE light than I have) IMO...

So I guess @ dkh of 10 your doing ok ! BUT you must watch your pH daily along with ALK, as for dosing I will let some else chime in as I don't to steer you wrong, for whats worth I was using a 2 part, but even with that I couldn't keep up with the dropping ALK so as stated in a previous posting I'm no longer running a SR as I have been @ Zero or near Zero for some time. IMO I don't think we have to be a Zero but I sure someone jump all over that one...no biggie....just my 2cents..

Dick
 
If nitrite is present it will make the nitrate appear higher than it is on some test kits. I have no idea what the brown is.

Low ph is an indicator of higher CO2 in the SR effluent and obviously then the tank. .

Buffers including baking soda will not correct a ph problem except perhaps for a very short term bump. I would not recommend using buffer to fix ph problems. Limewater which consumes CO2 and has a high ph (12.4) will help. More aeration or gas exchange may help a little. You can also raise the effluent ph a bit by passing it through a course of argonite ( clacium reactor media). As this dissolves it will absorb some of the CO2 and raise the effluent ph.

Buffers do raise alkalinity . Baking soda is bi carbonate which is what most commercial buffers are . It is a fine buffer to raise alkalinity. Unbaked baking soda, however, may lower ph slightly since it absorbs CO2 from the air. Baked baking soda is soda ash and may have a slight ph raising effect since the baking blows off the CO2.
Generally most recommend an alkalinity range of from 7dkh( 2.5 meq/l ) which is about where natural sea water is up to 11 dkh(4.0meq/l). Where you decide to be within this range depends on your approach and a number of variables including the type of corals you are keeping and their carbonate/bicarbonate consumption rates.I favor the high side with dkh between 11 and 12, since it gives me better sps growth. An important caveat is that rapid alkalinity changes may cause difficulty for some if not most corals.
 
pH/Alk continued....

pH/Alk continued....

Tom and Dick, thanks for your input.

I'll clear up a few points.... I am using an API nitrate test kit which is about 1 year old by the manuf date stamped on the reagents (this is the best my LFS had when I replaced my original kit which was over 2 years old). I think the numbers I am getting out are fairly accurate as when I have my LSF test my water it is reasonably close to the results I get. My tank and effluent nitrites are pretty close to 0.

As for the smokey brown staining I am noticing, the effluent is perfectly clear coming out of the tube. I only notice the staining when I add reagent 1 (and this staining does NOT occur when I directly test the tank water). Since nothing in the tank seems to be suffering, I guess I won't sweat it right now. HAS ANYBODY ELSE OUT THERE SEEN THE SAME EFFECT WITH THEIR REACTOR???
If I assume it IS sulfur, then I should be able to lower any effect on my tank and its inhabitants by addln use of Phosban. I have 1/2 a container left over (other 1/2 is in my outside canister filter) and can add it to either my "aeration" filter (an old AquaClear that I simply run empty to churn up the surface tension and better aerate the tank -- got the suggestion from another forum years ago) or the output chamber of my protein skimmer. Didn't DJ give a reference a while back stating that natural seawater is full of elemental sulfur? So maybe it doesn't make a difference if I do it or not.

As for my Qs on pH and Alk levels, it just occurred to me that I have never actually checked the pH or Alk level of the effluent -- I've only been checking the tank levels. It would be interesting to see what the result is. Remembering that 2/3 of my SR is ARM, that should be helping out.

Will keep you all posted on progress............ MARC
 
marc...........

You're very welcome.............I really don't think it is sulfur as such as no one that I'm aware of ever reported on this, I had the same issues (with brown color) while my cycled, but soon "disappeared" as the unit progressed to zero..

What skimmer are you using ?? I ask because if was an Aqua C for example with a 'John Guest" fitting which will accept 1/4" tubing. My effluent was sent thru my EV-120's fitting which made it handy, as heavy oxidation will "oxidize" compounds like H2S as a safety factor....

Testing the effluent for pH and ALK will be interesting, as I recall for knowledge and records, while my cycled I did that and found a couple of interesting things, first the pH was much lower than the tank, around ph 7.55 to 7.65 as I recall, actually I never checked ALK as at the time pH was what I was watching mostly for interest, but it showed the the "acidifying" effect of a SR, no big suprise here I guess. What's interesting is I wonder I low pH might have been w/o the ARM ?? ....just a few thoughts for you Marc and continued good luck.

Dick
 
Ok, injected my reactor with .25g of NBC#9 @ 4:45PM today. As a note, there has been NO gas since I broke the reactor down, however I got a nitrite test and it looked like 5ppm on the chart.
 
NCN.............

Good, it's the start of the cycling.

As you may know I had to add NBC #9 to my SR, but just the one addition and it worked...Actually, I add a small measure to my tank on a monthly basis, I had it so I'm using it ......
Soon there is the likely hood of gas (nitrogen) small at first, collecting in the "top" of the SR. One way of actually "seeing" this is to attach a 1/4" hose on the vent valve and submerging the open end in a clear container, then slowing opening the valve, if gas is present you will get bubbles of N2. For what's worth as mine peaked in it's cycle I got a "ton" of bubbles, sometimes lasting for 15 to 20 seconds...Now this may not happen to you, but it did to me and it is the formation of H2S or hydrogen sulfide (rotten egg smell) due to the flow rate (FR) getting to slow after increasing the FR it disappered...nasty stuff, so one way to detect the early start of H2S is carefully sniff at the open container but do this carefully as it can be nasty (If a lot has formed you willn't need to sniff becasue you know immediatley as it stinks). This is one reason dj suggests dayily monitoring for Nitrates and adjusting the FR as needed..

As I'm sure you are aware now be carefull to monitor you flow rate......go slow...............and check for Nitrates.

Good luck

Dick
 
Will the reactor work on a gravity feed and no recirculating pump?
Would it be better to have 3 layers :( sand -sulfur -Sand).
Another idea what if we used 3 water canisters like the one used with RO units. The first with sand the second with sulfur the third with sand .
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14175691#post14175691 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by buffalo123
Will the reactor work on a gravity feed and no recirculating pump?
Would it be better to have 3 layers :( sand -sulfur -Sand).
Another idea what if we used 3 water canisters like the one used with RO units. The first with sand the second with sulfur the third with sand .
Click to expand...
:)

I don't think it would work very well without recirculation to keep the media fulidized. The water would very likely channel through and the nitrate it carrries would have limited exposure to the sulfur.

What is the intended purpose of the sand in the sand sandwich?.Seems like the issue of flow through would be similar and I'm not sure what if any benfit the sand would have.
 
could it channel with so little water coming out the outlet. I would think the sand & sulfur would be submerged. I guess no real purpose for the 2nd sand.
 
I just completed my dual chamber tonite.I did vary it a little from DJ's tho.When I was at lowes getting supplies I noticed a "wax free" gasket that fits onto the flanges perfect,$1.97.I only used 4 nylon nuts/bolts thru existing 4 holes on flanges and it worled perfect.I just finished a pressure test and no leaks from fittings,cover plate or CPVC.

Instead of using a "tee" on the recirc I tapped a hole at the bottom of reactor and used a 1/4 JGx1/4 MIP fitting for input.

I also used clear acrylic for my cover plate so I could see into chamber if needed.Dont know if light will cause any harm,but at the most I could spray top with Krylon to block light.The Korallin units are exposed to light so I dont see why this wouldnt work

My second chamber(ARM media) also has clear acrylic lid and only 4 bolts,using the 1.97 gasket as well and it stood up to great pressure.Im seriously thinking of adding a MJ400/600 as a recirc on this unit as well(couldnt hurt) just to give a little extra safety with the effluent going into my sump.

Im feeding these off a manifold system connected to a rio2500 which also runs my turbotwist 18w,2 TLF phos150's(both of which Im thinking of replacing with another 4"x16" PVC reactor).

I would have liked to make them out of acrylic cylinders but at 115.00 for both units including 2 powerheads,and caribsea ARM and LSM, I couldnt beet it.

Thanks to DJfrankie and everyone else who contibuted to this awesome build.Hopefully within a couple of weeks my nitrates will be at 0.For 3 years now ALL my param's have been in the green except nitrates which have fluxed between 50-100.Maybe now I can start adding some SPS and other corals.

Thanks again everyone.Ill try to post pics in my gallery as soon as I can resized them.
 
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