Donovan's Nitrate Destroyer
- Thread starter djbon
- Start date
Don one more question for you. Earlier you have written,that every morning you notice bacterioplankton,released from your reactor. Why every morning and not continuously?
djbon
New member
Running skimmerless is not a problem, you can use filter socks to catch the extra bacterial bloom. Slime build up on socks are a good sign of working reactor. I do have skimmer but i only use it for about nine hours daily. After certain period of lowering no3, bacteria slime will be lesser to a point where socks is no longer gets slimy coverage. That is the time i get bacteria plankton on first sign of light daily. My skimmate is very light and wet, used to be dark and dry.
djbon
New member
I might get bacteria plankton round the clock as one of my open brain never stop extending its tentacle. Occassionaly my sun corals are blooming randomly, possibly sensing some foods in the water, aka bacteria plankton. It is only visible when light are coming from the window. The bacteria plankton are colorless, hence the hazy apperance when backlight hitting the tank. Can't see it with lights shining from top. I think another thread about dymico is also having bacteria plankton as one of the byproduct.
ravi197699
Member
Thank you for the pictures, This is what I have used, only thing I am missing is corus calcium media, i have started the build process of 10" diameter reactor, I will order this media next and take advantage of Black Friday sales..
djbon
New member
Coral rubble is super cheap here. 10 kilogram only cost me around RM20 or less than USD5.
ravi197699
Member
That is cheap, do they sell online, I don;t mind and buying and paying for shipping, to fill 10" diameter pipe will take whole alot of this stuff
ravi197699
Member
Pm Sent buddy
What media and in what order, have you in there? Do you prefilter, the water you are supplying in the reactor?
PS I am currently dosing 3.5 ml nopox, without any measurably proof that devitrification occurring in there, but everything is more than ok in DT, not any flow fluctuation either in the reactor, so I continue slowly increasing nopox dosing, waiting to have the same results as Don. But in any case I wasn't expected to delay so much, seeing measurable results!
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djbon
New member
What media you use?. Are you using solely seachem denitrate?. If yes, clogging is highly possible as denitrate will densely packed inside reactor. As you can see in my latest post, i use different size media. At the "U" corner, i use even bigger chunk of coral rubble, an inch or so in size. Layering with alternating sizes is critical, this will ensure smooth water flow. As you know, this design is pressureless design, water flow is gravity pulled.
djbon
New member
I'm quite sad you still haven't achieved denitrification Greg. Can you snap a picture of your reactor and media you use?. I have a friend whom doesn't convinced with my theory, but in the end built a reactor as per designed and within a week he is seeing no3 reduction. He reused the media from his reactor and dosing sugar. This is his reactor in the sump.
Attachments
Photos and details in post 172 Don. Still believe-hope that it will finally work
but I can not understand, how just seeding with commercial bacteria, speed in yours, denitrification so much.
jml1149
New member
Going to use this vodka auto doser. 20 drops = 1ml
I was considering the same thing, but you're going to have to rig some kind of Venturi input otherwise the back pressure might not allow it to drain
djbon
New member
Photos and details in post 172 Don. Still believe-hope that it will finally work
Did you seed the reactor?. If yes, when was that?. You didn't use mechanical filter right?. If you don't run a skimmer, the extra bloom of bacteria can be exported if filtered into a socks. We need to "throw away" the bacteria slime to export out no3. Once nutrient is low, extra bacteria will be consumed by corals and other inhabitants.
djbon
New member
I think it should be able to drain properly provided that the end tubing is not fitted tightly into the dosing hole. Some freeplay will not pressurized the chamber.
Don as I wrote earlier , I didn't seed with commercial bacteria, I prefer the slow natural colonisation with indigenous bacteria of my system. The way a reactor like this should work, is through denitrification and not bacteria export, through socks or skimer. Denitrification in my case didn't yet occur or the population of denitrify bacteria inside the reactor is still to small, to achieve lower measurable no3 values at reactors outlet , compared to DT. I hope soon I will match your results.
djbon
New member
It will be considerably slower without seeding, but i believe it will be much more stable in the end as bacteria zoning happens naturally according to your tank microbial load. I am on my 10th months marks now, and no3 & po4 seems to settling at 1 - 3ppm and less than 0.1ppm respectively. My corals are growing quite well.
