Donovan's Nitrate Destroyer

[salty joe]

Also, I've been thinking about adding a recirculating pump to this, so the output would flow back into the top of the input, the intake from the tank would be via venturi, and controlled by a valve on the output. The intent is to recirculate low oxygen water, to increase the area available for de-nitrification.

I used that scheme for a calcium reactor but the flow was unsteady after a few weeks. I did not want to add a second pump but realized if I wanted steady effluent flow, I had to.

 

[djbon]

My fountain pump failed yesterday. Tripped main supply, luckily my wife was at home. I am going to rebuild my reactor with major changes on aerobic zone (1st chamber) and mostly bio balls on 2nd chamber. I will still be using 2 inches of seachem denitrate at the last section.

 

[djbon]

My new denitrator. 4" pipe, 15" high. 1st chamber halfway filled with ceramic ring and lava rock, bottom half filled with 1" diameter cylindrical bio tube, same with 2nd chamber bottom half. 2nd chamber top half filled with bio balls 1/2" diameter. Tank and effluent no3 reading equal to 8ppm using nyos test kit.

 

[jml1149]

I reduced the flow out of the reactor and almost immediately the ORP started to drop: (increase in pH is decrease in ORP)

I'm going to try and get the whole system anaerobic, and measure the effluent then. Then, I'll start ramping up the flow and see if we can detect a change. I'll need a way to compare colors I guess, I wonder if I can take pictures adequately?

 

[djbon]

What test kit you are using jml?. Top view charts reads better even on camera.

 

[jml1149]

Currently using API and Salifert, but I'm going to pick up a nyos

 

[djbon]

Currently using API and Salifert, but I'm going to pick up a nyos

I still using API kit to test effluent output. As long as the results are zero, there is no reason to use a better kit . I am using NYOS kit for DT.

 

[jml1149]

I slowed the flow back down to a fast trickle and the ORP recovered back to its previous state in a couple hours.

 

[djbon]

How does it affects denitrification process jml?. Higher ORP means oxygen is used up faster?. Sorry, I don't understand how ORP works

 

[jml1149]

Yeah, ORP is tied to the amount of oxidizers available in the water, Oxygen being chief among them. A decrease in ORP is a decrease in available oxygen, and a measure of the "anerobicness" of the reactor. The sweet spot seems to be -150mV, or on the pH chart 10

 

[djbon]

This is what I read on the internet for waste water industry. Is there any similarity?

 

[jml1149]

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-12/rhf/feature/

 

[jml1149]

Also here:

http://www.masa.asn.au/masawiki/index.php/Sulphur_Denitrator

 

[djbon]

Going to read all that. Thanks JML

 

[djbon]

Second day update:

DT - 8ppm / Reactor - 5ppm

 

[djbon]

Didn't know top view pictures will show more colors...

 

[djbon]

Today update:

DT - 4-5ppm / Reactor - 3ppm

 

[jml1149]

What do you keep your Alk at djbon? I tested last night and it's 8.8 dKh, a little higher than I prefer when carbon dosing. However, doesn't seem to have the same effect with vinegar as when I was using nopox.

I'm currently dosing 33ml a day, on a 120g tank, so I could up a bit. Looks like ORP has reached stasis in this current configuration:

 

[djbon]

Alk is stable at 8dkh (API kit, actual level might be different with more precise kit). Sodium bicarb drip method using improvised IV dripper.

 

[jml1149]

WHY CANT ANY OF THE COLORS JUST BE THE SAME!!!!!!