Donovan's Nitrate Destroyer
- Thread starter djbon
- Start date
Returning at the end of august from 10 days vacation, while only an auto feeder threw some flakes and pellets in my tank, I noticed that I had to cleaned the glass instead every 5-6 days , every 2-3 days! Nothing else changed in my routine except the reduced feeding during my vacations. I measure after a long time no3 and po4 and were 2,5-3 ppm, and 0.15-0.2 respectively. Some cyano also reappeared on the sand bed. I increased carbon dosing from 7*1ml to 9*1ml into the reactor and after a month my no3 were lower than 1 ppm but po4 remain stable at 0.15-0.2 ppm. So I dosed some NaNO3 into the DT but after a week I thought to dilute NaNO3 into my nopox bottle and dosed with the doser in the reactor. After 2 weeks ofnthe above routine I measured yesterday no3 at 2.5 ppm but po4 are still stable and not reducing. Also the frequency of cleaning the glass is still very 2-3 days and the little cyano is persisting on the sand bed . I thought that by adding NaNO3 into the reactor the bacteria population will increased and consume more po4, balancing better cyano and reducing glass cleaning frequency. Untill now i only manage to increase slightly no3 but I haven't see any po4, cyano and film algae reduction. I know that 2 weeks are not a big time period to watch any results, but at least I was hoping to clean glass more sporadically. Any thoughts about my NaNO3 addition into the the nopox? Do you thing is a good idea, to achieve the purposes I want?About a month ago, after 10 months I started the denitrator, I had the first nearly blockage of the reactor , in a strange way....the flow didn't reduced a lot, but the water ,overflowed a little at the entrance of the reactor! I reduced carbon dosing from 9*1ml to 2*1ml /24h, for 3 days, increased the flow a lot for 5min after 3 days, and everything is normal again. This was the only serious maintenance , I did to the reactor the last 10 months, apart from cleaning the floss at the filter supplying water to the reactor , every month, and periodically adjust the flow at the filter. I aim about 300ml/minutes.
As far po4, I always had ATS and chaeto in my systems, but they couldn't keep up with phosphates, so I had to run 250ml of ferric po4 removers in a reactor for my net 850lt reef. But after tuning the denitrator by splitting carbon dosage throughout 24h , thanks to nematode experimentation, po4 remover is no more neededDon's denitrator , give that extra help reducing also po4
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djbon
New member
Your tank might have reached nitrate limiting phase. Do you see any issue with phosphate at that level?. My PO4 remained at 0.1ppm but didn't have cyano at all. Glass cleaning is a daily chores for me as I am running warmer spectrum for 3 hours daily. The extra 2ml nopox might have escaped out of the reactor, hence the cyano. Do you still running ATS?. Any info how much po4 in the fish food?.
Those levels of po4 have no impact on coral growth or colour. Kh consumption is stable, even my T now is 24°C instead of 27.5 two months earlier, and colour on across the same if not slightly improved....cyano reappearance and more often glass cleaning were the results I noticed.
djbon
New member
I am not sure how true it is, but a lot of things will slow down at lower temperature. It has to do with metabolic rate or something. Now my chiller are gone, my average temperature has risen to 28.5, maxed out at 31 on hot day. Glass cleaning is fine, but cyano is kind of weird. Have you tried a DIY nopox aka VSV?.
djbon
New member
Who's update?
Here's mine... You might have to wait another 6 months for a good growth on my tank
. Still running the same method (no skimmer, no water changes, my nitrate destroyer, added cryptic zone, live oysters, no chiller).Attachments
During the Christmas period, my reef from my mistake , was 18 h without electrical power. Fortunately in the DT I had one RW15 on a diy battery back up, which keep it going for the whole time. All my fish and corals survived. But I had no circulation on my RDSB, refugium , cryptic zone and Don reactor. After 2 weeks I noticed that I have to clean the glass from dusting algae, instead every 2-3 days, every 6-7! I was cleaning the glass so spare, only the first 1-2 months, when I started operate Don's reactor and again now. I attribute that, to the fact that the reactor has an effect on po4 , when the bacteria population inside it, is increasing. When the population is stabilized , no effect on po4, just on no3.
If this is correct, I wonder if we stop dosing carbon in the reactor periodically, so the bacteria population decrease, and then start dosing again to increase it, have a greater effect on po4? What do you think?
PS of course the last few months, I came at the conclusion, that high po4 in a mature reef, are not having any bad effect neither at any of our reef inhapidants nor are promoting algae......
If this is correct, I wonder if we stop dosing carbon in the reactor periodically, so the bacteria population decrease, and then start dosing again to increase it, have a greater effect on po4? What do you think?
PS of course the last few months, I came at the conclusion, that high po4 in a mature reef, are not having any bad effect neither at any of our reef inhapidants nor are promoting algae......
Last edited:
HidingReefer
New member
Who's update?
Here's mine... You might have to wait another 6 months for a good growth on my tank
Hey DJ,
Could you elaborate more on the cryptic zone? How does it work and how did you implement it in your system?
Also what do you use live oysters for?
Alma Knack
Member
I am sorry to inform you that Donovan drowned recently.
http://dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=122167
http://dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=122167
Pslreefer
New member
stormrider27
Member
Oh wow, how sad! I used his knowledge and drawings to build and integrate a nitrate destroyer on my new tank. It is working like a charm. He will be missed!!
blackthunda77
New member
Wow, sad to hear. Condolences.
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Final update
I ran my destroyer until mid december 2017 when I took my tank down because I was going to germany for 6 months.
I ran it at 1 ml of NOpOX per 2 hrs (12 ml per day) since from july 15 to december 17th and in that period and my nitrates eventually went to ~ 1 ppm and stayed at that level.
Although this completely controls the nitrates, it did absolutely nothing to control my phosphates. My phosphates were at >1 ppm when I took down my tank,
I pulled apart the destroyer and rinsed out all the pumice when I took it down.
There was a lot of bacterial growth in the first 2/3rd or so of the dual chamber I eventually used for the destroyer.
I attached a photo of the device I ended up settling on for the last 6 months.
I was build by modifying an old DIY calcium reactor.
I ran my destroyer until mid december 2017 when I took my tank down because I was going to germany for 6 months.
I ran it at 1 ml of NOpOX per 2 hrs (12 ml per day) since from july 15 to december 17th and in that period and my nitrates eventually went to ~ 1 ppm and stayed at that level.
Although this completely controls the nitrates, it did absolutely nothing to control my phosphates. My phosphates were at >1 ppm when I took down my tank,
I pulled apart the destroyer and rinsed out all the pumice when I took it down.
There was a lot of bacterial growth in the first 2/3rd or so of the dual chamber I eventually used for the destroyer.
I attached a photo of the device I ended up settling on for the last 6 months.
I was build by modifying an old DIY calcium reactor.
Attachments
Thank you for the update! Hopefully more destroyer users will share their updates.
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