Donovan's Nitrate Destroyer

I'm seeing result from the new recipe, but I wanted to see how long does it take to give me the final result i'm looking for. As I mentioned before, my rock is leaching PO4. 2 years battling with high nutrient, the rocks must have absorb significant amount of PO4. I fed my fish with brine shrimp, blood worm and mysis covered in oily stuff. Not forgetting frozen cubes and flakes. Feeding plan full of nasty stuff. Only time will tell.
 
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How long did it take to get the bacteria colonized enough to process the nitrate? Also, how much flow do you want entering the tower ?
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ioraan said:
How long did it take to get the bacteria colonized enough to process the nitrate? Also, how much flow do you want entering the tower ?
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5 - 7 days bacteria will start processing nitrate. Mine produces nitrogen bubble on 5th day after starting. Nitrate should start dropping on 2nd week. My 80ppm nitrate drop to 5ppm on 3rd week. Zero nitrate on 4th to 5th week. I would say 1% to 2% from total water is the optimum flow for the reactor, maximum 5% water flow is the limit.
 
Donovan what is the height difference, between inlet and outlet, at your denitraror?

Also do you run GAC at your system?
 
djbon said:
Roughly 2". I do run fluvial GAC as I am running mixed reef system. Change every 2 weeks.
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Do you thing, reducing or eliminating the usage of GAC, to naturally increase DOC , before someone add carbon in the denitrator, a good idea?
 
I run carbon solely to remove toxin and polishing the water. I don't think it will absorb DOC to make a significant impact. I dump a kilogram of activated carbon in the sump before, no changes on nutrient level. Without activated carbon my water is slightly yellowish. Somewhere I read GAC will remove heavy metals and essential elements.
 
gregkn73 said:
Do you thing, reducing or eliminating the usage of GAC, to naturally increase DOC , before someone add carbon in the denitrator, a good idea?
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It would be a great idea,since you follow donovan's steps, to share the whole process with PICS(tank,animals,reactor,etc),water tests and results,etc so you could help other people too and make another solid example if/that donovan's nitrate destroyer worked for you too:thumbsup:
Would be great to see the level of success and impact,that lowering no3 will have in your reef tank.
How much it will improve/change the overall health of your animals:)

And if you made small/big adjustments or changes to donovan's no3 destroyer,it would be nice to share them too!
 
Hi Mike,

Totally agree with you. I do believe Greg's reactor will perform well as the logic behind the process is basically in the design. The only variable of success and failure will be the effluent flow rate. With continuos test for the first 2 weeks should give the clear indicator of success.
 
Have been using new recipe for dosing and here are the latest result. I have been constantly dosing sodium nitrate to bring up nitrate for phosphate uptake. I'm not sure about the api po4 test kit, but the no3 is roughly 20ppm difference (tank vs effluent). I changed the new recipe composition and will test again in few days.

P/s: PO4 is effluent output only.
 
Greg, should be okay for inlet with proper small fitting but the outlet must be 2" lower. Don't forget the dosing tube as well.
 
:confused:Ok, gotcha. My nitrate is zero for the last couple of months due to running fallow. Black ich wiped out my fish. The only fish added 3 weeks ago is a fox face. PO4 uptake kind of halted without nitrate, so i have to dose sodium nitrate. Carbon dosing is currently 5ml, but the carbon content is much lower compared to full vodka previously i used. Maybe i should dose nitrate every other day instead of every day. Emmm...
 
djbon said:
Hi Greg, is it online now?. How is the reactor going?
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Not yet, I intend to fill the first chamber with bioballs (2+3 large pumice, 4 small pumice) but I couldn't find locally, so I ordered them online. I will have them in about 2 weeks :-(

Donovan do you apply your carbon source, once in a day or in several doses throughout the 24 hours?
 
Hahha. Luckily my LFS does have dophin bio balls, fluval ceramic rings and denitrate. The coral rubble is available most of the time.

Carbon is added every morning. You can split it into two, once in the morning and the other at night. My effluent goes into my filter socks. The slime build up on socks gives me indication that the reactor is charging.
 
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djbon said:
Hahha. Luckily my LFS does have dophin bio balls, fluval ceramic rings and denitrate. The coral rubble is available most of the time.

Carbon is added every morning. You can split it into two, once in the morning and the other at night. My effluent goes into my filter socks. The slime build up on socks gives me indication that the reactor is charging.
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I intend to run it for a week without adding carbon and then I decided to use the recipe, of diy NOPOX, I red here in another thread. In any case I don't plan to use a lot of carbon ,since I want a very small reduction to my NO3 from 8ppm now to 2-3 ppm, but I would like to help me reduce the use of GAC and GFO. Basically if I can maintain 0.03ppm of PO4, without using 150ml of GFO in a reactor, as I am doing now, it will be perfect :-) reading the following http://wst.iwaponline.com/content/44/1/57.abstract , I wonder if alternating the flow or adding the carbon source once every 48h or 24h , can help me reduce PO4 more effectively...

PS I don't use filter socks, do you think I am going to have problem with bacterial slime?
 
Today test vs 29th august. 8 days from 40ppm no3 (dt) to almost zero. Damn, i can't get po4 down. Hair algae still a problem.
 

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