Donovan's Nitrate Destroyer

[blackthunda77]

I'd say it's closer to the 3rd one?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

 

[nematode]

This is why I use concentration controls.
I use 1000 ppm nitrate as calcium nitrate to spike fresh sea water to make 10 , 20 50, 100 ppm nitrate controls that I run in my tests.

See post 511 for details. I find this much more informative than color guessing to a color chart.
While I may lose some accuracy, I feel more confident in the results: I can really deduce my nitrates are between 10 and 20 or 20 and 50... (or above 100 as was the case for me until recently.

 

[djbon]

7 days since I rebuilt my denitrator, today effluent register zero no3 as per API.

 

[jml1149]

Aren't you using some magic carbon source, not just straight vodka or vinegar?

 

[djbon]

I am using vodka + vinegar + sugar, close to diy nopox blend. I do add 2 other elements which i cannot reveal as the formula belongs to a friend of mine. Trust me, all my denitrator users are using straight vodka with excellent results.

 

[djbon]

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

I would say around 15 to 18 ppm

 

[gregkn73]

Wow!!! Now your results , come in straight line with mine, but I couldn't find an explanation, why some few times I got good results=lower no3 at reactor output than DT, and more others bad......now everything is clear ) I split my 14ml daily diy nopox dosage, in 3 doses, and waiting anxiously your 2ml results, to see if I should split it in even more dosages. I use also dp4 , so until 20/day is possible)

Thanks a lot

I can confirm nematodes results, no3 at reactors output, is greatly reduced an hour after nopox dosing. The following picture , was taken an hour after 2ml of nopox dosed! First I time I took , such a clear difference , between no3 readings of DT and reactor output! Also the last 10 days I am dosing nopox 2ml*7 times/24h , and my DT no3, have been reduced from 8-10 to 3-5 ppm already

Don when you measure your no3 at reactor output, how much time , after you carbon dosed, you take the sample? Also why did you restart your reactor? How much time, remain without flow, when your feeding pump failed?

 

[djbon]

I can confirm nematodes results, no3 at reactors output, is greatly reduced an hour after nopox dosing. The following picture , was taken an hour after 2ml of nopox dosed! First I time I took , such a clear difference , between no3 readings of DT and reactor output! Also the last 10 days I am dosing nopox 2ml*7 times/24h , and my DT no3, have been reduced from 8-10 to 3-5 ppm already

Don when you measure your no3 at reactor output, how much time , after you carbon dosed, you take the sample? Also why did you restart your reactor? How much time, remain without flow, when your feeding pump failed?

Congrats Greg!. Thanks to nematode, now we know a little bit more of what is happening in there. Has been thinking of hooking up an auto doser long before but I just don't have the money to get one. Big problem for poor reefer like me :uhoh2:

Last dosing was done at 5am in the morning, roughly 16 hours before my last test. When I rebuild the reactor my NO3 was quite low (8ppm), and some of the media was from my old reactor. That could be the reason why it works faster than anticipated.

I rebuilt my reactor mainly because I want a shorter but bigger reactor. I am thinking of running an IV dripper for the dosing hence shorter version. My previous reactor as you know was quite tall and skinny.

My reactor was offline for a day and half if i'm not mistaken after my pump failed.

 

[gregkn73]

Congrats Greg!. Thanks to nematode, now we know a little bit more of what is happening in there. Has been thinking of hooking up an auto doser long before but I just don't have the money to get one. Big problem for poor reefer like me :uhoh2:

Last dosing was done at 5am in the morning, roughly 16 hours before my last test. When I rebuild the reactor my NO3 was quite low (8ppm), and some of the media was from my old reactor. That could be the reason why it works faster than anticipated.

I rebuilt my reactor mainly because I want a shorter but bigger reactor. I am thinking of running an IV dripper for the dosing hence shorter version. My previous reactor as you know was quite tall and skinny.

My reactor was offline for a day and half if i'm not mistaken after my pump failed.

Yes nematode disserves a big thanks )

Don why do you thing you can get, unlike me and nematode, lower no3 values at your reactor output, so many hours after carbon dosing? Do you thing is your carbon source, the mb7, or something else?

Also why do you think a fat shorter reactor, is better than a skinny longer reactor, for dosing many small carbon doses? I am now thinking to dose 1ml *12 doses per day, but my reactor is skinny and longer than your first one.....

 

[djbon]

Yes nematode disserves a big thanks )

Don why do you thing you can get, unlike me and nematode, lower no3 values at your reactor output, so many hours after carbon dosing? Do you thing is your carbon source, the mb7, or something else?

Also why do you think a fat shorter reactor, is better than a skinny longer reactor, for dosing many small carbon doses? I am now thinking to dose 1ml *12 doses per day, but my reactor is skinny and longer than your first one.....

Could be my bacteria strain. All of my rocks are fresh live rocks from the sea sold by local LFS. I am not sure about MB7 but that bottled bacteria is excellent with water clarity. I don't think my new reactor is better than the old one. Surface area is almost identical but my water flow is slightly less than the old one. I did mentioned above that I started with fast trickling water compared to the previous one which is fine stream.

 

[blackout2k]

List of material needed:-

3" PVC pipe, 2 1/2 feet in length each (2 pieces)
3" PVC end cap (4 pieces)
1/4" clear vinyl tubing (2 1/2 feet & 8" each)
Small aquarium pump (fountain pump should be sufficient)
Reef safe adjustable valve (to be fitted with the 1/4" tubing)
10ml syringe
Bio ring, bio ball, pumice stones as per image (layered)
Carbon source (vodka, vinegar, sugar)
A bottle of live bacteria to start the reactor

Do you have a picture of this set-up?

 

[stormrider27]

First of all, thank you djbon for sharing your amazing invention with all of us!! I am in the process of setting up a 56g column with a 20g sump. I don't have room to fit a 3" "U" shaped pipe in my tank cabinet, can I use 2" instead and if so how tall will the unit have to be for it to work?

Thanks!
Mark

 

[djbon]

Do you have a picture of this set-up?

I don't have the picture but if you go through this thread you will see some pictures to give you the idea. You can design your own reactor to suit your needs. The fastest design is using "U" shaped pipe (dual 90 degree elbow). A suitable size nipple linking both chamber will give you a smaller foot prints.

 

[djbon]

First of all, thank you djbon for sharing your amazing invention with all of us!! I am in the process of setting up a 56g column with a 20g sump. I don't have room to fit a 3" "U" shaped pipe in my tank cabinet, can I use 2" instead and if so how tall will the unit have to be for it to work?

Thanks!
Mark

2" is too skinny. You can build 4" nipple linked chambers like mine. The foot print is roughly 9" wide only and fit nicely in my 1' x 1' sump.

 

[stormrider27]

2" is too skinny. You can build 4" nipple linked chambers like mine. The foot print is roughly 9" wide only and fit nicely in my 1' x 1' sump.

Glad I asked before I started cutting and gluing What size diameter pipe are you using to bridge the two 3" towers or does it matter?

 

[djbon]

Mine is an inch nipple. Drill a hole at the exact same height on both chamber at the lowest part, preferably after you glued the flat end cap. Put on the nipple, and screw in matching jam nut internally. The nipple will act as a bridge. I would prefer a 4" pipe as i can fit my hand in there to fix the jam nut. But 3" is fine, you just need to find a way to fix the fittings.

 

[stormrider27]

Mine is an inch nipple. Drill a hole at the exact same height on both chamber at the lowest part, preferably after you glued the flat end cap. Put on the nipple, and screw in matching jam nut internally. The nipple will act as a bridge. I would prefer a 4" pipe as i can fit my hand in there to fix the jam nut. But 3" is fine, you just need to find a way to fix the fittings.

With some creative placement of the sump and plumbing I discovered I can fit a 3" U shaped destroyer. Are you still recommending twin 30" tall towers or can the unit be shorter as long as the total length of pipe equals 60" including the two 90 degree elbows and connecting pipe? Also, how much of each type media will I need to purchase?

Thanks!

 

[djbon]

With some creative placement of the sump and plumbing I discovered I can fit a 3" U shaped destroyer. Are you still recommending twin 30" tall towers or can the unit be shorter as long as the total length of pipe equals 60" including the two 90 degree elbows and connecting pipe? Also, how much of each type media will I need to purchase?

Thanks!

U shaped reactor doesn't need connecting pipe, only self standing twin tower like mine need one. As this is a successful experiment without any scientific backup, i am not sure what is the minimum length required to achieve denitrification. The logic with extended contact time (hence the length) is mainly to deplete oxygen in the water during nitrification so that some portion of the chambers (at exit point) will become anaerobic, forcing bacteria to consume the nitrate releasing nitrogen gases as byproducts.

You need biomedia (various sizes) to fill the entire reactor, leaving some space for inlet and outlet hose to breath.

 

[nematode]

update

update

I have been changing my philosophy about how to run this reactor.
( I am running my reactor faster an not trying to get output to zero; just to measureably below input) I am doing this to make control of flow easier. Faster flow, easier to control in my experience.

Details.
I have been running my revamped reactor since 4/8 (post 533).
I haven't tested until today. I am currently running the following :
2ml of NOPOX per hr
400 ml/ per hr ( this his high).

I have settled on this from looking at the growth of clear white slime in my reactor over the two weeks I since I revamped it.

In about 4 days I notice extensive white junk on the input side and lots of bubbles at the top of the reactor (This reactor is made of clear acrylic).

For the first week or so flow was very nice and no modifications were needed from day to day.

Then white slimy stuff started appearing on the output side, and I started having to adjust flow every day.

So I have just increase flow substantially to 400 ml per minute.

So far this seems to be stable.

Today I did a test.
Nitrates are at 15 for the whole tank. That is down from about 30 when I revamped.
I am doing 2 ml per hr of NOPOX. I tested at 15 and 45 minutes after dosage.
Guestimating from color, the 15 min was about 7 ppm and 45 min was about 5ppm. Both were clearly less colored than tank, but not zero.

I actually think this might be the best setting for the reactor.

Higher flow reduces clogging, and while I am not going to zero, I am clearly reducing nitrates. I haven't done formal calculation, but if one goes from 15>5 at 400 ml/ minutes, that is equivelant to going from 15>0 for 266 ml/ minute (assuming the same efficiency)

All together, my nitrates are going down. Last Wed, I tossed in a few montipora frags into the tank. Before at 100 ppm any frags I introduced were dead as a doornail by 4 days, and these are still going strong. So I see this as substantial improvement.

 

[djbon]

Yup, don't have to be zero for sure. I am aiming for 3 - 5ppm no3 and so far so good. One of my denitrator user have almost zero no3 & po4 in his DT and now his reduced vodka dosing to 1ml vodka daily. He don't have much fish with very minimal daily feeding, that could be the reason.