Sulfur Denitrator Setup

[LobsterOfJustice]

I just purchased a GEO Sulfur Denitrator and set it up yesterday. My unit comes with a screen to separate the chamber which allows you to put some aragonite media in the reactor chamber to help offset some of the acidification from the nitrate removal process. However, I also have a spare phosban reactor sitting around, and I could use that inline after the denitrator as well.

Does locating the aragonite buffer media inside the denitrator benefit the denitrification process - or is the idea just to buffer the water before it gets back to the tank? Is it better to run the aragonite in the same recirculated chamber as the sulfur media, or in a separate chamber after?

 

[CHSUB]

I just purchased a GEO Sulfur Denitrator and set it up yesterday. My unit comes with a screen to separate the chamber which allows you to put some aragonite media in the reactor chamber to help offset some of the acidification from the nitrate removal process. However, I also have a spare phosban reactor sitting around, and I could use that inline after the denitrator as well.

Does locating the aragonite buffer media inside the denitrator benefit the denitrification process - or is the idea just to buffer the water before it gets back to the tank? Is it better to run the aragonite in the same recirculated chamber as the sulfur media, or in a separate chamber after?

that is something i have thought about also. i run aragonite after, in a separate chamber; do to lack of space in main reactor. however, i have read 2 factors that can speed up denitrication are higher temps and higher ph? Aragonite in the main reactor might help maintain a higher ph inside the reactor, thus increasing the reactor's efficiency. there maybe some drawbacks also: less room from sulfur and the need to open the reactor more ofter to add aragonite?

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

So far, this thing is amazing. I set it up, plugged it in, and increased the drip rate when it smelled like sulfur. It's dropped my nitrates from ~50 to ~5 in less than a month!

Now I'm going to cut back on my water changes (15% a week) and start feeding more (which is what got my nitrates up there in the first place).

I'm now getting a lot of bacteria buildup in the reactor - gray cloudiness all over the sponge and between the pores of the sulfur beads - what does this indicate?

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

Bump - inside of the reactor is getting more gray slimy gunk by the day. Just need to guidance as far as what this indicates and if it is a problem.

 

[DamonG]

Yes, it is a good thing. It is the reactor going on line. The one thing you may want to start doing is showing that effluent down.. They really get stronger with age!

 

[CHSUB]

Bump - inside of the reactor is getting more gray slimy gunk by the day. Just need to guidance as far as what this indicates and if it is a problem.

have you tested the effluent's no3? you may need to increase flow, you should never get sulfur smells...

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

Sulfur Denitrator Setup

Effluent has always tested 0. I increased the flow when I noticed a sulfur smell and it seems to be holding steady with no smell now. But there's so much gunk inside the chamber I'm worried it's going to clog.

 

[CHSUB]

Effluent has always tested 0. I increased the flow when I noticed a sulfur smell and it seems to be holding steady with no smell now. But there's so much gunk inside the chamber I'm worried it's going to clog.

mine has been running untouched for 20 months, some "gunk" but not to much; with increased flow gunk should clear some. yes, to much gunk could cause an issue. i would wait a couple of days and if gunk does not clear increase flow again. i run a full stream of water through mine, however, flow is slowed a couple times per hour.

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

The above mentioned gunk cleared up within about a week.

After seeing nitrates drop from 50 to near zero, I am seeing nitrates slowly rising again. A few weeks ago nitrates in the tank rose to 5 and effluent had risen to 0.2. Today, tank is 10 and effluent is 5. Do I need to slow the flow?

 

[moondoggy4]

^^^^ What are you using for a feed pump?

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

Sulfur Denitrator Setup

I have a maxi jet tee'd off to feed. Current flow rate is the slowest steady stream, i.e. Any slower would be the fastest possible drip rate.

 

[biecacka]

Updates? I'm interested in how this is working for you

Corey

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

I cut the flow rate back a bit and the output of the reactor dropped back to zero, and the reading in the tank has been coming down, currently sitting around 5.

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

Refreshing myself on the subject...

I took the reactor out of service last fall during the process of moving. I am currently putting the reactor back online on my new setup. Things were going good with the reactor breaking in for about a month, but eventually so much gray snot built up inside the reactor that it completely clogged. This week I broke it down, cleaned it out, and I'm giving it another shot. I'm using an aqualifter as a feed pump now - I'm going to try using a prefilter on it to keep the feed stream a little cleaner. Strategy is to start with a slow drip rate and incrementally increase as effluent drops to zero.