Sulfur DeNitrators

Hello gents, a couple of questions.
1) What is the one and easy way to top off the chamber while running? Should I inject water though the check valve with the syringe that came with the unit? And yes 10ml at the time...
2) While I was trying to top off the unit with water I opened the bleeding valve slowly but nothing happened. Then I opened it all the way and lost siphon. While the bleeding valve was off, I used the syringe to "inject water" in the chamber to top off the unit. Then I put the bleeding valve back on and now there is NO siphon. What am I going wrong? Should I wait a while before siphon gets started or is it instant?
 
Well I'm back with lots of info... on my experiences with the XL Sulfur De-Nitrifier (Midwest Aquatic).

1) NO SIPHON: The reason I had lost siphon was because the pump was not primed but it was running so quietly and I thought everything was going fine. After many unsuccessful attempts to "start" it, I opened it up for inspection. What I found out was that some of the ARM rocks had been sucked into the pump and it could not get primed. Once I took the small rocks out it started fine. I made the following changes to the unit so this problem won't happen again.
First I changed the translucent tube that came with the unit that goes into the input of the pump. I used clear tubing so I can see thru it when there is no water flow.
The other change I made was to install a strainer on the input fitting inside the chamber, under the cap. I found a rio 900 strainer and cut it to size and pushed it into the plastic fitting that is glued on the inside of the chamber's cover. That way I would eliminate the possibility of rocks getting sucked into the pump again.

2) DRIP RATE ADJUSTMENT: I had installed the pinch valve on the output line of the unit. Over the course of 2 weeks the line had been permanently deformed at the pinched location and it would not open to increase the drip rate. So I decided to replace the pinch valve with an inline mini/micro plastic valve. That way the tubing will not get deformed.

After I completed the "improvements" above, the unit started up like a charm and again the effluent stays at ZERO nitrates. I increased the drip rate to about 5 drops per sec (I think but it is very hard to tell) and now I'm waiting for the tank nitrates to drop. So far there is not change on the tank nitrates (25 to 50 but closer to 50)...
Maybe I should start taking the bioballs out a little at a time...
 
Update:
Tank Nitrates results:

SUCCESS!!! Using the Salifert Nitrate test;
after 2 weeks of continuous drip of 5-6 drops /sec the tank water nitrates have gone down to the range of 10 -25 (but closer to 25) ppm.

The original tank water nitrate level with the same salifert test were 25 to 50 (but closer to 50).

So definitely I have noticed a Nitrate reduction using the Sulfur De-Nitrifier for about 3 weeks.

I'll update you again in 1 week.
 
Great thread, I've just subscribed to it. Would anyone recommend using a sulfur denitrator on a tank without a sump, and have the effluent injected directly into my HOB skimmer (Deltec MCE600) for aeration?

Another question for the coil denitrator users: once your nitrate levels drop to zero in your tank, can you continue to use the denitrator at a very slow drip rate? Is there any negative impact to continue using this on a nitrate free tank, or should it be brought offline afterwards until your nitrates build up again? And if you have to bring it down, will it have to recycle again (wait another 4-6 weeks) in order for it to work again if you have nitrate problems later on down the road?
 
Denitrator

Denitrator

Well since no one else is posting. I bought the Midwest Aquatic 4 weeks ago. Tank nitrates were around 50 ppm FOWLR. Nitrates are gone. I haven't had any trouble. No losing suction. I did put the pinch valve on the tube going into the sump. I think they should just tell people to do that. It looks like #1

http://www.midwestaquatic.com/SETUP_DIAGRAMS.htm

I'm really pretty happy with it. The price is high, but it's cheaper than the other ones.
 
Re: Denitrator

Re: Denitrator

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7078743#post7078743 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reefguy888
Well since no one else is posting. I bought the Midwest Aquatic 4 weeks ago. Tank nitrates were around 50 ppm FOWLR. Nitrates are gone. I haven't had any trouble. No losing suction. I did put the pinch valve on the tube going into the sump. I think they should just tell people to do that. It looks like #1

http://www.midwestaquatic.com/SETUP_DIAGRAMS.htm

I'm really pretty happy with it. The price is high, but it's cheaper than the other ones.
Click to expand...

Great news!! Mine will be here tomorrow. My nitrates aren't quite as bad as yours were, but this should take care of it. :)
 
For my coil, It has to run all the time. if you shut it down, then the bacteria will die and when you start it back up, you will hav eto go thru the cycle all over again. it does not hurt and is constantly taking what nitrates you have in the water out.
 
Errefic, quick question. What is the easiest way to tell when the Eheim pump is circulating water? Like pickupman66 said, my pump stopped pumping for 5 days while I was on vacation (the water level in the chamber dropped below the eheim pump intake) and when I got back the bacteria had died and I had to start the cycle again.
 
Water circulation

Water circulation

That can be a trick. I took a flash light and looked in the botton of the chamber. I could definitely see current. I saw you had a rock stuck in the pump. Did you leave a clearing between the rocks and the intake tube? I have about an inch between the two and I don't see the pump sucking up any rocks.
 
Last edited:
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7081009#post7081009 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by skydancer
Errefic, quick question. What is the easiest way to tell when the Eheim pump is circulating water? Like pickupman66 said, my pump stopped pumping for 5 days while I was on vacation (the water level in the chamber dropped below the eheim pump intake) and when I got back the bacteria had died and I had to start the cycle again.
Click to expand...

I just got mine running now. When I put the sulfer in, a little went all the way to the bottom so if it's swirling around, you know the pumps running. :) If it's not, I just tilted the unit a little to get the sulfer in front of the flow and it swirled around.
 
I just got and set mine up yesterday. Everything went well and unit primed and flow was great right away. I filled the chamber with water prior to sealing the unit so dont know if this helped or not. I also have a few sulphur beads that went below the bottom pad and if you look at them you can see movement so the pump is doing its thing. My tank Nitrates are about 60 ppm so am excited to see results!! I have bioballs so thats the reason for nitrates going and getting up fast. But with a heavy fish load I have chosen to leave the bioballs and try this route. Hope it works!!
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7084749#post7084749 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Ereefic
I just got mine running now. When I put the sulfer in, a little went all the way to the bottom so if it's swirling around, you know the pumps running. :) If it's not, I just tilted the unit a little to get the sulfer in front of the flow and it swirled around.
Click to expand...

In order to eliminate the possibility of having rocks sucked in to the pump, I installed a strainer at the pump intake. I think it was the strainer that would not allow enough water to come up and the pump would not stay primed. Thanks for your suggestion, I removed the strainer and lowered the gravel level to about 1 inch below the Eheim intake. It seems to be working now (at least it stays primed). I have had the De-Nitrator running for more than one month but have always had setbacks, so I 'm looking forward to starting over again... I just completed the 1-drop/sec-with-zero-nitrates stage and I'm now at the 3-drop/sec stage. My tank nitrates are still 25 - 50 but closer to 50, I think. I'm able to maintain the 50-level with weekly 10% water changes so I can't wait until I get the De-Nitrator working.
 
Re: Water circulation

Re: Water circulation

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7081275#post7081275 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reefguy888
That can be a trick. I took a flash light and looked in the botton of the chamber. I could definitely see current. I saw you had a rock stuck in the pump. Did you leave a clearing between the rocks and the intake tube? I have about an inch between the two and I don't see the pump sucking up any rocks.
Click to expand...

Sorry reefguy888, the post above is in reponse to your quote but I clicked the wrong "quote" button.
 
At day 10 since installation, my tank Nitrates have started to drop. At the start they were close to 50ppm and now they are below 40ppm. This is great news as my nitrates were always on the rise due to my bio-fish load in the tank, and I would do 30 percent water changes weekly to keep them down. At the start they were the highest I ever let them get to, but wanted to see if this would do the trick. It is obviously working as no water change has been made and they are less than 10 days ago. By now without the unit I would have calculated them to be around 80-100 ppm. It sure is nice to keep the Alk, Calc, Mg, and Ph stable without the weekly water change and also have the nitrates going down!!
 
Update: Now at day 18 since installation and tank nitrates are at slightly above 10ppm. This unit REALLY WORKS!! If it seems pricey then take a look at the math... By now I would have done 3 water changes of about 30 gallons, $90.00 (at about one dollar per gallon) plus the time and effort to do the change. Even with those water changes, my nitrates would only drop to about 20ppm. So at that rate the unit will start SAVING me money in about another month and a half. I did do a 10% change the other day just to kick in some fresh water, and will do this as good husbandry but I love the fact that it will be by choice, not a must to get nitrates down.I also hated the adjustment after the change to stabilize the tank. Seemed it would just get right all around and time for another Nitrate reducing change. Throw in the cost of test kits to get your water back to norms after a bigger change, plus all the $ additives for ca alk ph etc....Well you get the picture!
 
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