Sulfur DeNITRIFIER DIY!!!
- Thread starter uncleant
- Start date
melev
Well-known member
Here are three pictures of my setup. First, the main three cartridges.
What I did was run about 25' of red tubing before the denitrification system. The first cartridge is some sulfur-based media I got from a friend, and if the bag was what it came in, it is made by Sera.
Next it flows into a refillable DI cartridge filled with ARM. I removed the felt screen at the base, but there is a thick 1" foam block at the base, as well as whatever is at the top of cartridge (some type of white thick stuff). The next refillable cartridge is filled with carbon, with the felt removed at the base.
I tried using a MaxiJet 400, but it just didn't have enough power to push water into the system, so I pulled out an old Maxijet 1200. While digging through my stuff, I found some soft rubber tubing with a funny rubber connection at each end. On the Maxijet end, I inserted a 1/2" piece of flexible tubing (1" long) over the outlet, and then inserted the rubber connection. It fit snugly. The other end I inserted some RO/DI tubing as far as I could.
To avoid any detritus being pumped into the denitrifier, I took the Maxijet and stuck it inside a filter sock. I figured that would be the best way to keep the water pure going into the unit and avoid clogging the media. The sock has quite a bit of surface area, so I'm hoping I'll only need to clean it every few weeks. I have two socks, so I can swap them.
The blue tubing in front of the sock is the output, which I have set to one drip a second. After letting it run for about 2 hours, I took a small water sample (that took about 15 minutes to collect those drips) and tested pH. It was 9.36 (pinpoint meter). Nitrate was under 10ppm coming out, and my system is around 35ppm a couple of days ago.
I do realize it will take a week or so for this to settle in, but I just wanted to post my experience thus far.
What I did was run about 25' of red tubing before the denitrification system. The first cartridge is some sulfur-based media I got from a friend, and if the bag was what it came in, it is made by Sera.
Next it flows into a refillable DI cartridge filled with ARM. I removed the felt screen at the base, but there is a thick 1" foam block at the base, as well as whatever is at the top of cartridge (some type of white thick stuff). The next refillable cartridge is filled with carbon, with the felt removed at the base.
I tried using a MaxiJet 400, but it just didn't have enough power to push water into the system, so I pulled out an old Maxijet 1200. While digging through my stuff, I found some soft rubber tubing with a funny rubber connection at each end. On the Maxijet end, I inserted a 1/2" piece of flexible tubing (1" long) over the outlet, and then inserted the rubber connection. It fit snugly. The other end I inserted some RO/DI tubing as far as I could.
To avoid any detritus being pumped into the denitrifier, I took the Maxijet and stuck it inside a filter sock. I figured that would be the best way to keep the water pure going into the unit and avoid clogging the media. The sock has quite a bit of surface area, so I'm hoping I'll only need to clean it every few weeks. I have two socks, so I can swap them.
The blue tubing in front of the sock is the output, which I have set to one drip a second. After letting it run for about 2 hours, I took a small water sample (that took about 15 minutes to collect those drips) and tested pH. It was 9.36 (pinpoint meter). Nitrate was under 10ppm coming out, and my system is around 35ppm a couple of days ago.
I do realize it will take a week or so for this to settle in, but I just wanted to post my experience thus far.
Kentanner11
New member
/\ (forgot to post this in your thread) Where did you buy your housings from??
Thanks!
Thanks!
melev
Well-known member
The red tubing is just what I use for source water going into an RO/DI system. Red goes in, Blue goes out, and Black is waste water. Since I had an abundance of red, I did the same for this little guy.
And the reason I used so much was because it was suggested earlier in the thread that longer tubing would lower the oxygen level in the water going to the sulfur, creating lower pH for better dissolving.
And the reason I used so much was because it was suggested earlier in the thread that longer tubing would lower the oxygen level in the water going to the sulfur, creating lower pH for better dissolving.
i like the way you set it up marc - looks good. good luck!! let us know what your nitrate effluent peaks at. mine went over a 100 at 60 drops per minute. i am wondering if that was an isolated event. it didn't have much effect on tank since the rate is so slow. also i slowed it to 30 drops/min until it kicked in. currently i am running at 60 drops/min and the unit is still working well. tank nitrates are almost zero.
thanks
thanks
Sorry if it's already been posted but I found this thread very useful.
http://www.njreefers.org/joomla/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=26&topic=4537.0
http://www.njreefers.org/joomla/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=26&topic=4537.0
TulsaReefer
New member
I've written a couple blog entries based on my experience installing and using a Midwest Aquatics sulfur denitrator. You can find the info by clicking on my little red house. I'm hoping to put another update up soon, though the past few months have pretty much been clear sailing, no problems at all with the unit. Just been working a bit to keep the kH up, but that's easy and cheap enough to fix in the end.
TulsaReefer
New member
The chamber(s) don't have to be clear, but there are some advantages if they are. Over time, a very heavy bacterial film can build up over the sulfur, and if you can see it, you will know ahead of time that it's about time to clean the filter. Often when this heavy film builds up the filter will soon need cleaning or it will begin to emit H2S. If it isn't clear you won't be able to see this, and will have to wait until you smell it, which you probably will, just a little later. And it also makes it easier to see if the calcium media (ARM, etc.) has dissolved to the point where you need to replace/augment it. But in the end there is no real reason you couldn't build one that wasn't clear, just would be a bit more difficult to monitor.
TulsaReefer
New member
The pH coming out of mine this morning is 7.6 and is usually in the low to mid 7 range. But I also have only about an inch of sulfur and about 6 inches of ARM in my Midwest unit. It sounds like the effluent isn't being fully bufferred from the ARM. Is the recirculation pump running and is water flowing well within the unit?
How much Nitrate is in your tank right now? I know when my unit was new, and working to bring down my tank Nitrate the pH tended to be lower then. But even so, 6 seems pretty low, and at that range it should be dissolving the calcium media quite readily.
How much Nitrate is in your tank right now? I know when my unit was new, and working to bring down my tank Nitrate the pH tended to be lower then. But even so, 6 seems pretty low, and at that range it should be dissolving the calcium media quite readily.
